We are entering Pennsylvania this week on our digital road trip. The weather is set to be hot and humid. But we are looking forward to a great day. Any visit to the state needs trips to see the Liberty Bell and historic sites, including Gettysburg. A visit to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History will allow you to see Dippy the Diplodocus. A trip to Amish country will let you see exquisite quilts, buy amazing pies and learn more about the lives of Amish people. Everyone knows Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater is located in Pennsylvania, but there are five additional buildings he designed there.
If your family loves theme parks, Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom is an excellent option. You can cool down in the water park before hitting the rides and then again before you leave! We’ll avoid Hershey, PA, in deference to both our blood sugar and the heat that would melt chocolate! However, people with better will power than us can enjoy Hersheypark, the chocolate-themed park. It has a zoo, waterpark, hotel and more.
All of these options are can’t miss attractions, but we’re interested in the slightly more offbeat destinations. But if you are looking for something a little different, we have an itinerary for you.
If you would prefer to stay away from Hershey and encounter sugar in a way that won’t upset your blood sugar, you can visit the giant banana split statue that marks the sundae’s birthplace. That is a picture op we can’t miss out on while we’re in the area! As we have been driving so long on this trip of ours, it feels only fitting to go see Schaefer’s Auto Art, a collection of statues made from car parts. These giant sculptures make an excellent backdrop for a picture. And, as they are outside and free to visit, it’s a great place to stretch our legs and look at art.
A member of the Neuliven Health team, who grew up on the East Coast, swears that Roadside America is the absolute best roadside attraction in the country. With 6,000 square feet of operating trains, an imaginary town stretches out in one room. The spot originally opened in 1935. Since its creator died in 1963, it hasn’t been updated but is beautifully maintained. The town is an idealized miniature version of the America he grew up in and has features like an organ grinder with a monkey. There are waterfalls, buttons to press to activate certain elements, an additional elevated observation deck and rooms off to the side with tiny coal mines and the Luray Caverns. Every half hour there is a nighttime pageant when dusk falls. The town lights up, and God Bless America plays as the sunsets while a projector shows pictures of Jesus, the American flag and the Statue of Liberty.
After that, we’ll hit one of the state’s amazing farmer’s markets to enjoy lunch, get a cup of coffee and take some farm fresh produce home with us. Once we’ve had real coffee, we’ll head to the Koontz Coffee Pot, once an eye-catching ad for a service station, now a museum about the Bedford County Fair. Fully caffeinated, we’ll go to a beautiful spot we don’t think gets enough attention. The Dream Garden is a mural made up of 100,000 pieces of Tiffany glass. It’s 16 feet tall, 50 feet wide and incredibly detailed. Built in 1916, it was a collaboration of Louis Comfort Tiffany and the artist Maxfield Parrish. It’s located in the lobby of the Curtis Building in Philadelphia, and it will be our last stop before we hit the road again.
