Formerly: The Sun Inn
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania · Founded 1758 · Building: 1758
A restored 1758 Moravian traveler’s inn in Bethlehem, now operating as a museum and tavern after the original inn closed in 1961.
The Moravian community built Bethlehem's Sun Inn in 1758 specifically to accommodate non-Moravian visitors who could not stay in the closed settlement’s private homes. The inn began operating in 1760 and became known for hosting Revolutionary-era travelers including George and Martha Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Ethan Allen, and the Marquis de Lafayette. It closed as an inn in 1961, then returned to public life after preservation work as a museum, tavern, event venue, and distillery-related property.
The Moravian community built the Sun Inn in Bethlehem to accommodate non-Moravian travelers and merchants visiting the closed Moravian settlement.
Source: Discover Lehigh Valley, "1758 Moravian Sun Inn"; Lehigh Valley Historical Society, "1758 Sun Inn"; Brown and White, "Older than America itself: the historic Sun Inn," May 11, 2023
The Sun Inn began operating as an inn for travelers in Bethlehem.
Source: Discover Lehigh Valley, "1758 Moravian Sun Inn"
Sun Inn historical materials say Martha Washington arrived while traveling to Virginia.
Source: Sun Inn Preservation Association, "Museum"
A local-history account says Moravian diaries and George Washington's expense account book document Washington's overnight stop at the Sun Inn.
Source: Historic Bethlehem, "A Night at the Sun Inn for George Washington," July 17, 2020; Sun Inn Preservation Association, "Museum"
The Sun Inn closed after operating as a hotel/inn for more than 200 years.
Source: Atlas Obscura, "1758 Sun Inn," February 21, 2024
Concerned Bethlehem residents formed the Sun Inn Preservation Association to protect the building from loss and support restoration.
Source: Atlas Obscura, "1758 Sun Inn," February 21, 2024; Brown and White, "Older than America itself: the historic Sun Inn," May 11, 2023
The Sun Inn Preservation Association purchased the property after a fundraising campaign.
Source: Atlas Obscura, "1758 Sun Inn," February 21, 2024
Secondary historical sources report that the Sun Inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places; the exact listing date and reference number require National Park Service verification.
Source: Atlas Obscura, "1758 Sun Inn," February 21, 2024
The Sun Inn Preservation Association and Tavern at the Sun Inn listed active museum, restaurant, full-bar, event, and distillery-related operations at 564 Main Street. The site states that it has no overnight accommodations.
Source: Sun Inn official website; Sun Inn Preservation Association, "Contact Us"; Tavern at the Sun Inn, "Tavern Dining," accessed August 2026
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Multiple local-history, tourism, preservation, and historical-society sources agree that the Moravians built the Sun Inn in 1758 to provide lodging and hospitality for outside travelers who could not stay in private homes within Bethlehem's closed settlement.
The Sun Inn Preservation Association, regional historical organizations, and tourism sources consistently list these figures among the inn's distinguished guests. George Washington's July 25, 1782 stop has the strongest specific source support through Moravian diaries and his expense account book. This review did not inspect the original guest register, diaries, or correspondence for every person listed, so the complete roster remains plausible rather than fully documented here.
Sun Inn historical materials identify a July 25, 1782 stay, and a local-history article says Moravian diaries and Washington's expense account book document his route and stop. The original archival materials were not inspected in this review.
The historic Sun Inn operated as an inn from 1760 until it closed in 1961. The later museum-and-tavern operation followed preservation work by the Sun Inn Preservation Association. The documented interruption means it cannot be described as continuously operating from the colonial era to the present.
The Sun Inn's official website states that there are no overnight accommodations. The preserved property currently includes a museum, Tavern at the Sun Inn restaurant/bar, private-event space, and related tenant operations.
SIPA identifies itself as a 501(c)(3) that manages and maintains the Sun Inn. A 2023 Brown and White report says the association owns the inn and rents space to the tavern and Christmas City Spirits operators.
Sun Inn has operated continuously as an inn or tavern since 1758.
The Moravian Sun Inn building was completed in 1758 and the inn began operating in 1760, but it closed in 1961. The present museum and Tavern at the Sun Inn operation followed later preservation and restoration work, so uninterrupted colonial-era hospitality service is not accurate.
Source: Discover Lehigh Valley, "1758 Moravian Sun Inn"; Atlas Obscura, "1758 Sun Inn," February 21, 2024
The Sun Inn Preservation Association was formed in 1965 to save the building.
The reviewed preservation history says concerned residents formed the Sun Inn Preservation Association in 1971, and the association purchased the building in 1975.
Source: Atlas Obscura, "1758 Sun Inn," February 21, 2024; Brown and White, "Older than America itself: the historic Sun Inn," May 11, 2023
Sun Inn still offers historic overnight accommodations.
The Sun Inn's official website states that it has no overnight accommodations. The property now includes a museum, Tavern at the Sun Inn restaurant/bar, event spaces, and related tenant operations.
Source: Sun Inn official website, accessed August 2026; Sun Inn Preservation Association, "Contact Us"
Every famous guest claimed for the Sun Inn is equally documented by original hotel registers and personal papers.
The Sun Inn's historic guest list is consistently presented by preservation, history, and tourism sources, but the strongest specific source support identified in this review concerns George Washington's July 25, 1782 stay through Moravian diaries and Washington's expense account book. The original register and records for each named guest should be reviewed individually.
Source: Sun Inn Preservation Association, "Museum"; Historic Bethlehem, "A Night at the Sun Inn for George Washington," July 17, 2020
Sun Inn survived because preservation advocates turned a closed historic inn into a working public-history property rather than attempting to recreate an uninterrupted hotel business. The Sun Inn Preservation Association formed in 1971, acquired the building in 1975, and restored it for museum and community use. Today, the Tavern at the Sun Inn and other tenant operations provide food, drink, events, and tours while SIPA manages and maintains the historic building.
The Moravian community built Bethlehem's Sun Inn in 1758 to provide lodging for non-Moravian travelers, and it began operating as an inn in 1760. The property hosted many prominent Revolutionary-era visitors, including a July 25, 1782 stay by George Washington recorded in Sun Inn historical materials. The original inn closed in 1961, and the preserved building now operates as a museum, Tavern at the Sun Inn restaurant/bar, event venue, and related historic-site business.
No, Sun Inn Tavern should not be described as Pennsylvania's oldest continuously operating tavern. The historic Sun Inn has a 1758 building date and operated as an inn from 1760 until it closed in 1961. The current Tavern at the Sun Inn is a later restaurant-and-bar operation in the restored building, so the property’s colonial origin does not establish uninterrupted tavern service to the present.
Sun Inn historical materials list George Washington, Martha Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Ethan Allen, Henry Laurens, Richard Henry Lee, and the Marquis de Lafayette among the inn's notable guests. George Washington's July 25, 1782 overnight stop has the strongest specific support through Moravian diaries and his expense account book. The full guest list should be treated as a well-supported institutional history pending direct review of the original register and archival records.
No. The Sun Inn's official website states that it has no overnight accommodations. The 1758 building is open as a historic museum and includes Tavern at the Sun Inn, event spaces, and related food-and-drink operations at 564 Main Street in Bethlehem.
The original Sun Inn closed in 1961 after more than 200 years of operation as an inn and hotel. Bethlehem preservation advocates formed the Sun Inn Preservation Association in 1971, purchased the building in 1975, and restored it for public museum, tavern, event, and community use.
564 Main St, Bethlehem, PA 18018
(610) 419-8600
Tavern at the Sun Inn lists restaurant and bar service Wednesday through Saturday, typically noon to 9 p.m. The museum is open during tavern and bottle-sales hours, while private events may affect access. There are no overnight accommodations; confirm current hours, reservations, tours, distillery sales, outdoor service, and accessibility before visiting.