The Great Pennsylvania Adventure! Ten days, five unique places to stay, twenty-six hours of driving, countless state parks, small towns, and the best fall foliage we’ve ever seen!
What do you do when all of your travel plans get canceled, and you aren’t supposed to leave your state? Well, you explore your state, of course! And WOW, was it eye-opening to see just how much we could find to do still very close to home!
The Great Pennsylvania Adventure was born and was undoubtedly one of the most memorable trips we’ve taken in a long time! We are campers! When we are not traveling, you’ll usually find us camping on the weekends from May to November here in Pennsylvania! Give me campgrounds, tall trees, and firepits, and I’m a happy camper! (see what I did there). The goal was to take a week to ten days and camp through the fall foliage of Pennsylvania. But when you have a two-year-old and Pennsylvania’s extremely unpredictable weather, tent camping could end up pretty disastrous. So we changed plans and took a different route, this time with the idea to stay in as many unique places as possible.
Our 1st stop a 1940’s Train Caboose right outside of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. Easily the most unique stay of our trip and so fun!
Next, we made a quick stop at the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania (Did you know there was a Grand Canyon in Pennsylvania because, before this trip, I didn’t). It was an incredible sight to see, and honestly, I wish we had planned for more time to take it all in. Adding to the list of weekend trips we hope to take this summer.
Then we were off to the Poconos, an area of Pennsylvania we’ve never explored but have always heard so much about. When we arrived, we stayed in a small resort themed after an old-fashioned ranch called Memorytown USA. Here we stayed in what looked like a small rustic cabin but were free-standing hotel rooms.
Our main stop in the Poconos was the town of Jim Thorpe. Seriously, what a hidden gem. There is no doubt I could write a whole separate story just on this area alone. The small but mighty town of Jim Thorpe looks just as if you are exploring a small village in Europe. I was enchanted by its details in architecture, stunning views, and unique shops and restaurants. Jim Thorpe is home to the Harry Packer Mansion (the inspiration behind the Walt Disney Worlds version of the Haunted Mansion) and a Harry Potter themed coffee shop called the Muggles Mug, which very much struck a chord with the Disney/Harry Potter fan in me!
We also spent much of our time in Jim Thorpe exploring the Lehigh Gorge State Park and The Hickory Run State Park.
The last two stops on our trip took a more relaxing approach in water view cabins of two different areas. We spent time around a fire, taking in the leaves, and enjoying what was one of the most unique adventures we’d ever been on.
Thanks for coming along on our Great Pennsylvania Adventure!
