Extra! Extra! Explore PA hits the Road to Gettysburg, Meets a Talking Elephant and Makes Guests Jump Out of a Plane!

Once again, Explore PA has taken me to another brand new place I had yet to discover which is why I love being a part of this show! For this “Spirit of Independence” episode, we hit the road to Gettysburg and explored places rich in history while of course stopping to see some local treasures.

The wackiest of all local treasures was certainly Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum. Literally a wall-to-wall collection of all-things elephant, Mr. Ed’s makes you realize how a simple hobby can become a lifelong career! The Museum has received much media coverage over the years, and it’s totally unique – especially with a talking elephant greeting you at the door! But aside from the vast collection of elephants, there’s also a great candy shop…that I of course had to visit too!

On this show, we also sent our travelers skydiving! Now, we don’t ordinarily throw our travelers out of moving objects, but Monica and Edwin were up for the challenge! I had been skydiving a few years ago, so I knew that they would love it…that is, once you get your mind around the idea of jumping out of a working plane at 15K feet. The footage is great and I’m sure it will be an experience they will remember for many years to come.

The historical side of the adventure took us to the battlegrounds of Gettysburg. Similar to Valley Forge where I live, Gettysburg is well preserved and a popular place to visit. It’s hard not to imagine what it was like in the Civil War as the knowledgeable rangers share the history of this historical landmark.

Another historical landmark we visited was the Fairfield Inn, which is where the defeated Confederate troops stopped while retreating south. The Inn was built nineteen years before the Declaration of Independence is one of America's oldest, continuously operated Inns! When you visit the area, it’s a great place to stop for a great meal and learn about its incredible history from it proprietors, Joan and Sal Chandon.

Finally, we discovered to true meaning of “hot off the press” with a visit to the Public Opinion Newspaper in Chambersburg. Like many things in our daily life, we tend not to think about all it takes to get things, like a newspaper, on our doorstep. Well, one visit here, and you can see what a big team and heavy machinery it takes to print the news. Truly impressive!

All in all, it was another great adventure on Explore PA and I have yet another location to check off my list of places to visit!