The Rural Section of Pennsylvania Where Geniuses Have Vacationed for Centuries
There’s a reason this county is called the ‘Genius Belt.’
If you need some time away from the demands of everyday life, take after a gaggle of 20th-century playwrights, painters, and poets by trading the tranquil seaside or an idyllic forest for a trip to rural Pennsylvania.
Bucks County, which rests 75 miles (or about an hour and 45 minute drive) from New York City, has been dubbed the “genius belt” thanks to a history of hosting creatives looking for a quiet place to flesh out their ideas and create meaningful art.
“Many renowned artists, playwrights, craftsmen, authors, and thinkers have and continue to visit Bucks County seeking a retreat from New York City,” said Megan Connelly, the marketing and communications coordinator for Visit Bucks County. “Driven by the search for natural beauty, a supportive artistic community, and the practical benefits of a rural retreat, the area became such a well-known haven for creativity that the New York media began to call it ‘the genius belt.’”
Some of the notable artists contained in this group of “geniuses” included Oscar Hammerstein, James A. Michener, George S. Kaufman, Moss Hart, and Pearl S. Buck. These creatives flocked to towns like New Hope, Doylestown, Langhorne, Washington Crossing, and Yardley to name a few. And many of the creative spaces they frequented (or that benefited from their work) can still be visited today.
Head to Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope where performers like Judy Garland, Grace Kelly, Joan Rivers, and James Earl Jones took the stage for historic performances. The Rocky Horror Show, The Everly Brothers Experience, or Anastasia the Musical are all being staged this season. Alternatively, just go take a gander at the building, which has an original structure built way back in 1790, when the Hope Mills were rebuilt and renamed the New Hope Mills. The town’s former name of Coryell’s Ferry lost its ring after that and the town was renamed to New Hope after those same mills.
The Michener Art Museum, located in Doylestown, also makes for a great way to engage in the creative history of Bucks County. This facility, which formerly acted as the Bucks County Jail, currently has an exhibit called Behind These Walls: Reckoning with Incarceration created in collaboration with formerly incarcerated individuals, artists, mental health advocates, and others in exploring that part of the building’s history.
To get the full historical significance of this town which shaped the minds of creative greats of the early- to mid-twentieth century, take the Bucks County Genius Belt Group Tour. This tour, although unguided, provides a list of activities and ideas for those visiting the town. Taking a deeper dive into history at The Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle, The Tileworks, or the Pearl S. Buck House.