Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania Travel Guide 2025
Time Traveling
2024-11-28 08:56:42
The United States of America was essentially birthed in Pennsylvania, with the Declaration of Independence being penned in Philadelphia in 1776. Myriad tales of history and heritage that continued to unfold across the Commonwealth can still be experienced through living museums, battlefield tours, and immersive encounters with period-garbed interpreters of PA’s longstanding cultural legacy.
PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH & MORAVIAN HISTORY
Among Germans who flocked to Pennsylvania for religious freedom in the 1700s were the Amish, a culture still distinguished for adhering to traditional ways, from wearing simple clothing to getting around with horses and buggies. Get acquainted with their fascinating heritage during The Amish Experience at Plain & Fancy Farm in Bird-in-Hand, offering diverse guided and interactive farmland tours — including a visit at milking time — and an authentic PA Dutch meal. In Lancaster, wander the idyllic 100-acre Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum for a yesteryear escape brimming with restored buildings, a barn with farm animals, demonstrations, and a shop packed with artisan wares.
Founded by a distinctive religious sect in colonial times, Historic Moravian Bethlehem is now a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, distinguished museums and handsomely restored buildings abound, costumed guides lead tours, and the oldest bookstore in America curates a great reading selection, in addition to stocking irresistible gifts. The Colonial Industrial Quarter encompasses a flour mill, tannery, smithy, and other vintage features.
FOUNDING FATHERS
As an authentic living history site, the Colonial Pennsylvania Farmstead in Newtown Square introduces visitors to 18th-century farm life and skills with interactive exhibits, plus diverse hands-on workshops that include blacksmithing and hearth cooking. In Philadelphia, tour the modest Betsy Ross House, where the professional seamstress stitched the first version of America’s starsand- stripes bedecked flag, then meet costumed historical interpreters working in her upholstery shop.
AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
Immersion in the Civil War’s pivotal 1863 battle starts at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center, where numerous attractions range from virtual reality experiences to a stunning hand-painted, 360-degree cyclorama that brings Pickett’s Charge to vivid life with sound and lighting effects. Follow with a narrated battlefield bus tour or have a Licensed Battlefield Guide drive your car for a personalized tour. The stately David Wills House museum, where the young attorney had invited Abraham Lincoln to stay before dedicating the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in 1863, includes the bedroom where the President finished writing his iconic Gettysburg Address.
MINING BOOM & OIL RUSH
Integral to fueling the Industrial Revolution, PA’s coal production topped the nation in the 19th century. On a Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour in Scranton, a mine car transports visitors 300 feet below ground into the dark, chilly world where miners (including children) toiled in winding rock tunnels. A guide ushers groups on a walking tour while explaining the methods and operations of the often-perilous profession. In Ashland, the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine journeys 400 feet below the earth and 1,800 feet into the side of Mahanoy Mountain. Complement the underground jaunt with a narrow-gauge Steam Train Tour that affords views of an enormous surface (aka strip mining) site. At the free-admission Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, its Mining Museum offers an informative film and fascinating displays. Expansive outdoor exhibits at the Drake Well Museum and Park in Titusville include a full-size replica of Edwin L. Drake’s first-in-America commercial oil well from 1859. Multi-sensory experiences indoors examine how varying aspects of the petroleum industry impact life.
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