Exploring the City Electric

Did you know that Scranton is known as “The Electric City?” I sure didn’t, but a trip to the area soon got me up to speed on just why the city has this unique moniker. Turns out that Scranton was the first city in Pennsylvania to have a successful pioneer trolley line way back in 1887. And since that time, the city has shown much pride in its history and visitors are able to learn all about it with a trip to the area.
For this episode, we stayed at the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel in Scranton – a former railroad station converted into a beautiful hotel. The lobby was gorgeous and still held onto to the train station flair – if you are staying in the area, I recommend a “stop” right there! To get the full story on Scranton’s Trolley line history, I made the trip to the Electric City Trolley Museum. Here visitors can climb aboard authentic trolley cars, see a pictorial history of the area, and even catch a ride along the historic Laurel Line. And of course, as with most of my Explore PA adventures, I was a bit out of my element at a wine tasting at the Martini Grill in Scranton. Although I will say, being taught about wine and why you eat certain food with certain wines really opened my eyes and for that I thank Susan Hudanich from Il Vino Novello Co. Susan is a Certified Sommelier who works with local restaurants, like the Martini Grill, to educate customers on fine wine. If you’re like me and don’t think you’re much of a wine connoisseur, a short education about wine might be having you singing a new tune! All in all, my trek to the Electric City was educational, interesting, and very tasty indeed!

Don’t just “Leaf” it to us…Make the trip to the Bedford Fall Foliage Festival!

One of the things I love most about Pennsylvania is the fact that we have four wonderful seasons to enjoy; and my personal favorite is hands-down – fall. That’s why a trip to the Fall Foliage Festival in Bedford was absolutely wonderful! The colors of the foliage are truly spectacular that it’s almost as if Mother Nature had painted the most beautiful canvas as a backdrop for the Bedford Foliage Festival and all of its splendor.

Visitors to the festival can enjoy live music, crafts, and kid’s interactive theater and of course, local treats during the event. It’s truly a slice of Americana to walk downtown Bedford on a brisk fall day – in fact, you may even feel as if you’ve walked into a Norman Rockwell painting.

In addition to the annual festival, the Bedford area had a lot more to offer its visitors including Old Bedford Village, Blue Knob State Park, and Boyer’s Orchards. You can even visit the home of Pennsylvania’s state toy…the Slinky!
If you love the fall as much as I do, grab your camera and your kids and head to Bedford for a wonderfully scenic day in beautiful PA!

All Aboard! Explore PA Highlights Pennsylvania’s Strong Railroad Heritage!

The Mighty Pennsylvania Railroad is another example of our state’s incredible role in the building our country; and what better place to learn about PA’s strong railroad heritage than at the epicenter of it all – the famous Horseshoe Curve in Altoona, PA.

After a ride up the small mountain in scenic Funicular Incline, visitors to the Horseshoe Curve are literally surrounded by locomotives making the “horseshoe” turn. It’s an incredible view and even more impressive engineering feat to imagine the construction of these rails literally on a mountainside.

As you travel around the entire Altoona area, it’s impossible to not to see the strong connection that residents have to PA’s railroad heritage. Whether it’s a diner built from a historic railroad car, or a railroad themed hotel where guests are invited to sit and go “train-spotting” there’s no denying that there is a strong sense of pride in our state’s history.

While we visited the area, we also learned about the Rails to Trails program where abandoned railroad corridors are converted to scenic trails where visitors can hike, bike or ride horses along the beautiful river. It’s a wonderful example of preserving history while offering something new for local residents and visitors to enjoy.
If you’re a Rail Fan or know some little engineers who are loco about locomotives, I say “All aboard for a trip to Altoona!” You won’t be disappointed.