Pennsylvania’s diverse nature can be traced by to its founder, Admiral William Penn. When he established the colony in 1682, he put in motion his ideas of religious tolerance and created a safe haven for oppressed groups like the Quakers. Today, the Amish, best exemplify this spirit of tolerance, and their communities in and around Lancaster have flourished for centuries.
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Diversity can also be found in the Keystone state’s varied landscapes, from the towering skylines of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to the beautiful scenery in the Susquehanna River Valley and the Poconos. For RVers, Pennsylvania provides a variety of camping experiences in small towns and bustling metro areas. Take time to explore tourism hot spots like Hersheypark, but don’t forget the hidden treasures that await travelers in country lanes and remote farmers’ markets.
Pennsylvania Farmland
Cities and Attractions
Philadelphia began by exporting liberty to America, but in more recent times, it has been contributing food: cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, hoagies and scrapple. Sample Philly style culinary delights in the Reading Terminal Market in the shadow of City Hall, the world’s tallest inhabitable masonry building, and then walk off the calories by strolling three blocks to Independence Mall and such icons of the American Revolution as the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and Carpenter’s Hall.
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Pittsburgh, where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers flow together to form the Ohio River, was the quintessential iron and steel town, with air so thick with soot that the sun was not visible in daytime. Today, blessed with universities and museums that those industrial dollars paid for, Pittsburgh is an internationally recognized center for cutting edge technological research. The City of Erie gives Pennsylvania a Great Lakes port and was where Oliver Hazard Perry gave America a spot of military glory in the War of 1812. Harrisburg has anchored central Pennsylvania as a state capital from its perch on the Susquehanna River since 1812.
Make a point to visit Gettysburg National Military Park, is the site of the pivotal 1863 Civil War Battle that claimed the lives of thousands of Union and Confederate troops. Tare laid to rest here, and the park’s museum displays relics from the battle, interactive exhibits and multimedia presentations in 22,000 square feet of space.
Amish Horse and buggy in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
The Great Outdoors
The Pocono Mountains have been a vacation and honeymoon retreat for Philadelphians and New Yorkers since the first hotel was constructed in 1829. Ricketts Glen in the Endless Mountains was slated to be a national park until World War II intervened, and it wound up as a must-visit state park. Here the two-pronged Falls Trail trips past 23 named waterfalls.
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The Lehigh River Gorge dishes out some of the most exciting rafting on the East Coast in a region billed as “America’s Switzerland” in the 1800s. The Laurel Highlands in the southern Allegheny Mountains support 10 state parks and 11 state game lands. The Lower Yough River is one of the busiest whitewater streams east of the Mississippi River. The 70-mile Laurel Highlands Trail covers it all.
Scenic Route 6, which meanders 440 miles across the Keystone State’s northern tier, has been lauded as one of America’s most outstanding touring roads.
People
Pennsylvania is home to vibrant Mennonites and Amish communities that have lived the same old-fashioned, family-centered way in Lancaster County for 300 years.