The world in general, including the United States itself, has many spectacular destinations to visit. There are many, many more however that for whatever reason do not get the attention, yet still have a lot to offer the tourist, no matter what they are craving. Pennsylvania is one such example. It has a huge range of different attractions that cover the whole spectrum of interests and is not as crowded as some of the more high profile destinations.
City Attractions
PA has two wonderful cities in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Pittsburgh is a must for sports fans with teams competing in the NFL, MLB and NHL – namely the Steelers, the Pirates and the Penguins respectively. Even if there is not a game on, you can visit one of the best collections of sports memorabilia at the Heinz History Center-Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.
If gaming is more your thing, the city has a good selection of casinos, and even when you are in your hotel, there is no need to break from the fun. Legislation changes mean you can now enjoy online poker with real money in Pennsylvania, and all you need is a mobile phone or tablet and WiFi. For culture vultures, the Andy Warhol Museum, dedicated to one of the city’s most famous ex residents (Warhol was born and educated in Pittsburgh). The museum contains dozens of his original works.
Philadelphia is packed with history, no surprise for the birthplace of America. It has the oldest residential street in the United States, as well the Betsy Ross House, the Liberty Bell Center and Independence National Historical Park. It is also of course the home of Rocky Bilbao, and no visit to Philly would be complete without seeing the Rocky steps and statue.
Country Pursuits
It is not all about fast paced cities though, the state enjoys some spectacular landscapes and scenery. The Pocono Mountains cover four counties and offer something all year round, from skiing, dog sledding and snow tubing in the winter to golf, trekking, horse riding and white-water rafting when the weather warms up.
Elsewhere, the Allegheny National Forest offers outstanding hiking no matter what your level of adventure or fitness.The area boasts 15 campsites with cabins to rent or spaces to pitch your tent, five of which are only accessible via hiking trails.
If your idea of fun is seeing the countryside under somebody else’s steam, then Lancaster County is famous for its scenic driving tours as well as its hot air balloon rides.
The Best of the Rest
For anyone interested in history or the Civil War, then Gettysburg is somewhere that simply has to be visited. The Gettysburg National Military Park features battlefield tours and re-enactments, or you can simply explore the site – bisected by 26 miles of roads – yourself on foot, bike or car.
Williamsport may not be instantly recognizable, but for those who have enjoyed Little League either themselves or though their children, it should definitely be somewhere on your itinerary, for that is where it was born and where it still has its headquarters. The city has the World of Little League Museum, containing hundreds of Little League artifacts and memorabilia, as well as the original Little League field, rightfully preserved on the National Register of Historic Places.
Last but by no means least, we cannot highlight places to visit in Pennsylvania without mentioning the town billed as the sweetest place on earth, Hershey. With something for chocolate lovers at every turn, the town also boasts Hersheypark – what has to be the world’s only chocolate themed theme park – and Hershey’s Chocolate World interactive museum.
