Best non urban areas in Pennsylvania to visit

[JR]

I don't usually like these kinds of open ended questions but I'm being a little lazy.

HC & I have a Canada Day weekend this summer and we'd like to do a two or three day US road trip into Pennsylvania.

Not interested in Pittsburgh or Philly right now and our leanings are more towards small towns and rural areas.

Amish counties would be a draw for example.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Gettysburg. That's really a must visit even if you aren't much of a Civil War buff, but if you are Antietam is in Maryland, but only about an hour or so.

Lancaster area has Amish country, a pretty decent downtown, some good places to eat and a pretty nice ballpark with an independent league team.

I haven't been there, but I kinda want to check out Johnstown just because Slap Shot and All the Right Moves were shot there.

 

[JR]

Thanks for the Johnstown idea.

We'll try and capture the spirit of the thing

 

[dooley_womack1]

Shottie, I believe your beacon has just been lighted.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Altoona is near Johnstown too. I haven't been there either, but friends who were born and raised say the minor league park there is fun too.

 

[Batman]

Hershey and the chocolate factory is a neat place. You can take the factory tour for free and there's other things to do there as well.

http://www.hersheys.com/chocolateworld/

Hershey is also home to a great amusement park -- the oh-so-cleverly named Hershey Park, which has 11 roller coasters -- if you're into that sort of thing.
That area of Pennsylvania is also well-situated as a jumping off point to other places. It's about halfway between Amish country and Gettysburg, so you might be able to do it one day each in all three places.

 

[jr/shotglass]

If you want a good baseball fix, Reading is the way to go. Fabulous ballpark that smells of funnel cakes and Yuengling,

http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2010/06/minor_league_ballparks_reading.html

 

[Machine Head]

Lord knows why, but I watch this show:

Hollywood's favorite character actor, Bronson Pinchot (Perfect Strangers, Beverly Hills Cop), has a secret life. He's been quietly buying neglected old homes and buildings and restoring them into eye-catching masterpieces. Each episode of The Bronson Pinchot Project finds Bronson and his crew of local contractors renovating another room at one of his properties in Harford, Pa. Bronson Pinchot is a hands-on renovator with the skills of a contractor and the eye of a top designer. Rural Harford becomes the backdrop for a unique mix of reality TV and home improvement.

http://www.diynetwork.com/the-bronson-pinchot-project/show/index.html

That's all I got.

 

[YankeeFan]

Lititz/Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

 

[EStreetJoe]

New Hope is a nice little town along the Delaware River. Good restaurants, nice little shops - lots of antiques. It's about 2 hours northeast of Lancaster (the heart of Amish Country)

A little farther south along the Delaware is Washington Crossing, PA. Nothing to do there except see the spot where Washington led the colonial troops across the Delaware to NJ before the march down to Trenton.

I'm sure others here can recommend towns in the Poconos to visit.

If you're into touristy stuff there's Crystal Cave in Kutztown, Pa.

Then there's all the stuff others have mentioned already.

 

[Vombatus]

Anyone know of any Amish-themed titty bars?

I am serious. Will be in Lancaster in late July.

 

[Riptide]

Anyone know of any Amish-themed titty bars?

I am serious. Will be in Lancaster in late July.

Ask around at the buttermilk keggers.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Go to State College and mention to a local that you think Joe Paterno is a real scumbag because he had to know what was going on...

 

[wicked]

Love all the suggestions here. Only did Gettysburg once, but the expanse of the battlefield is breath taking. I think you can also download one of those driving tours via podcast, and listen as you drive through the battlefield.

Altoona's ballpark is pretty nice, but there's not much else there.

You could always grab a look at the new hockey arena being built at Penn State.

If you do Lancaster, go to Central Market if it's open and grab some Shoo Fly Pie.

 

[JackReacher]

Pa, huh? Christ. Vacations are supposed to be fun.

 

[Buck]

Lancaster, Hershey and Gettysburg aren't too far apart. A bit of a drive.
Hershey was the site of Wilt's 100-point game, but I don't know how interesting it is unless you're an amusement park fan.

Not too far east of Lancaster is Valley Forge, but you're getting pretty close Philly.

 

[Buck]

Nazareth is the home of Martin Guitars. I've wanted to hit that tour for a long time.
Puts you near other great destinations like Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

The Poconos are great for outdoor recreation in summer. Nice golf courses, great fishing, hiking, etc. Not much on the nightlife, however.

 

[FileNotFound]

Neat little town north of Allentown called Jim Thorpe. Used to be called Mauch Chunk, but was renamed after Thorpe's widow made some sort of financial deal with the town. Cool little Irish bar and a haunted hotel, the Inn at Jim Thorpe: http://www.innjt.com

 

[FileNotFound]

Nazareth is the home of Martin Guitars. I've wanted to hit that tour for a long time.
Puts you near other great destinations like Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.

Buck, me too. I have a Martin D-18 from 1971 and have really wanted to tour that factory. I remember there having been a really cool display in the Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton airport a few years ago.

Forgot to mention the ballpark in Harrisburg; really neat riverbank setting across the river from downtown.