Farmington · $$$$
Road trips · Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania road trips & hidden gems.
Pennsylvania spans Philadelphia’s history, Pittsburgh’s three rivers, Amish countryside, and the Pine Creek Gorge — the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. Fall foliage is glorious. Independence started here.
Best time to visitFall (foliage) & late spring
Don’t missThe Pine Creek Gorge overlooks
Gem Hunt nominees10 candidates
Hikes10 curated
Scenic drives2
Worth-the-detour corridors
Drives through Pennsylvania
Ranked city-to-city drives that cross Pennsylvania — each with honest +N min detours on the shelf.
Gem Hunt nominees
What locals say you shouldn’t miss.
Community-nominated candidates. Add yours and vote to help choose the first published finalists.
Haines Shoe House
A five-story house shaped like a giant work boot, built by an eccentric shoe salesman in 1949 near York — tour it or even book an overnight stay in the Dutch country.
Sherman Memorial LighthouseA 75-foot lighthouse standing improbably far inland on a private island in the Allegheny River at Tionesta, deep in the forested northwest.
Mars Flying SaucerA 3,000-pound metal UFO parked in the town square of Mars, north of Pittsburgh, leaning all the way into the town's cosmic name — a quick, fun photo stop.
Archbald PotholeThe world's largest glacial pothole, 38 feet deep and carved by Ice Age meltwater, preserved in a small state park near Scranton in the northeast coal country.
PennDOT Road Sign Sculpture GardenA 1,200-foot folk-art mural of flowers, balloons, and animals welded entirely from retired highway signs, along Route 36 near Punxsutawney.
Centralia Ghost TownA coal town smoldering since 1962, where an underground mine fire burned the place into near-oblivion, leaving cracked streets, venting steam, and a few holdouts in the eastern anthracite region.
Worth traveling for
Events that put Pennsylvania on the calendar.
Explore by interest
Everything else worth a stop in Pennsylvania.
Start with a few highlights, choose one interest, or explicitly open the full state guide.
Showing General guide and Scenic routes highlights. Choose a category or Show all for the full state guide.
Scenic drives
Scenic routes through Pennsylvania.
Themed trails
Trails to follow in Pennsylvania.
More worth the detour
The general guide to Pennsylvania.
Museums, monuments, historic sites, and local-only stops from Roamward's shared place map.
Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum
Railroad history museum in the restored 1882 Master Mechanics Building, telling the story of Altoona as 'Railroad City' across three floors.
Bowman's Hill Wildflower PreserveNative-plant preserve in the Pidcock Creek valley with 700+ species and 4.5 miles of trails.
Broad Street MarketThe nation's oldest continuously operated market house (1860) — currently trading from a tent while the fire-damaged brick hall is rebuilt.
Buhl ParkThis 270-acre community park combines Lake Julia, nature trails, wetlands, a pool, pump track, and a free nine-hole golf course. It sits near the outer edge of the route band, making it a purposeful recreation detour.
Cherry Springs State ParkA remote clearing inside Susquehannock State Forest is protected for exceptionally dark skies and wide views of the Milky Way, planets, and faint celestial objects.
Clyde Peeling's ReptilandThis AZA-accredited reptile and amphibian zoo pairs specialized habitats with scheduled daily live shows and animal-touch opportunities. Direct US-15 frontage gives families an unusually strong stop on a thin stretch.
Boots on
Best hikes in Pennsylvania.
From family-easy to bucket-list — trails worth the detour, great for the RV & camping crew.
Bushkill Falls
the "Niagara of Pennsylvania" on private boardwalks
Chickies Rocka cliff over the Susquehanna near Lancaster
Glen Onoko Fallsa steep falls climb in the Lehigh Gorge
Hawk Fallsa quick waterfall walk in the Poconos
Hawk Mountainraptor-migration ridgetop views
Kelly Runa wild ravine in the Susquehanna Riverlands
Beyond the parks
Wild lands in Pennsylvania.
National forests, wilderness, and monuments — the big scenic public land between the parks and the gems.
Bucket-list wonders
Scenic landmarks in Pennsylvania.
The iconic slot canyons, overlooks, and rock formations — and how you actually get to visit each one.
Raise a glass
Breweries, distilleries & wineries in Pennsylvania.
The trip-worthy taprooms, distilleries, and wine country.
Sly Fox Brewing
a southeastern-PA staple famous for its can-pioneering pilsners.
Stoudts Brewinga long-running German-style brewery in Pennsylvania Dutch country.
Tired Hands Brewinga cult Main Line brewery known for farmhouse ales and hazy IPAs.
Tröegs Brewinga polished, popular brewery next to chocolate country.
Victory Brewinga Brandywine Valley pioneer, home of HopDevil and Golden Monkey.
Wigle WhiskeyPittsburgh’s craft distillery reviving Pennsylvania rye whiskey.
Where to eat
Road-trip dining in Pennsylvania.
Restaurants, diners, and food halls that fit the drive — curated by town, not scraped from a phone book.
The Coffee Pot
A playful restored roadside-coffee-pot stop that gives the Pennsylvania stretch a proper Lincoln Highway artifact.
Bird-in-Hand Bake ShopFamily-owned Amish bake shop open since 1972, famous for shoofly pie voted county's best and oversized cream-filled whoopie pies.
Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant & SmorgasbordLongtime PA Dutch smorgasbord making most dishes from scratch with produce from local Amish and Mennonite farms in season.
Plain & Fancy Farm RestaurantLancaster County's original Amish Farm Feast served family-style with bottomless bowls passed around the table just like a Pennsylvania Dutch gathering.
Shady Maple SmorgasbordThe largest buffet in the U.S. with a 200-foot spread of homemade Pennsylvania Dutch classics, carved meats and a vast dessert station.
Fox Meadows CreameryFamily creamery churning small-batch ice cream from its own herd of cows alongside comfort-food fare in the Lancaster countryside.
Snow season
Best ski resorts in Pennsylvania.
Big-mountain steeps, all-mountain variety, and family hills.
On two wheels (road)
Best cycling in Pennsylvania.
Scenic road rides, iconic climbs, and car-free rail-trails.
Knobby tires
Best mountain biking in Pennsylvania.
Trail systems, bike parks, and gravel routes.
Chasing water
Best waterfalls in Pennsylvania.
From roadside stops to bucket-list hikes — easy ones flagged for the RV & family crew.
Raymondskill Falls
Pennsylvania’s tallest, in the Delaware Water Gap.
Dingmans Fallsa boardwalk to two big falls in the Poconos.
Bushkill Fallsthe "Niagara of Pennsylvania," a network of falls on private boardwalks.
Ganoga Falls (Ricketts Glen)the tallest of 22 named falls on the Falls Trail loop.
Buttermilk Falls (PA)a tiered roadside fall in Indiana County.
Adams Falls (Ricketts Glen)a chute-and-pothole fall at the easy end of Ricketts Glen.
Tee it up
Public golf you can book in Pennsylvania.
Ellwood City · $$$$ — Top public
Bedford · $$$ — Golden-age classic
Hershey · $$$
Center Valley · $$
Glen Mills · $$
Beacons
Lighthouses in Pennsylvania.
Take me out
MLB ballparks in Pennsylvania.
Plan the Pennsylvania trip
Get the scenic route, the stops, and the timing.
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Where to stay
Find a place to stay near Pennsylvania.
Hotels, cabins, and rentals close to the action — compare and book for your trip.
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