Pennsylvania's Former Steel Plant Just Outside Allentown Is Now An Artsy Attraction Full Of Cultural Flair

For most of the 20^th century, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania was synonymous with industry, its economy driven by the massive iron furnaces that operated along the Lehigh River until the mid-1990s. But, while Bethlehem Steel lasted longer than many of Pennsylvania's once-numerous mills, the company's 2001 bankruptcy left the 1,600-acre Bethlehem Steel Plant abandoned.

Fortunately, the site didn't sit empty for long. Instead of turning into a rusting eyesore like many former industrial areas, a 10-acre portion of the property re-opened as the ArtsQuest Campus at SteelStacks in 2011, a space for entertainment and creative education managed by a Bethlehem-based nonprofit. Visitors today can see a concert at Levitt Pavillion in the shadow of the still-standing blast furnaces, head indoors to the ArtsQuest Center to watch a movie at Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas, or catch a show on one of the stages. The old steel mill's 19^th-century stock house is now the Visitor Center, with a store selling local art and another performance space, while the 150-year-old turn and grind shop is being redeveloped into more exhibit and festival space as of writing, with plans to open in 2027. The campus also has two restaurants, the food truck-style Mack Truck Stop beside Levitt Pavilion and Palette & Pour, a bar and grill located inside the ArtsQuest Center.

SteelStacks' flagship event is Musikfest, the biggest free music festival in the United States, where hundreds of performances take place over a span of 10 days every August. It also hosts an Oktoberfest every fall, a holiday Christkindlmarkt in November and December, and about 4,000 total concerts, workshops, and other events every year, so the odds are high there will be some kind of arts or culture event going on whatever time of year you visit.

The Bethlehem Steel Plant first opened in 1863, when the Bethlehem Iron Company built it to make rails for the railroad. Bethlehem Steel took ownership in 1904, using the plant's iron to make steel for iconic structures like the Golden Gate Bridge and Empire State Building. The Bethlehem Plant operated seven furnaces that each produced up to 3,000 tons of iron daily until the 1970s, when the American steel industry slid into a rapid decline. The plant continued to operate until the 1990s but at a reduced capacity and with a much smaller workforce. The mill made its last cast in 1995 and the coke works were shut down in 1998. Thousands of local workers were left unemployed, and the sprawling facility, which covered about 20% of Bethlehem's taxable land, sat idle.

Instead of demolishing the historic furnaces, community groups like Save Our Steel formed to redevelop the site instead, similar to how Pittsburgh's Carrie Furnaces became a space for arts and outdoor recreation. The site was split into parcels and sold to new tenants, including the community-driven nonprofit ArtsQuest, which was founded for the inaugural MusikFest in 1984. Along with concerts and arts programming, ArtsQuest honors the history of its SteelStacks Campus with walking tours like the Steelwalker series, which are led by former steelworkers (or guides trained by them), offered Thursdays through Sundays from April through December. Tours start from the lobby of the National Museum of Industrial History, which is located in the old steel plant's electric repair shop. The museum is open on Wednesdays through Sundays and also has free virtual tours on its website, for anyone who wants to learn more about the region's steel legacy and the history of industry in America.

SteelStacks is located along the southern shore of the Lehigh River in the Christmas Capital of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. To put that in the broader context of the state, it's about 20 minutes east of the artsy and affordable city of Allentown or about two hours north of Philadelphia. If you're visiting from outside driving distance, the Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown is served by major carriers like United, Delta, and American Airlines.

The best time to visit will depend on what you want to see. The busiest time for SteelStacks is Musikfest in early August, which sees over 1 million visitors each year across the 10 days of the festival. If you plan to visit during Musikfest, it's smart to book your accommodations well in advance. There are several hotels in Bethlehem, including options that are within easy walking distance, like the Wind Creek Bethlehem resort and casino, but these typically sell out months ahead of time, so it's best to secure your spot soon after the dates are announced in January.

The crowds aren't quite as massive for the other concerts it hosts throughout the year, which include other multi-day events like Country Fest in late August. October is a good time to visit if you also want to check out the rest of Bethlehem, with the city's Harvest Fest typically running concurrent with SteelStacks' Oktoberfest. You can check the full calendar on the ArtsQuest website to see if any upcoming events are aligned to your interests.