Almost visible from the skyscrapers of Manhattan, just beyond the horizon to the West, there is a small town waiting for city-dwellers to leave work, stress and the struggling economy behind to be embraced by the quiet simplicity of just being human. A weekend in New Hope, Pennsylvania will put the color back in your cheeks while the smile you thought you lost for good will return.

Local teens put on a historic show.

Located along the Delaware River between New York and Philadelphia, New Hope is proof that size doesn’t always matter when it comes to beauty and pleasure. Known for its woodsy verdant scenery yet semi-urbane, artsy environment, New Hope was settled by the very social, neutral Native-American tribe Lenape; was later a key hangout for the American Revolutionists; and still later a stop on the Underground Railroad, developing a reputation as a community of non-conformists and the politically conscious. It has been a popular gay getaway since the 1940's when artists, authors and entertainers of every kind flocked there for a quick fix of rest, relaxation and inspiration.

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This is the story of how a transformation took place in New Hope from an industrial town to a sophisticated “Greenwich Village south"

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A beautiful countryside in any season, artists found nirvana and developed a painting style known as the New Hope School. These landscapes are still the preponderance of  pieces shown in the many galleries in town and the annual art exhibitions in the area, such as the one at nearby Phillips Mill.

The Bucks County Playhouse, a community staple, became well-known for it’s summer stock and pre-Broadway tryouts. Actors such as Robert Redford, Zazu Pitts, Liza Minnelli, Ethel Merman, Helen Hayes, Tallulah Bankhead, and many more either got their starts at the Playhouse, now part of the State Theater of Pennsylvania. This theater continues to attract  full houses for musical revivals performed by a talented and attractive young troupe of thespians.

New Hope's assorted shops make it a perfect place for gift-hunting.

With abundant galleries and theater, it was only natural that restaurants and specialty shops grew up around them, along with antique stores and studios for craft groups such as woodworkers, jewelry makers, and clothing designers.

This is the story of how a transformation took place in New Hope from a primarily industrial town surrounded by dairy farms to a sophisticated “Greenwich Village south” spawning sprawling country homes of the rich and famous. Oscar Hammerstein lived nearby, as did Rogers and Hart. In fact, Moss Hart and the actress Kitty Carlisle were married at Borough Hall. Dorothy Parker had a home in Solebury and often moved her Algonquin round tablers each summer to what is now the Logan Inn, in the center of New Hope.

With such a diverse populace, New Hope became known as a tolerant, welcoming refuge camp of sorts for the often excluded LGBT populace. There, as today, they found their behavior to be mainstream–norm, not nuts. That attitude remained throughout the decades that followed: the “60's hipsters, the “70's hairsters, the 90's goths. New Hope was the place that you skipped school for—a day escape to chill, have fun and just be yourself!

Today, New Hope screams quirkiness and anti-establishment. There is an active witch craft community,  a place to get piercings and tatoos, a destination for fine jewelry and yet each Sunday the town is filled with bikers and their broads. It is still the “something for everyone” destination. The place where everyone peacefully coexist.

Politically, New Hope was the first small municipality in Pennsylvania to pass a sweeping anti-discrimination law, protecting all citizens from being treated with prejudice. Four of the current Borough Council members are LGBT, including the lesbian president, and a significant number of the Chamber of Commerce are also gay or lesbian. It is the town where drag queens ride on fire engines and police cars sometimes sport rainbow flags. New Hope Celebrates is the town’s all-volunteer LGBT marketing organization and holds annual pride and film festivals, among other activities of interest to the queer community and their allies.