Bowman's Hill Tower: The View Behind Our Name

Bowman's Hill Tower sits close enough to the inn that we share a road with it, and there is something fitting about a couple's getaway that starts a few minutes from the hill we're named after. The 125 foot stone tower rises out of Washington Crossing Historic Park just off Route 32 and Lurgan Road, and on a clear day the view stretches close to 14 miles over the Delaware River and the countryside around it. It is the kind of quiet, unhurried outing that can define a romantic weekend.

A Little History Worth Climbing For

The tower is younger than it looks. It was built between 1929 and 1931 out of local fieldstone, using more than 2,400 tons of material hauled up the hill, to mark what may have been a lookout point for Washington's troops watching the Delaware for enemy movement before the famous crossing. Historians now treat that story as more local legend than documented fact, but it is a good one to tell each other on the way up, and it gives the climb a bit of weight beyond the view at the top.

A Romantic Climb to the Tippy Top

Getting to the top means 125 stone steps winding up a narrow spiral staircase, the kind where you naturally end up a step ahead of each other, trading places on the way up and catching your breath together at the top. It is not a long climb, but it is enough to make the view feel earned. From the top, the Delaware River curves through the valley below, farmland stretches out in every direction, and on a clear autumn day you can pick out New Hope and Lambertville from above, which is a pretty good reason to bring a camera.

Good to Know Before You Go

The tower is open daily from April through October and on weekends in March, generally 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting, since high winds and storms can close it for the day. Admission is $7 per person. It can be visited on its own or paired with a combination ticket to the rest of Washington Crossing Historic Park, so it is worth checking the park's site before you go if you want to make a longer afternoon of it.

Make an Afternoon of It Together

Once you're back down, the park itself has more to offer, from the Memorial Building to the grounds where reenactors gather each December. Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve sits right nearby if you would rather wander a quieter trail together, and downtown New Hope is close enough to fold into the same day if you want to end things with a glass of wine or a slow dinner along the river.

Because the tower is only a few minutes from The Inn at Bowman's Hill, it is easy to fit into a morning before breakfast or an afternoon before you settle in for the evening. Come back to the gardens, the pool, and a quiet room with someone you love, and let the rest of the day slow down. However you spend the hours around it, Bowman's Hill Tower is worth the climb, and it is a nice thing to know the hill it sits on is the same one that gave the inn its name.

If you want to extend the romance even further, the Bucks County Wine Trail is a short drive from the tower and makes for an easy next stop. For something slower, settle in for a cozy meal along the river, or spend an hour wandering Lambertville's antique shops together before heading back.