From Kathy Romano, co-host The Preston & Steve Show, mornings on 93.3 WMMR and Her Story on 95.7 BEN-FM:
I grew up in Bucks County and graduated from Pennsbury High School before moving to Chester County to attend West Chester University and then eventually to Montgomery County where I’ve called home for the past 18 years. I have the fondest memories of being raised in Bucks County and often travel back to the beautiful county.
People not from the county often don’t know how much there is to do and how much Bucks County has to offer, not only to residents but visitors coming for the day, a weekend, or longer! I’ve created a list of 20 things that either take me back to Bucks County or produce fond memories that make me smile! Many things on the list are still available to enjoy but there are some places I grew up going to that are now gone or sold, like the home I grew up in. But I do drive by if I’m in the area. It doesn’t look the same but driving by along with traveling anywhere in the county always brings back memories of my childhood, early adulthood and recent visits I still enjoy with my family and friends.
Kathy Romano’s 20 Favorite Things About Bucks County:
1) East Lane
This is the street where I grew up. As I enter the Elderberry section of Levittown it brings back all of my childhood memories. Everything from learning to ride a bike to practicing parallel parking between a trashcan and my little brother’s red and yellow little tikes toy car for my driving test happened on East Lane.
2) Sesame Place
My family was yearly season ticket holders. I continued the tradition and became a season ticket holder again when my son was young. We love Sesame in the summer months, in the fall during the Count’s Halloween Spooktacular and in the winter for the Very Furry Christmas Celebration. It’s amazing to see how much the park has grown since I first started going in the 80’s. This is a Buck’s County staple that we still love today.
3) LPRA Pools
If you’re my age or older you will remember the LPRA. I grew up living right next door to one of the pools. So most of my summers were spent at the pool, except for Tuesdays which was cleaning day. We always hated Tuesdays. The day they filled in the pool was a sad day for me. A major part of my childhood was gone.
4) Cornwell Heights Roller Skating Rink
Don’t forget your rollerskates was the phrase uttered to my cousin Katie every time I hung up the phone that was mounted on the kitchen wall in my childhood home. That was because every weekend my mom drove us to Cornwell Heights where I dominated every contest and race that took place at the roller skating rink. That’s right, I was good!
8) Pennsbury High School
Speaking of high school, I loved it. I have very fond memories of that school and the lifelong friends I made there. I was a cheerleader, on the diving team, on the homecoming court and the manager of the baseball team. We had a close knit group of friends that I still stay in with. Our high school group text is filled with memories from our years together.
12) La Luna Dance Studio
La Luna Dance Studio brought a whole new life to my world. Salsa dancing was a focus in my life for many years. My love of salsa dancing developed at La Luna. I learned to salsa dance, performed many times, danced on the semi-pro team at that dance studio and created live long friendships. Although I don’t dance as much as I used to, La Luna will always hold a very special place in my heart.
13) Driftwood Adventures
Kayaking in the Neshaminy Creek has become an annual outing for us. My friend, that I’ve known since 3rd grade, owns Driftwood Adventures. So our group of High School friends meet in Tyler State Park once a summer for kayaking and paddle boarding.
Related: Kathy’s Get-Out-An-Do-Something-This-Weekend Activities
14) Peddlers Village
Peddlers Village is beautiful all year long. There are amazing events for every season and holiday. Of the many celebrations my favorite is Fire & Ice which usually takes place in January after the holidays.
16) Refresh Newtown
As we age sometimes we need a little refreshing to our skin! I tried a few skin rejuvenation lasers. But the reason they’re on this list is because they successfully removed all the unwanted hair on my body. I’m a huge baby and don’t do anything that causes too much pain. I tried laser hair removal in the past and bailed shortly into the treatments. At refresh they use a machine that causes little to no pain and still removes the hair. It’s amazing and I’m a happy person not having to buy razors anymore.
17) Wineries
The Bucks County wineries and vineyards are excellent. I can’t pick a favorite because I love them all. But I can pick my favorite event. We had a girls night at the tarot card reading event at Crossing Vineyards. I picked the money card and the reader told me I’d be coming into some money soon. I’m still waiting!
20) Borscht Belt
Brand new to Bucks County but I’ve been eating Chef Nicky’s food since we were kids. Nick Liberato has been a great friend of mine since we were teenagers. I’m so excited he’s bringing his talent back to Bucks County! Enjoy!
Follow Kathy Romano on TikTok, Instagram, & Facebook for more Bucks County memories.
Kathy Romano pictured with childhood friend & fellow Bucks County native, Alisa Frederico.
