Meet Chester County's Best Kept Secrets Tour

Discover Chester County’s Best Kept Secrets

Originally published in the March/April 2012 edition of The Women's Journal of Chester County

IT’S NO SECRET that some of the finest shopping and dining destinations call Chester County home. But did you know that beyond the malls, big box stores, and chain restaurants, sit treasure-filled shops along tree-lined streets, farm-fresh and local eateries and historic buildings just waiting to be explored?

You’re invited to discover all that our county has to offer during Chester County’s Best Kept Secrets Tour, May 4 through 19, 2012. This 16-day shopping, food and fun adventure showcases off-the-beaten path businesses hand-picked for their uniqueness. Travel place to place throughout the countryside enjoying special free things like demonstrations, drawings, gifts, and refreshments the business owners have planned just for you. The stops are varied, so there’s something for everyone… home furnishings and gifts, farm markets, crafts, consignments, antiques, jewelry, cafes, and more.


You’ll receive coupons from every business and have chances to win prizes, too. Although the businesses are located throughout the county, you will never drive more than 20 minutes between places if you follow the suggested path. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the merchants you’ll meet tucked away in the countryside. It’s a fun way to explore.

I fell in love with the original Best Kept Secrets Tour as a tour-participant in Lancaster County. There’s something about discovering the unique stores, items, business owners and farmers in your own backyard. There’s    community connection and personalized service you won’t find in a national chain or online experience. Furthermore, statistics show that for every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community compared to $43 spent in a national chain or as low as $0 spent online.

I knew Chester County’s shops, farms, and restaurants deserved the spotlight. So I contacted Melissa Nordhoff (the former manager of her family’s business, Carson’s in the Cornfields) and asked if I could bring the Tour to Chester County. Since then, I’ve been hard at work with Chester County’s best merchants to create a fabulously fun shopping adventure you’re sure to enjoy.

Tickets go on sale March 5 and cost $7 each. $1 per ticket will be donated to the Arc of Chester County, which provides programs and services for people with disabilities. The first 2,000 people to purchase tickets also receive a shopping bag of promotional goodies.

Invite your girlfriends, woman’s group and spouse – or treat your mom as a Mother’s Day gift.

Get ready to experience Chester County in a whole new way!