Bedminster

Bedminster is a scenic rural community with rolling hills and a rich history. “It’s a beautiful area not far from where Washington crossed the Delaware and you can just feel the history there. It’s so lovely,” says Stephanie Garomon, a local Realtor with Addison Wolfe Real Estate who has been living in the area for over 40 years and selling homes there for almost as long. “The more you explore, you’ll find yourself meandering through these little villages that look like you’re stepping back in time.”

Bedminster’s northern half is devoted to brick country estates, sprawling farmhouses and historic homesteads that can date back as far as the 1700s and range in price from $300,000 to $5,500,000. These rural homes can be anywhere from 1,000 to 5,300 square feet and sit on spacious lots that are often upward of 100 acres. “The older homes are just stunning. A lot of them are made out of stone and that’s why they’ve stood for so long. It’s also what makes them so beautiful,” Garomon says. “Seeing these tall stone walls and houses and barns really sends you back in time. I’ve even sold houses that were pre-revolutionary war.” As you move south, rural homes make way to more densely populated areas with townhouses, subdivisions, new construction and communities like Stonebridge Estates where homes range in price from $170,000 to $825,000 and sit on much smaller lots that average around 10,000 square feet.

Students can attend Bedminster Elementary School, which received an A-minus rating from Niche and serves about 400 students with a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1. Penridge North Middle School is another option that received a B-plus rating from Niche and offers athletic opportunities like soccer and basketball. Pennridge High School received a B rating from Niche and thanks to an early 2000s renovation now boasts a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art campus.

Experience more hills and history at Stover-Myers Mill County Park, where a 26-acre stretch of land is home to the recently restored Stover-Myers Mill, which has been straddling the Tohickon Creek since 1800. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the mill operated until 1955 and now serves as a place for locals to gather around for a day of hiking, fishing and picnicking. Nockamixon State Park sprawls for over 5,000 acres and surrounds the 1,450-acre lake Nockamixon. Bring your camera for photos of migrating waterfowl or take your fishing pole out on the water and hope for a bite. Park activities include everything from mountain biking to hunting to a friendly game of disc golf.

Keep that outdoor energy going at Buck’s County Brewery, a weekend beer garden filled with food trucks and live music fan favorites like the Little Red Rooster Blues Band. Bring your own chairs and sip on a Chuicy Chowie Wowie or a variety of other on-tap selections. When the weather gets colder, warm up at Luberto’s Brick Oven Pizza & Trattoria for wood-fired Italian favorites. This 2023 Bucks County Community’s Choice Awards winner encourages guests to bring their own bottle of wine to pop open and share over a slice or a sandwich. For a taste of local history, Piper Tavern serves up classic steak and seafood dishes in a historic colonial house that dates all the way back to 1778. Bedminster residents can pick up their groceries from Weis Markets and shop at well-known chains like Tractor Supply Co.

Bedminster is conveniently located 45 miles north of Philadelphia and 75 miles southwest of New York City, which puts this rural retreat not too far from big city conveniences. This could be part of the reason why it’s a favorite spot for all kinds of celebrities. “We’ve had something of an artists’ colony going since the early 1900s, with authors and composers from all over coming to stay here,” Garomon says. “And they still do. If famous people don’t want to go to the Hamptons, they come here. It’s the perfect place to hide away.”

Written By

Jordan Hamner

Photography Contributed By

Alec Oswald

Video By

Scott Wiggins