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Allentown Fish Hatchery
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
9 reviews for Allentown Fish Hatchery
9 reviews in English
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Review from Tom B.
Bethlehem, PA
1/6/2011
I'll be honest......I think I enjoy this place moreso than the kids. There is not very much more to cover than the previous four entries. The parking is spacious, and even when there are 60 people there....it does not feel crowded at all.
The hatchery actually called the "Lil - Le - Hi Trout Hatchery"....and from what I've been told is the oldest, continuously operating trout nursery in the nation. It is surrounded by plenty of park property....many enjoy the area for other forms of recreation. At the fish hatchery itself though, there are plenty of holding tanks as they are raising trout for sale to places that stock trout and the local creek nearby.
Food can be purchased inside the white house on the FAR side of the holding tanks from the parking lot, or at a vending machine right next to it (Note: bring quarters as once in a while I've had problems finding a dollar bill it accepts). If you catch the hatchery at a time when the white house (which is the HQ for the group at runs it), you can actually see some pretty need animals that have been through the taxidermy process...and the retired guys hanging out in there are extremely friendly and want you to enjoy the park.
Listen....the whole thing can be an entirely free experience, but take 2 bucks along and let the kid in you shine as you see fish topple over one another eating the fish food you throw in. It really is a good time and brings back childhood memories (oh...and it's open 365......an easy way to get out on a cold winter day for even just a few minutes if you want) -
Review from Mrs. W.
Northampton, PA
5/7/2012
I enjoy taking my kids here to look at and feed the fish. Picnic tables and benches are around. It's a nice free thing to do on a nice day out. If you wanna feed the fish they sell 50cent dollar and 2 dollar bags of food. But def bring some hand sanitizer bc the fish food smell is awful.
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Review from O D.
Macungie, PA
1/26/2012
Smelled like fish
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Review from Christopher C.
Bethlehem, PA
12/22/2011
Can't really add anything terribly witty to the prior posts except that unless you go during the summer when the "white house" is open everyday or on the weekend when it's open during the off-season the vending machines with the fish food will probably be unplugged/not working so you will not be able to feed anything.
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Review from Joyce M.
Allentown, PA
5/29/2009
The Trout Nursery is a BLAST, in an understated, old fashioned fun way. If you want to amuse small children, take them here. As long as you keep throwing the fish food in the pools, the thrills will keep coming. You can feed them slow, one pellet at a time, or dump the whole bag in at once and witness a literal feeding frenzy.
The previous reviewer is right about the whole experience. Afterward you can go to the nearby Museum of Indian Culture, or walk along the Little Lehigh Parkway until you reach the red covered bridge. Cool. -
Review from Julie S.
Philadelphia, PA
9/18/2008
The fish hatchery is the most underrated tourist attraction in all of Allentown. It's a trout farm which raises the fish to stock the Little Lehigh River. Trout farm, Julie? Fun? Oh trust me.
You pull into the lot and there's usually no one there, neither ranger nor tourist. Walk over to the big cement pools of fish roiling and rumbling around each other. It's incredible. Keep on walking to the vending machines in the back where 50 cents or a dollar buys you a bag of fish food. Throw a handful of little fish pellets into the ponds and watch the fish FREAK OUT. I did this as a child and it still makes me squeal like a little girl. You can do it over and over and the fish freak and then you freak and it's fabulous. The fish have different colors and sizes. There are some big old granddaddies in a pond in the back.
Everyone I've ever brought there thinks it's one of the coolest thing to do in the area, and all of them were over the age of 30. Kids? Forget it. They'll love it. They'll want to be marine biologists. It's part of Lehigh Parkway too, so you can go for a picturesque walk afterwards. Turns out Fish Hatchery Road is not just the name of a road! -
Review from Aaron M.
Coopersburg, PA
7/19/2010
A fun place to spend some time, and it's educational as well. It was neat to see all those trout swimming around in the tanks. You can visit a little store and buy food to feed them, or plunk some change in a vending machine to get the food. For $2.00 you can buy a nice size bag of food, and you can even buy a $5.00 bag which could last all day. There is also a soda machine, which looks like it's broken and from the 1980's, but amazingly it works. There is a nice park nearby and an Indian Museum. Check it out.
Note: The fish food will make your hands smell, so bring some wipes to help get the oils off of your hands when done feeding the fish. -
Review from Kris G.
Allentown, PA
3/28/2011 6 Check-ins Here
This is a fantastic place to bring you kids a date or to go by yourself! I have been coming here since I was a kid and now i bring my son here. We love feeding the fish and walking. They have a nice path you can follow. You can buy food on the back right side of the park. If the shop isn't open, there is a really old vending machine that has been there for at least 25 years and still works! There is lots of open space and a few picnic tables so picnic away! Sometimes you can see guys fishing when you come and that is a nice bonus, just be quiet so you don't scare their fish away!!
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Review from Nikki I.
Philadelphia, PA
4/6/2010
Aww this is a nice place to go for some relaxing time. My dad used to take me here back when I was in grade school, and we would always have fun feeding the little fishies.
There's also a huge park adjacent from the hatchery, so check that out too! Great walking/biking paths!
