10 Best Downtowns In The Poconos
In 1829, Honesdale saw the first US steam locomotive roll down the tracks (the Stourbridge Lion; a replica is on display at the Wayne County Historical Society), and in Delaware Water Gap, the Deer Head Inn has been filling the air with live jazz for generations. The Pocono Mountains stretch across four counties in northeastern Pennsylvania, and people have been coming here for mountain air, rail excursions, and time along the Lehigh River and Lackawaxen River. That history still shows when you walk downtown. You’ll pass brick storefronts with weathered cornices, train depots that once carried both coal and sightseers, and leafy squares where festivals unfold. Each town has its own rhythm. In Jim Thorpe, Broadway climbs a steep hillside of Victorian facades. In Stroudsburg, murals splash across walls near Courthouse Square. Together, these ten downtowns show how the Poconos weave history, scenery, and community into walkable main streets.
Jim Thorpe
Picture the sound first. A train horn drifting up the gorge, bouncing off the hillsides, then fading into the Lehigh River below. It sets the mood for Broadway, where tall brick buildings with ornate cornices rise like props from a Victorian movie set. The hillsides climb fast. There’s drama built right into the terrain, and the scent of coffee drifting from corner cafes makes the street feel both historic and alive.
At the top, the Asa Packer Mansion Museum lets you peek into the life of the railroad magnate who shaped the town (open seasonally for guided tours). A few blocks away, the Old Jail Museum still gives visitors goosebumps with its tales of the Molly Maguires and the gallows that once stood inside (also open seasonally).
Down by the station, the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway boards passengers for excursions through mountain scenery. Fall rides are the favorites, when every hillside bursts with reds and golds. October also brings the Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival, when Broadway overflows with craft vendors, live music, and food stalls. Winter doesn’t slow things down either. WinterFest brings ice carvings, train rides, and horse-drawn carriages back into the mix.
Quick note for rail buffs: Honesdale ran America’s first steam locomotive in 1829. Jim Thorpe, then Mauch Chunk, made waves with the Switchback Gravity Railroad, marketed as the “rollercoaster of America.” That blend of innovation and spectacle still lingers in the air downtown.
Stroudsburg
Stroudsburg feels like the center of gravity for the Poconos. Main Street and Courthouse Square hold the town together with brick facades and antique streetlamps, but the murals are what jump out first. They splash across walls, and if you want to see them all, grab the self-guided map and wander a few blocks at a time.
The Sherman Theater has been part of downtown since the 1920s. It started as a movie house and now draws national acts, local bands, and community theater. Around it, small galleries, antique shops, and coffeehouses fill the gaps, giving the street a mix of energy that changes with every doorway. The smell of fresh espresso often drifts out as you pass, and you’ll spot college students from East Stroudsburg University side by side with longtime residents running errands or catching up on the corner.
Events pull the community together and give visitors plenty of reasons to linger. StroudFest arrives each Labor Day weekend with food stalls, vendors, and music stages scattered throughout downtown. A few weeks later, Spooky Stroudsburg leans into the town’s history with parades, ghost tours, and themed displays in shop windows. Even on quiet days, the mix of history, art, and everyday bustle makes a simple stroll through Stroudsburg feel like stepping into the middle of the action.
Milford
Milford is tiny, just over a thousand residents, but the past runs deep. Broad and Harford Streets form the main corridor, where preserved 19th-century buildings line up shoulder to shoulder in the Milford Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Stand at the corner and glance both ways. You can almost hear the clop of old carriage wheels, and the glow of lamplight on brick at dusk makes the whole block feel timeless.
A short drive takes you to Grey Towers National Historic Site, the chateau-style home of Gifford Pinchot, Pennsylvania governor and first chief of the U.S. Forest Service (seasonal tours; check current schedule). Guided tours and landscaped gardens walk you through his conservation legacy and open onto sweeping views of the Delaware Highlands. Back in town, the Columns Museum displays the famed Lincoln Flag, stained during President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, while the restored Milford Theater hosts films, concerts, and community events that keep culture right at the center of village life.
Milford also thrives on its community gatherings. The Black Bear Film Festival each October screens independent movies across multiple venues, while the Milford Readers & Writers Festival fills the calendar with panels, author talks, and book signings. In summer, small art shows spill into the streets, local cafes set tables outside, and music drifts from porches and storefronts. For a town its size, Milford punches above its weight, mixing history, art, and conversation into every block.
Honesdale
Honesdale wears its nickname proudly: birthplace of the American railroad. In 1829, the Stourbridge Lion became the first steam locomotive to run on US rails. That history still drives the town’s identity. Visitors can board the Stourbridge Line from the depot downtown and ride along the Lackawaxen River into wooded country, a route that connects modern travelers with the same landscapes early industrialists once crossed.
Main Street feels classic, lined with brick storefronts and iron-front buildings from the coal and canal era. Many now hold boutiques, cafes, and family-run restaurants that keep the street lively, and you might catch the slam of a screen door or laughter spilling out of a diner. Central Park anchors downtown with concerts, craft fairs, and seasonal gatherings where neighbors still come together the way they did generations ago.
The Wayne County Historical Society digs deeper into the story with exhibits on canals, glassworks, and a replica of the Stourbridge Lion (on display in town). Music fills the air in June during the Roots & Rhythm Music & Arts Festival, when local art lines the sidewalks and bands play into the night. By October, Harvest & Heritage Days brings hayrides, historical tours, and vendors spilling out onto Main Street. With its mix of rail heritage, cultural events, and small-town charm, Honesdale makes history feel lived-in, not tucked away in the past.
Hawley
Hawley sits on the Lackawaxen River, with Main Avenue working as both a downtown and a front porch. The Hawley Silk Mill dominates the scene. Built in the 1880s and once the largest bluestone building in the world, it now houses shops, offices, and Cocoon Coffee House. Historic walls, warm cups, and the chatter of locals settling into corner tables set the tone for the whole street.
A block away, the Ritz Company Playhouse has been entertaining since 1973. It stages plays and musicals that draw people downtown before and after curtain call, keeping live theater an active part of community life. Families often gather at Bingham Park, which spreads out in the center of town with grass fields, playgrounds, and a stage for outdoor concerts and festivals. On a summer evening, kids play on the swings while neighbors catch up on the benches, creating an atmosphere that feels both small-town and welcoming.
Just minutes outside town, Lake Wallenpaupack ties back into Hawley through seasonal celebrations. The Hawley Harvest Hoedown in October brings bluegrass, food, and crafts, filling the streets with music and the smell of kettle corn. December’s Winterfest adds carriage rides, ice carvings, and a holiday market that lights up Main Avenue. With its blend of riverside charm, cultural events, and year-round gatherings, Hawley feels like a genuine community hangout, not just a stop on the map.
Delaware Water Gap
Delaware Water Gap has only a few hundred residents, but the setting is unforgettable. The borough sits at the natural pass where the Delaware River cuts through the Appalachians, and the scenery does half the storytelling. Steep ridgelines rise on either side, and the river bends below, creating one of the most photographed landscapes in the region.
Downtown may be small, but it’s full of history. The Deer Head Inn, dating to the 1850s, is considered one of the oldest continuously operating jazz clubs in the country. Musicians still fill the rooms with late-night sets, keeping the borough on the map for jazz lovers. Just a short walk away, The Shoppes at Castle Inn recalls the early 1900s resort era when crowds came from New York and Philadelphia to escape the summer heat. Today it holds shops, galleries, event spaces, and tours that carry on the tradition of gathering, and you can still hear music drifting out onto the sidewalk on a warm night.
The outdoors blends right into downtown life. Hikers on the Appalachian Trail often drop in from Mount Minsi for food, gear, or a show. Kayakers and anglers use the river as a back door into town. Each September, the Celebration of the Arts Festival transforms the village into a concert ground. Stages pop up, music spills into the streets, and nearby fields turn into campsites. Small place, oversized cultural weight, Delaware Water Gap proves you don’t need size to make a lasting impression.
Mount Pocono
Mount Pocono grew out of the resort boom, when wealthy travelers headed to the “summit of the Poconos” for cool air and summer stays. The grand Mount Pocono Hotel is long gone, but the borough still sits at the crossroads of Routes 611 and 940, where traffic and small-town life meet. Local spots like the Pioneer Diner serve classic breakfasts, while the long-running Jubilee Restaurant in nearby Pocono Pines (just outside Mount Pocono proper) has been a community landmark for decades. Dunkin’ and other chain favorites keep the sidewalks moving, and a stroll down the main drag brings you past barbershops, thrift stores, and family-run businesses that give the town its everyday rhythm.
Big attractions sit just beyond the center. Mount Airy Casino Resort offers gaming, dining, and entertainment in Paradise Township. Camelback Mountain Resort in nearby Tannersville handles skiing, waterparks, and adventure courses that keep the calendar busy in every season. Kalahari Resorts in Pocono Manor boasts one of the largest indoor waterparks in the country, drawing families from across the Northeast. Between trips to those bigger names, visitors often swing through Mount Pocono’s streets for a quick meal, a local shop, or a cup of coffee before heading back into the mountains.
September brings HarvestFest, the borough’s signature event, with food trucks, live music, craft vendors, and games filling downtown blocks. Parades and community events pop up throughout the year as well, proving that for a place built on crossroads, Mount Pocono still knows how to pull a crowd together and keep its role as a gateway town alive.
Tannersville
Tannersville stretches along Route 611 and serves as the main gateway to Camelback Mountain. What began as a small settlement has grown into a strip that mixes outlet shopping, roadside restaurants, and local hangouts with quick access to the outdoors. The Pocono Premium Outlets pull bargain hunters from all over the region, while Barley Creek Brewing Company on Sullivan Trail doubles as a local landmark, pouring craft beer and hosting everything from trivia nights to family dinners.
The story of the Tannersville Inn still lingers. It started as a stagecoach stop in the 1800s, evolved into a beloved restaurant, and finally closed in 2020. The building was demolished in 2023, but longtime visitors and locals still bring it up as part of the town’s identity.
Nature takes center stage just outside town. The Tannersville Cranberry Bog Preserve offers a rare glimpse of a boreal wetland more common in Canada (tours are guided access). Guided tours lead you across a floating boardwalk where orchids bloom, moss spreads underfoot, and carnivorous plants thrive in the damp soil. Back on the mountain, Camelback Resort keeps the seasonal rhythm. In fall, its weekend Fall Fest fills the calendar with hayrides, music, and family activities that keep downtown buzzing well past leaf season.
Lake Ariel
Lake Ariel moves at an easy pace. The crossroads at Routes 191 and 196 form the heart of the village, where you’ll find the fire hall, post office, and St. Thomas More Church anchoring daily life. The downtown may be small, but the surrounding landscape carries the weight. The lakes define the rhythm here, and the nearby Lacawac Sanctuary protects an undeveloped glacial lake with about nine miles of trails through old-growth forests, wetlands, and meadows (with interpretive signage and seasonal programs). These signs along the paths explain the ecology as you walk, making it as educational as it is scenic.
History gives the town extra character. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Lake Ariel Park drew thousands with rides, picnic pavilions, and even a rollercoaster. Excursion trains once brought crowds from Scranton for summer outings, turning the area into a true getaway spot. The park is gone now, but the spirit of gathering still lingers. These days, it shows up in community picnics, church festivals, and township events that keep the center of town lively year-round. On summer evenings, families spill onto lawns with folding chairs, while autumn brings bonfires and harvest celebrations that echo the old park’s festive spirit. Even in winter, holiday lights and local gatherings keep the sense of community glowing in this quiet corner of the Poconos.
East Stroudsburg
Crystal Street is the heartbeat of East Stroudsburg, a narrow stretch lined with cafes, thrift shops, and storefronts that mix student life with local tradition. At one end stands the Dansbury Depot, a brick station from 1864 that once served the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. Today it houses Trackside Station Grill & Bar, where the rail history remains on the outside while dinner plates and pub chatter fill the inside.
Just a short walk away, East Stroudsburg University fuels the pace of downtown. Students crowd the sidewalks year-round, keeping the coffeehouses, pizzerias, and pubs busy. The campus adds more than just foot traffic, too, with lectures, concerts, and cultural events spilling over into the town calendar.
The Pocono Cinema & Cultural Center, another restored landmark, screens independent and classic films while doubling as a stage for talks and performances. Festivals tie everything together. October’s Pickle Me Poconos Festival fills Crystal Street with food vendors, games, and live music. WinterFest and summer concerts from the Eastburg Community Alliance keep the energy rolling through the rest of the year. History, college spirit, and community life overlap here in a way that feels seamless.
Why It’s Worth the Walk
These downtowns stand out because they mix history, scenery, and community into streets you can cover in an afternoon. In Jim Thorpe, a vintage rail car rumbles out with the mountains rising above. Stroudsburg paints its walls with murals and fills its sidewalks with music, food stalls, and parades. Delaware Water Gap puts live jazz within earshot of the Appalachian Trail. Milford and Honesdale carry the stories of conservation and rail innovation. Hawley and Lake Ariel remind you how rivers and lakes still shape daily rhythms. Mount Pocono and Tannersville work as crossroads where resort traffic meets small-town storefronts. East Stroudsburg blends college energy with old rail roots, giving Crystal Street its steady pulse.
Spend a weekend walking these blocks and you’ll see why people keep coming back. The Poconos aren’t just a backdrop. They’re lived-in streets, familiar faces, and the kind of walk that ties it all together.
