Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for pennsylvania
The Cranberry in Pennsylvania
By Linda Tancs
Known locally as “The Cranberry,” Tannersville Cranberry Bog Preserve in Pennsylvania is a remnant of the Ice Age, producing the southernmost boreal bog east of the Mississippi River and a unique ecosystem. It boasts some of North America’s most beautiful native orchids, including rose pogonia and the state-endangered heart-leaved twayblade. The Boardwalk Trail is open only with guided access, but other trails are open to self-guided visitors and feature a mature oak hardwood forest and wetland habitats.
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Lansdale’s Log House
By Linda Tancs
The Morgan Log House stands on land originally deeded to the Commissioners of William Penn, who was granted the Charter of Pennsylvania from King Charles II on March 4, 1681. In 1708, Welsh immigrant Edward Morgan and his family (from whom frontiersman Daniel Boone is descended) became the first settlers of the property and later sold it to a German settler who built the log house that is now restored on the site. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the cabin reflects the lifestyle of colonial pioneers in the state. Access to the interior of the building is available via guided or self-guided tours.
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The Legends of Blue and White
By Linda Tancs
The All-Sports Museum at Penn State University celebrates the athletic history and heritage of the university, one of the top schools in the world. Located at the southwest corner of Beaver Stadium, the museum devotes the downstairs exhibits to its outdoor sports and the upstairs exhibits to its indoor sports. Overall, the facility features archival images and memorabilia from 34 sports played at the varsity level at Penn State, including 31 active sports and three that have been discontinued. The site also devotes a fair amount of space to the history of its mascot, the Nittany Lion (a mountain lion), which made its first public appearance in 1922 at a game between Penn State and Syracuse.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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America’s First Art School
By Linda Tancs
Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia is the first art school and art museum in the United States. Its Historic Landmark Building, considered one of the finest surviving examples of Victorian Gothic architecture in America, houses exhibition space as well as classroom space for the school, which is primarily located at the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building. Between those two buildings is Lenfest Plaza, a year-round gathering space featuring a three-part serpentine bench, mosaic pavers, plantings and rotating works of emerging and established artists.
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A Fest of Love and Grease
By Linda Tancs
How many ways can you love bacon? Let us count the ways: bacon on a stick, chocolate-covered bacon, bacon burger, bacon cannoli, bacon Bloody Mary, bacon poutine, bacon sticky buns. That and more awaits you at PA Bacon Fest, an annual event in downtown Easton, Pennsylvania. Rounding out the festivities are activities like a bacon eating contest, live music, cooking demonstrations and a hog calling contest. This year’s event takes place on November 4 and 5.
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Nationality Rooms
By Linda Tancs
The Nationality Rooms are a group of 31 classrooms in the University of Pittsburgh’s 42-story, Gothic-style Cathedral of Learning. Each room depicts the cultural heritage of an ethnic community that helped build Pittsburgh, using designs created by international architects, artists and craftspeople. Because the rooms are functioning classrooms, all tours of the rooms require advance registration and will be guided.
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Historic Moravian Bethlehem
By Linda Tancs
A National Historic Landmark District in Pennsylvania, Historic Moravian Bethlehem is a jewel in the crown of sites commemorating the history of the United States. Located in the heart of the City of Bethlehem, the 14-acre site comprises a treasure trove of 18th-century German Colonial-style architecture built by Moravian settlers. Highlights include the Bell House, the Single Sisters’ House and Gemeinhaus, the oldest surviving building in Bethlehem. You’ll also find industrial ruins like the pottery, the butchery and the dye house. Overall, 35 crafts, trades and industries were established by the Moravians, a Protestant denomination from Europe that used the city as the principal center for their self-sustaining activities.
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A Presidential Retreat in Pennsylvania
By Linda Tancs
Wheatland, or the James Buchanan House, is a brick, Federal-style house once owned by James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States. He bought the home in 1848 and ran his 1856 presidential campaign from the mansion. He lived there until his death in 1868. Both floors of the home are open to tours that run on the hour. The grounds also include two surviving outbuildings (a privy and a smoke and ice house) as well as tree and conifer specimens. Located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the home is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the Pennsylvania State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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Gateway to the Endless Mountains
By Linda Tancs
Gateway to the Endless Mountains sounds like the title of a novel, but it’s actually a scenic byway in the Endless Mountains region of northeastern Pennsylvania. Running along US Highway 6 (Tunkhannock to Dushore), the mountain vistas do appear to be endless as are the hiking and birdwatching opportunities. The route is also known for spectacular views of the Susquehanna River.
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America’s Oldest Theatre
By Linda Tancs
Founded in 1808, Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia is America’s Oldest Theatre. Given its historic bearing, it’s also the Official State Theatre of Pennsylvania as well as a National Historic Landmark. As with any historical property, stories abound. During a backstage tour, you’ll hear many of them, like who took the first curtain call and how the venue started as an equestrian circus. Some of the world’s most famous performers have played there, including Marlon Brando, Paul Robeson, Audrey Hepburn, Helen Hayes, Groucho Marx and Sidney Poitier. If only the walls could talk, and in some cases they do, considering that centuries-old brick is exposed in some places. The theatre is conveniently located in the heart of Center City.
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