Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for pennsylvania
Penn’s Woods
By Linda Tancs
The name of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is derived from “sylvania” (Latin for “woods”) and Penn–as in William Penn, who in 1680 requested lands from England’s King Charles II to establish a Quaker colony. Pennsylvania’s founding father loved the wholesomeness of country life and enjoyed an estate along the Delaware River known as Pennsbury Manor. By the early 1800s, the house was in disrepair and ultimately torn down by its owners. On the grounds today is a reproduction of that country estate, a living museum and testament to the Colonial Revival movement. Some artifacts remain from the excavation of the site begun in the 1930s, such as the fireplace tiles, a pewter serving platter, a walnut-caned day bed and a wig and dressing table suite. Guided tours are available Tuesday through Saturday.
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A Journey Through the Underground Railroad
By Linda Tancs
The Underground Railroad was a series of secret stations that enslaved Africans used to escape to the North and to Canada during the mid-1800s. One of those stations was located at the Bethel A.M.E. Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. At that site they provide reenactments of the journey, a spiritual and creative endeavor called “Living the Experience.” The event runs on select Saturdays from February through December at noon and includes a Southern-style buffet lunch thereafter.
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Purple in Pennsy
By Linda Tancs
Just 90 minutes from New York City or 45 miles outside Philadelphia is a little bit of Provence. First established in 1748, the Carousel Farm in Mechanicsville, Pennsylvania is awash in lavender. In fact, eight of its 35 acres are dedicated to lavender production, harvested by hand. Group tours are available through 30 September.
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A Land for Little Vikings
By Linda Tancs
Are you of Norwegian heritage? Well now there’s a place for your little Vikings to explore their background on this side of the pond. Land of the Vikings is a year-round cultural and recreational center in Sherman, Pennsylvania. Just 35 miles east of Binghamton, New York, its 150 acres provide the perfect venue for the children’s summer camp. In addition to outdoor sports activities, the camp offers classes in the Norwegian language as well as traditions such as rosemaling, woodworking, and hardanger. The camp serves children aged 12 to 15 from 1-7 July and those aged 8 to 11 from 8-14 July.
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Putting the Hex On in Pennsylvania
By Linda Tancs
No, it isn’t hocus pocus. The hex–at least in Pennsylvania Dutch country–is a much sought after form of folk art commonly decorating barns in southeastern Pennsylvania. On the Hex Barn Art Tour beginning in Kutztown, you’ll see the ever popular eight-point star, a design symbolizing perseverance. That’s a trait the early German settlers to the region in the 1700s would have had in spades as they set out to farm the land and create new lives for themselves and their families. As you make your way through the 28 mile, self-guided driving tour, be on the lookout for the elusive distelfinks, a pair of goldfinches symbolizing good luck and tranquility. You just might find one in, of all places, Hawk Mountain.
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Premier Art Collection Comes to Philadelphia
By Linda Tancs
Dr. Albert C. Barnes was a Philadelphia native and co-inventor of an antiseptic silver compound used in the prevention of infant blindness. The product’s commercial success enabled Dr. Barnes to acquire a vast art collection comprising post-impressionist and early modern art. Beginning on 19 May founding members of the Barnes will be the first to experience the collection at its new home in Philadelphia on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Nestled on 4.5 acres of landscaped grounds, the new building features a light-filled indoor court, functional classrooms, and intimate galleries surrounded by a series of external garden spaces. A special exhibition gallery will feature regular temporary exhibitions of past and contemporary art to complement the Barnes Foundation’s collection. Nonmembers won’t feel left out of the action. During the weekend of 26 May, 56 consecutive hours of free access and activities for all ages will feature some of Philadelphia’s finest cultural and performing arts organizations, such as Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, Relâche, Peter Tang’s Chinese Music Ensemble, and AfroTaino Productions.
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Furniture Shopping in Philly
By Linda Tancs
The exhibitors at the Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show hope you’ll invest in beauty. Showcasing exceptional artisan quality furniture, the event is the longest running exhibition of its kind. Featured exhibitors include Selvin Glass, Swede McBroom, Michael Brown and G. Keener & Co. Most exciting, though, is the new location for the event this year–the 23rd Street Armory, an imposing castle-like structure built in 1901 that houses the Philadelphia City Cavalry, the oldest cavalry unit in continuous service in the United States. The Troop acted as George Washington’s personal bodyguard during the Revolutionary War. The history lesson alone is good enough reason to go. The preview party and auction is on 23 March, followed by two days of artisanal bliss.
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The Other Jersey Shore
By Linda Tancs
This is a true statement: you won’t find Snooki or The Situation at the Jersey Shore. Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, that is. The picturesque borough along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in southern Lycoming County offers a wealth of recreational activities that are lacking at its more celebrated namesake, like downhill and cross country skiing, trout fishing, hiking, mountain biking, camping, snowmobiling, hunting, and outlet shopping. Spray tans are optional.
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The Ultimate Reading Room
By Linda Tancs
Bibliophiles, take note. Would you like to view the only surviving copy of Benjamin Franklin’s first Poor Richard Almanack? How about the manuscript of James Joyce’s Ulysses or Bram Stoker’s notes for Dracula? These collections and more await you at the Rosenbach Museum and Library. Founded in 1954 through a testamentary gift by renowned book dealers Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach and his brother Philip, the facility is located at their 1865 historic townhouse on Delancey Place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The brothers played a central role in the development of private libraries that later became our nation’s most important public collections of rare books. The collection has since grown to include the papers of poet Marianne Moore and the drawings of Maurice Sendak. A guided tour includes Dr. Rosenbach’s rare book library, Philip Rosenbach’s fine and decorative art collections, and the recreation of modernist poet Marianne Moore’s Greenwich Village living room. As the Rosenbach is a historic house museum and research library, make an appointment with the librarian to view items from their collections.
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Secrets of the Silk Road
By Linda Tancs
The formidable Silk Road was a trading route of ancient Chinese civilization. The 7000-mile route stretched from China and India to the Middle East and parts of Africa and southern Europe. Amidst this terrain was the Tarim Basin, the second largest desert in the world. Located at the crossroads of the Silk Road, artifacts recovered from the area, like mummies and masks, suggest the area was active for thousands of years. Exhibits showcasing the diverse languages, lifestyles, religions, and cultures of the remote area are on display through 5 June at the Penn Museum, formally known as the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia.
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