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Visitors to downtown Easton now have the opportunity to get off their feet and share in the rich history and current culture of the city of Easton with the recent addition of The Discover Easton Trolley.
The Discover Easton trolley started Monday, June 11 and will continue until the end of the summer. The trolley tour is free and will run 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The trolley’s current route brings both residents and tourists on a narrated, historic tour of downtown Easton. The route consists of nine stops at which people can get on and off as they please. The tour starts in Center Square and heads down to the river before winding its way up to Sixth Street, making stops at various locations along the way.
City Planning Director and Development Director Barbara Kowitz says that the city will introduce a second route next month that takes visitors between downtown Easton and downtown Phillipsburg using the Northampton Street free bridge, which is operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.
With these two routes already in the works, the city is looking toward the future.
“Our next phase will add other tours associated with special themes, such as festivals, holidays, and seasons,” says Kowitz. “It is very probable that there will be a special tour up to College Hill and the Lafayette campus. Every so often in the late 90s we did past programs that routed people up College Hill and back down to encourage students and visitors to explore both the Lafayette campus and downtown Easton.”
The Discover Easton Trolley is a multi-year program and is funded throughout 2008 by an $80,000 grant from the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.
“The trolley is a special event, and specials events, festivals, and attractions all need to rely on one another to create an experience that makes our community a place that people want to explore and return to, either as visitors or potential new residents,” says Kowitz. “This program combines a number of attributes; it brings together history and allows people to explore, especially those who have children and need the ability get on and off a trolley when they want. So many tourists come specifically to River’s Landing, the Lafayette campus, or The State Theater and are comfortable just going to their intended destination. We want them to not just visit that particular attraction but also to have the chance to experience the city of Easton.”
Kowitz feels the city, its residents, and those who visit will continue to see the impact of the trolley in years to come.
“Something like this is a resource and an amenity; it’s not a money generator in itself,” she explains. “The benefits are much broader and larger with an economic impact hopefully resulting in people visiting our local restaurants and shops that they wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Besides the economic impact, the trolley is an attractive addition to the city; it’s fun to look out and see a trolley. The trolley tour is a wonderful amenity that an old town should offer.”