TASTE of Pennsylvania By Katy Rank Lev SCREAM Machines SCREAM SCALE Our Pennsylvania Dutch heritage cooks up some unique culinary delights for visitors. Order up some scrapple with your omelet and taste the pork side dish lovingly made from “everything but the oink.” Try a wet-bottomed Shoofly Pie , dripping with molasses and topped with a cinnamon crumble that’ll keep you shooing flies from this sweet treat. Whoopie Pies (called Gobs in the western half of the state) are more like a cake, with airy chocolate “cookies” sandwiching fluffy, white filling. You can’t skip a Philly Cheesesteak while in the City of Brotherly Love; an authentic one is topped with melted Cheez Whiz. And, be sure to grab a square of Tomato Pie , which is a Sicilian-style pizza without the cheese. As you go west you’ll hear submarine sandwiches are called Hoagies . Once you cross the Alleghenies, you might want to look for a Pittsburgh Steak Salad , which includes beef and melted cheese atop an order of fries. It might be the only time you put ketchup on a salad. = Kid-Approved = Pulse Quickening = Stomach Flipping = Heart Pounding = Totally Insane Knoebels Amusement Park, Elysburg Tots seeking gentler thrills love the squeal-worthy Little Leaper roller coaster at Lakemont Park ’s Kiddieland in Altoona. One of 20 ACE Coaster Classics in the world, the 1951 Comet at Waldameer Park & Water World in Erie evokes thrills from yesteryear on 1,400 feet of track. Freewheel and swerve through hairpin curves on Flying Turns, the world’s only wooden bobsled coaster, at Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg. Debuting spring 2017, Hersheypark ®’s Triple Tower is the nation’s first attraction to include three drop towers of different heights, plunging riders at speeds faster than a typical free fall. Hydra The Revenge at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown — Pennsylvania’s only floorless roller coaster — turns riders upside down seven times and includes a 105-foot drop. Philly’s Cheesesteak & Food Fest PHOTOS: (this page clockwise from top) istockphoto/Jacob Ammentorp Lund; istockphoto/sdstockphoto; photo by R. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia®; courtesy of Knobels visitPA.com 37
Pennsylvania PA 2017 Happy Traveler: Page 37
