New Hope is home to many hippies and artists, and in general open-minded people. It’s very pretty, with waterways throughout the town. Lots of cool stores – hemp, body piercing & tattoos, hippie clothes, excellent restaurants, and great ice cream on the waterfront – green tea flavor is unreal! A great place to hang out for the day.
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i live about 40 minutes from new hope…its a beautiful town…they have a lot of crafts and whatnot…theres a shop called superkynd that has some great hippie threads…the restaurants are nice too…definitely check out the pumpkin ice cream…its my favourite…nice place for a day trip…i try to go out at least every couple of months…
Nice town. Superkind is one of the best hippie thread stores in the Philly area. Don’t let the laid back vibe fool you though, these hippy store owners enjoy Cash!!!!! BRING YOUR CREDIT CARD!!!!! Great place for a “day trip”.
i disagree. full of over priced shops…no nature in the actual town, lots of bars catering to middle aged, upper middle (with little) class people. nah, not for me.
I agree with Kayte, it’s a very over priced area with not alot of nature.
I live about 10 miles downriver. New Hope is still a great place to shop if you’ve got money to burn, but the street scene is pretty tightly controlled these days – socializing is OK but street performers etc. will be shut down quickly. If you’re gonna smoke, get away from the center of town! Too many yuppie tourists = LawAndOrder type cops nearby.
The locals are generally really nice people of all descriptions, but it’s an incredibly expensive place to live or do business in. Stop in at the Now & Then Shop, near the bridge over the Delaware River. Nixonian local DA has been trying to put ’em out of business for years (paraphenelia busts), but they’re still hanging in there. Good People – great stuff!
yeah i really like new hope- its a great little town—say sunduchess -how would you like to go on a horse drawn carraige ride some time? call me my number is (610)737-0366. ask for Steve 🙂 im 24 and live in bethlehem.
Hi Folks,
Just visited New Hope for the first time with my hippie family.
I loved New Hope yes there are tourists that were there asell as bikers alot of them which was cool to see.
The police were giving out tickets to some bikers .
Even through there were the tourists the hippie counter culture is still strong.
It funny to see these rich tourists in town and then the real folks like us what a mix.
We plan on going back and bring other hippie friends along with us .
My feeling the more hippies in New Hope the better.
More Hippie shops are needed .
Peace all,
Cosmic Hippie
Hiya again ,
I was wondering where the Hippie shops were in New Hope .
We only walked half of the main st.
If anyone knows what hippie shops are still there email me at cmdraleon@aol.com.
Mybe i was on the wrong street.
Peace,
CmdrAleon
I go to New Hope several times a year. The area is indeed beautiful and there is a good vibe throughout much of Bucks country and its various artisan communities including Peddler’s Village, Lahaska and the towns right across the bridge in NJ like Ringoes. While it’s still cool, over the years it is getting somewhat “corporate” with its upscale restaraunts (which charge outrageous prices – even for a tourist trap) and Starbucks. I considered living there for a time but the rent is incredibly high, so you are left with two choices – get rich or share an apartment, and frankly I can’t confine myself to just one room. But the biggest heartbreaker happened when I went in the spring of 04 and discovered that the Headhshop had closed. I was devestated. The store had been there since 1970 and just “FELT” so authentic. I felt like crying when i saw the empty store front. It may be odd to say but it felt like I lost an old friend. At least the Night Owl vintage clothes shop is still there (incredibly groovy. The shopkeep is a cool guy. a little spacy, but still da man) as is Love Saves the Day, which sells all kinds of odds and ends. There’s also a few vintage record and cd shops, a REAL witch shop, a cool bookstore (reasonable prices), lots of interesting clothing, beads, antiques, and an art store which has works by Lennon, Garcia, Townshend, Wood and lots of other musicians which I recommend you check out. Its a gay-friendly town too. In fact the town was one of the first in the country to have an ordinance that specifically protects the interests of gays and lesbians, which is kinda cool considering its also has a large retirement community in the outlying towns (which usually tend to be “conservative”). There is also a good music scene in the area. There’s always someone playing somewhere every week and don’t forget the Bucks County Playhouse right smack in the middle of everything which has a show practically every day. Finally New Hope is cool just for walking around and taking in the scenery. If you like water, you’re right next to the river. U can take boat rides, or walk along the cannal or feed the ducks. If you like the land there are miles of roads and trails for road-tripping, biking or hiking. One thing is certain, the area is very clean and VERY GREEN. There are lots of camp grounds in the wooded places.
So yes, I highly recommend New Hope, but go soon. I fear the MAN and the high price of living may force out the hippie element eventually.
Hi Hippie people… I’m seeking Immediate Volunteer Housing for a group of Chinese Exchange Students (Boys aged 12-16) arriving in Doylestown on Sunday the 17th of July staying till August 8, 2005. They are required to attend class in Doylestown appx. 9-4PM M-F (or call http://www.peoplelink.org if you want to organize immediately in New Hope.)
Also, seeking housing for the Students’ escort who is 22. Families Only. Adult can be housed in a female only situation.
Please Call or email: 215-917-8685
Desperate Organizer/ Teacher for Cultural Enlightenment in Bucks County
New Hope is a pretty cool place. There’s a couple cool stores and stuff. One of my favorites is WorldWinds. It’s this cool pan-world instrument store. I’ve gotten a couple of things there.
The one day I saw this Vietnamese stringed instrument that I liked called a Dan Tihn. So me and my friend were walking back to my car and we passed one of the restaurants with the outside seating and this touristy guy asked me “What’s that thing?” So I explained to him and he asked “Do you know how to play it?” and I said “Nope.” So then he asks “Well, why did you buy it, then?” And I responded “‘Cause I think it’s cool, why not?” And he kinda shrugged it off.
Sorry about the length, but I think that’s interesting story about the kind “clash of cultures” in New Hope. Overall, though, there’s some good vibes in the place and couple cool shops to check out.
-Josh “Red Drum” -A Lenape Native American
New Hope is a great little town… It offers a little bit of everything. Fun people watching. Great restaurants and Nightlife for the size of the town. Julie Honnold has terrible taste, just look at her. Usually pathalogical liars do! New hope is a wonderful scenic town, its worth a weekend trip!
Love Saves The Day is a perfect example of New Hope….
i visited New Hope a couple of months when visiting a friend who lives in philly and i totally loved this town its such a friendly nice place to relax and shoppe i highly recommend taking a trip to New Hope….you’ll love it!!!!!
Hey there, just happened across your comments on New Hope. I don’t know how old they are or where you are but New Hope sucks these days! Back when my mother used to go there, when the art and culture scene was for real, maybe than it could be said that New Hope is all these great hippie things but now all that is left of any hippie scene are the rebel children from the upwardly mobile wealthy families in Bucks County who wear Indian gauze and ingest expensive gourmet style foods and drink because they are “different. Different just from what everyday people have in their homes is all. I stopped going to New Hope because I was alwayd told how laid back and hippie it was, until nearly every time the dirty stares and laughs from snotty suburban bimbos got to be greater than the enjoyment of strolling through what USED to be a charming little village; what ONCE was before all the tourists from NY and Philly started infiltrating with their upscale stylish money driven desires. And by the way, eating vegan, reciting political ideals, and listening to groups who from the original hippie generation doesn’t make you a hippie, most real hippies clung to a social trend like any other and didn’t mean a damn word about what they preached, most turned into the bleeding heart liberals in our government that destroyed American society, for those of us who are born and bred Americans anyway! So rock on to those of you who think you are hippies and doing nothing more than living the aesthetic glamor of a group of people who completely ruined the wonderful concept they started with. As for New Hope, how many hippies or anything else American Eagle or Ann Taylor do you see thriving there these days? To those of you who when you wallk your walk and talk to you are for real and don;t have to eat wheatgrass and wear tie-dyed to mean it, all my respect to you from one who appreciates the real cause.
Has anyone ever gone to St. Peters? Its about 15 mins. from Pottstown and 30 mins. from Coatesville area. Not a big place (chuck a rock over it) but the people are cool and the nature is awesome. Nice trails, plenty of swimming, and a little ice cream shack at the entrance to the park. Really cool around 4-20. Plenty of trails and wildlife. About 10 mins. away is French Creek State Park. Massive land with 2 lakes and plenty of camping. Have fun. I would like to share this info with others so if you want e-mail me. JonnyJay@comcast.net
Was there ever a underground press in Bucks County or New Hope itself?.
How about we start a underground press in New Hope.
The name i have come up with is New Hope Hippie Free Press
the weekly Counter Culture Arts News and Music paper .
Thats whats lacking is a paper for the Hippies.
So if anyone lives near New Hope consider starting a newspaper collective that is real with creative writers and get local business
to support it.
Hippies can take New Hope back by coming to New Hope and living in New Hope .
Peace,
CosmicHippy
I am confused. I don’t see New Hope as a place for hippies at all. It really embraces the yuppie culture. Maybe it is a place for the more upscale hippies, but not for me. I’ve been to many places in the Northeast that are truly hippie friendly, but New Hope is not one of them. It made me feel very uncomfortable. I can see how it has the potential and was probably once a great place, but I think it has changed.
I don’t know why people are saying New Hope is not a hippie town. Where else in PA is there a hookah-bar…the only one i kno of is in New Hope!