A riverfront park with a trail, an accessible fishing pier, and cultural sites with very different stories: New Brighton combines outdoor experiences along the Beaver River with art and local heritage. When planning your trip, it helps to consider the offerings by interest—from time outdoors to self-guided historical tours.
Nature along the Beaver River
Big Rock Park encompasses seven acres of riverfront along the Beaver River and a 0.5-mile trail. An active bald eagle nest is visible from public land. Whether a nest is visible can change with natural conditions; if you’re hoping to spot it, check on the current situation in advance. That way, a visit to the park remains an outing in its own right even if the nest can’t be seen: the riverfront and trail provide a setting for spending time outdoors.
The New Brighton Fishing Park offers a different way to enjoy the water. It has an accessible fishing pier, a canoe launch, and a 600-foot stretch of riverfront. Fishing and canoeing are different ways to experience the park; these facilities should not be confused with the trail at Big Rock Park. When planning time by the water, you can use these distinctions to decide whether to focus on the fishing pier, canoeing, or a walk.
Tours with different focuses
Grove Cemetery offers a self-guided tour with ten stops along a half-mile route. Along the way, visitors encounter the graves of abolitionists, athletes, artists, war heroes, and industrialists from the New Brighton area. The route is the same length as the trail at Big Rock Park, but the content is quite different: here, cemetery history and the biographies of those buried there shape the tour, while the other trail is in a park.
You can also explore the history of the Underground Railroad on your own. The New Brighton Historical Society has developed a tour of Underground Railroad sites in New Brighton. Six designated historic safe houses associated with this history still exist in the borough. The self-guided tour brochure is available at the Municipal Building of the Borough of New Brighton and online. Before your visit, check the current local options for picking up the brochure.
Art and local history
The Merrick Art Gallery houses paintings by Hudson River School artists and is the only art gallery in Beaver County. The collection offers a distinct way to connect with the region: rather than an outdoor tour, the focus here is on the paintings of this group of artists. If you’re visiting New Brighton for its history and culture, you can make the gallery a destination in its own right.
The Irish-Townsend House is also part of the area’s history. The original building was constructed by Lydia Irish in 1855. Another reminder of literary history is the historic White Cottage marker: it commemorates Grace Greenwood, also known as Sara J. Clarke Lippincott (1823–1904), who wrote stories for young people there in the mid-19th century.
Townsend Park is a memorial park honoring those who served in the World War. Together with the historic safe houses, the marker, and the stops at Grove Cemetery, it offers another way to explore New Brighton’s past—each through a different topic and form of remembrance.
Discover more destinations: Monaca, Beaver Falls.
For the main travel overview: Beaver.
