Top Landmarks in Easton

Easton, Pennsylvania sits where the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers meet, and much of its landmark cluster follows that geography: a compact downtown built around a historic square, a college perched on the hill above it, and a former industrial waterfront now given over to trails and parks. For a city with a population of roughly 29,000, the landmarks are close enough together that a visitor can see the major ones without much driving. This guide covers the widely known sites, how they group by neighborhood, and how to link them into a single walk. For a broader overview of the city, start with the Easton Travel Guide: Things to Do, Landmarks, Food, and Itineraries.

Centre Square and Downtown

Centre Square, often called the Circle by locals, is the historic and geographic anchor of Easton. It's a public square dating to the city's founding in the 18th century, and it's commonly cited as one of the sites where the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to the public in 1776. The square is ringed by commercial buildings and civic architecture, including the Northampton County Courthouse nearby, and it functions as the natural starting point for exploring downtown.

A short walk from the square is Two Rivers Landing, home to the Crayola Experience, a family-oriented attraction tied to Crayola's long manufacturing presence in Easton. Also downtown is the Sigal Museum, operated by the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society, which focuses on regional and local history. The State Theatre, a restored early-20th-century performance venue, is another well-known downtown landmark and hosts a regular calendar of shows; check the venue's official site for current listings rather than relying on any fixed schedule.

These downtown sites sit within a few blocks of one another, making Centre Square a practical hub for a walking loop. Between stops, downtown Easton also has a range of casual dining options, covered in more detail in Where to Eat in Easton.

College Hill and Lafayette College

Rising above downtown to the north is College Hill, home to Lafayette College. The campus is known for its 19th-century architecture and hilltop setting, with views back down toward the Delaware River and downtown Easton. Even for visitors not touring the campus formally, the walk up College Hill offers a change in elevation and atmosphere from the commercial streets below, and the surrounding residential blocks include a number of well-preserved historic homes. The climb from Centre Square to the campus is steep in places, so comfortable footwear is worth considering.

The Lehigh River Waterfront and Hugh Moore Park

South and east of downtown, along the Lehigh River, is Hugh Moore Park, home to the National Canal Museum. This cluster reflects Easton's industrial-era role as a hub for the Lehigh Canal and Delaware Canal, and the park includes towpath trails and canal-era infrastructure. The site connects to the broader Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, a designated heritage area that links historic canal and industrial sites along the river valley. Because the museum and any canal-boat programming can change seasonally, it's worth checking official sources for current offerings before planning a visit around them.

The riverside trails here are relatively flat and make for an easy add-on to a downtown visit, particularly for anyone interested in the city's canal and railroad history rather than just its 18th-century square.

Bushkill Creek: The Karl Stirner Arts Trail and Simon Silk Mill

On the north side of the city, Bushkill Creek cuts through a former industrial corridor that has been reworked into a public amenity. The Karl Stirner Arts Trail follows the creek and displays outdoor sculpture along a paved path, connecting several neighborhoods on foot. Nearby is the Simon Silk Mill, a former textile mill complex that has been redeveloped for mixed use while retaining its historic industrial buildings. Together, these sites give a sense of Easton's manufacturing past that complements the canal history found at Hugh Moore Park.

Combining the Landmarks into a Walk

Because Easton's core landmarks fall into a few compact clusters, they lend themselves well to a single day of walking. A practical route starts at Centre Square, takes in the Sigal Museum, State Theatre, and Two Rivers Landing downtown, then climbs College Hill to see the Lafayette College campus before returning toward the rivers. From there, the Bushkill Creek corridor and the Karl Stirner Arts Trail sit on the way back toward downtown, while Hugh Moore Park and the National Canal Museum are better suited to a separate leg of the trip given their distance south along the Lehigh.

Elevation change is the main factor to plan around: downtown and the riverfront areas are relatively flat, while College Hill involves a genuine climb. Comfortable shoes and a bit of flexibility in pacing make the walk easier, especially in warmer months.

For a structured route through these sites, see the Easton 1-Day Itinerary or, for a slower pace that includes the outlying park and trail areas, the Easton 3-Day Itinerary. If you're weighing when to go, Best Time to Visit Easton covers seasonal considerations, and general logistics questions are addressed in the Easton FAQ. For a fuller list of activities beyond the landmarks themselves, see Best Things To Do in Easton.

A Note on Getting Around

Downtown Easton, College Hill, and the Bushkill Creek corridor are close enough to cover on foot for most visitors, though the walk up to Lafayette College involves a real hill. Hugh Moore Park sits farther out along the Lehigh River, so a short drive or a longer walk is typically more practical for that leg. As with any unfamiliar downtown area, ordinary urban awareness, watching for traffic at crossings and keeping track of belongings in busier pedestrian areas, is a reasonable approach rather than anything specific to Easton.