Sleeping with ghosts. And a president.

In 2022, my first year back in Pennsylvania, my instincts took me back to the Poconos for leaf-peeping in October. I’d lived near Philadelphia from 1997-2007, and the Poconos often wrapped me in a sweet peace that protected heart and head from a stressful job. Weekends I would drive north on the 611 towards Delaware Water Gap, meander along narrow roads and byways, walk a bit of the Appalachian Trail, and let beauty soak in through every pore.

And then drive home from Hope, New Jersey to New Hope, Pennsylvania.

During my 2019 cross-country road trip from Vegas to Lake Placid, I re-created the Hope to New Hope route. It was still enchanting. Except, half of Philly seemed to be camped out in New Hope. Good taste, as New Hope makes a great escape for city folk. In turn, I escaped to Lambertville, New Jersey across the Delaware.

Three years later as autumn crept over meadows and windowsills, I was drawn back to the Delaware, to the Poconos, to the New Hope area. This time as a tourist, not merely on a day trip. Which meant I needed lodging.

TripAdvisor recommended the Black Bass Hotel very near New Hope in a tiny town called Lumberville. Photographs looked nice. Rates were a bit high, but not awful for autumn when everyone in Texas and Arizona heads to New England for fall colors and cooler weather.

I figured if it did not live up to expectations, no great loss. I’d still have the Poconos.

The drive from Gettysburg (south of Harrisburg) was both wearing and relaxing. Lots of traffic, and several major highways run parallel and intersect and diverge and intersect in Harrisburg. Did I say lots of traffic?

Once finally on the road, it was lovely. In southern Pennsylvania, trees were just starting to turn in mid-October. Occasionally there would be a stand of yellow and red. The anticipation of nearing the Poconos with its hills and mountains, where leaves would already be changing, made me happy inside, one of those feelings you know and cannot explain.

Last part of the drive was through Quakertown, and after Quakertown, scenic backroads for which Pennsylvania is famous. Lake Nockamixon to my south. A tavern from 1740. Old, old farmhouses. Turn right at OwOwCow Creamery onto my familiar 611, headed south. A covered bridge. A very old farm. More forests, more rivers, more farms.

A few of those farms bore centennial or bicentennial farm designations. That means that the same family has farmed that same land for 100 or 200 years. To earn the designation, the farmers must prove their direct lineage for all years claimed, and the farm must consist of at least ten acres. I rarely think of farms as history, and yet…

And then the right turn at Point Pleasant onto River Road. That road is (still) trying to fall into the river. In 2022, they had shut down stretches where the road had slid downhill. Luckily, the hotel sat on a fairly stable stretch of road, but getting there required a bit of a detour. Needless to say, there’s not much traffic on River Road. Ever. River Road tracks the Delaware River. There are stretches where the river is just there. In your face. Heading south, the river’s to your left. Your immediate left. Majestic, grand, comforting.

No matter how close you are to the Delaware, the Delaware Canal Towpath sits between you and the river. I had known that towpath from trips north up the 611 to Delaware Water Gap. But nothing quite like the “Pennsylvania Canal” along River Road.

I had followed the recommendation on the hotel’s Web site and reserved a spot for dinner in their restaurant that evening. If you book a stay at the Black Bass, be sure to do so as well. Quite a few people drive up from New Hope or Lambertville, park in the larger lot of the recreation area across the river, and walk the Lumberville-Raven Rock bridge. Yes. Just to eat in the hotel’s restaurant.

I arrived early enough to first explore the general area. The hotel parking lot is a park, not just a parking lot. Places to sit under trees. Flower beds everywhere. A pet cemetery. Funny when a parking lot can be recommended because it is peaceful.

The Raven Rock Suite—booked because of its second-floor balcony—did not disappoint. It’s a corner room with a chaise lounge overlooking the river. And bridge. It’s not really a suite. It has a reading corner, which I made good use of, since the easy chair was next to the window. Which of course overlooked the river. And bridge.

In case you haven’t figured it out already: The views from the room were stunning.

The hotel has an interesting history. It was built around 1745 and has operated almost continuously since that time, albeit under different names. For the first hundred years or so, the hotel primarily served merchants and boatsmen who traveled up and down the Delaware River. In other words, not fancy. A blue collar inn. With no restaurant. Just a tavern.

As late as 1833, the inn was known for its business access to the river, still serving boatsmen. Its cellar stored a massive amount of gunpowder. When a fire broke out, Major Anthony Fry (then its proprietor) managed to remove the gunpowder, thus rescuing the inn and its lodgers. The current owners named a very nice suite after him. It’s similar to Raven Rock Suite. Balcony is a tad smaller.

A funny anecdote: George Washington wanted to stay at the Black Bass, but the original owners were loyal to the British crown and turned him away. Through the last 280 or so years, the inn and its tavern have maintained that English flair. The décor pays homage to kings and queens, not presidents.

Since I love history, I appreciated the way the current owners returned the hotel to its original roots. Even portraits of British monarchy and quirky little fixtures—this place reminded me that before we were the United States of America, we were a British colony. The Black Bass combines both elements of our past.

The Black Bass also boasts its own ghosts and spirits. Because of the location of my room, I was most “worried” about the Woman in White. A woman dressed in white has been seen wandering the halls of the hotel and sitting in a guest room with a pearl-handled revolver in her lap. According to legend, she found her husband and his mistress in one of the guest rooms. Distraught, she killed them, then turned the gun on herself. Guests have reported that her presence is precipitated by the smell of lavender. (Black Bass Web site) [Current owners are mean. They've planted lavender hyssop outside the hotel.]

Now to food, which is always an important consideration!

The Thompson family’s 2008 renovation extended to dining facilities. I ate at the restaurant and savored every bite. But they also restored the historic tavern, even to the point of keeping the “haunted” barstool where a large, burly man named Hans was murdered in the early 1800s.

Weather permitting, you can dine al fresco, overlooking the river. And bridge. Had I known that, I would have made a different reservation. It’s chilly in October, but outdoor heaters keep it comfortable.

I’ve teased you enough about the river. And bridge. Here’s why.

Around 1835, some ambitious, anonymous engineer built a covered bridge (!) across the Delaware at Lumberville. That bridge, the Lumberville-Raven Rock bridge, that covered bridge, spanned over 700 feet. About seventy years later, a flood washed away a section of the bridge.

By then, locals were dependent on the bridge, since New Hope was a good seven miles south of Lumberville. They patched the bridge with a steel section, built atop the original piers. It remained patchwork until after World War II, when the covered bridge was demolished to make way for a pedestrian-only suspension bridge made of steel, on top of the old stone piers.

That pedestrian bridge intended to give Pennsylvanians a quick footpath to the railroad stop in Raven Rock. Sadly, the commuter service was discontinued only three years later. But the bridge remained.

Now what you can see from the Black Bass is Bull’s Island, New Jersey. It really is an island, about eighty or so acres. New Jersey turned it into a family recreation area, with picnic tables, fishing, boating, and the like. As mentioned above, it has a great parking lot where folks from Jersey leave their cars and walk to Pennsylvania. Bull’s Island is a small part of the larger 3578-acre Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park.

Not quite done.

The Black Bass Hotel advertises the Raven Rock Suite as having “a one-of-a-kind antique bed.” I am here to tell you, they aren’t joking. It’s about six feet off the ground. Well, maybe not six feet, but it feels like it. No stepping stool. I piled all the decorative pillows on the floor to get a running jump. And made sure I’d made my one and only pit stop for the night before going to bed, because there was no way I’d make it a second time.

Therefore, if you reserve one of their rooms that boasts a “a one-of-a-kind antique bed,” know to take a step-stool with you. You can thank me later.

Oh, and sleeping with a president?

The Black Bass Hotel was President Grover Cleveland’s preferred inn, yes, when he was president. You can book “his” room. They’ve even kept many of the furnishings (restored) from his overnights. He enjoyed fishing, a pastime many people still engage in. It’s the Delaware River, after all.

No idea if the Grover Cleveland bed needs a step-stool… Or if it’s haunted.

Postscript: I will write additional posts about New Hope, Lambertville, Stockton, the Delaware canals (both sides of the river), Easton, Delaware Water Gap, and more at later dates. The Poconos have their own charm. As much as I’ve traveled, I’ve never found any region quite like it.

It’s a mix of breathtaking beauty, history, outdoor recreation (especially skiing and hiking), and just BEING.

For now, this gives you one place to make your base of operations. Suite Loraine is a family-sized suite should you be traveling with your kids. Book the hotel first. You can plan your itinerary after you’ve got your rooms.

And no, I won’t get a commission if you stay here.

Note: The Black Bass Hotel is an old-style inn in more ways than one. You don’t prepay. Rather (from their site): A 20% deposit is required to guarantee your reservation. Cancellations within 7 days prior to your scheduled arrival date will receive a full refund of the deposit. For cancellations within 48 hours of scheduled reservation, you will be charged for one full night stay. Prices are based on double occupancy. There is a $40 charge per person for additional guests (ages 12 and up) and $25 per child ages 5-12. Tax additional. Cannot be combined with other offers. Breakfast is not included but is available at the Lumberville General Store across the street.

Not many places like this in 2026.

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