10 Picture-Perfect Main Streets In The Poconos

In the late 1890s, the New Jersey Zinc Company laid out Palmerton as a company town with wide streets and solid brick buildings. Coal, canals, and railroads shaped dozens of small downtowns around the Poconos in much the same way. Many still have their brick storefronts, old depots, and riverside paths. They tend to be quieter than the region's best-known towns, with trailheads and small museums close by. Most are easy to see on foot in an afternoon.

Palmerton

Delaware Avenue still reflects Palmerton's careful planning, running wide and straight past mature trees and sturdy brick buildings. Historic banners mark the district's place on the National Register of Historic Places. Palmerton Park, just off the avenue, has a classic gazebo that hosts summer concerts. The former zinc company headquarters and the town library add to the historic streetscape, and the Lehigh Gap Nature Center and the Appalachian Trail are just outside town.

White Haven

White Haven's Main Street does double duty as part of the D&L Trail, so cyclists and walkers roll right past the shops and cafes. The borough is the northern gateway to Lehigh Gorge State Park, where the rail-trail follows the Lehigh River through a deep, wooded canyon. Historic buildings like the old Odd Fellows Lodge line the street, and the town celebrated its 200th birthday in 2024. Hickory Run State Park, with its strange Boulder Field, is a short drive south.

Lehighton

Lehighton's downtown has made a real comeback, and First Street is now lined with colorful storefronts, family-run shops, and restaurants in sturdy railroad-era buildings. Colonel Jacob Weiss Park, at the heart of downtown, hosts a farmers market on select Saturdays. Just outside town, Country Junction bills itself as the world's largest general store. The D&L Trail follows the Lehigh River nearby, an easy add-on for an afternoon walk or bike ride.

Weissport

A frontier fort once stood where tiny Weissport sits today. Fort Allen was built here in 1756 under Benjamin Franklin's direction during the French and Indian War. Now the borough across the river from Lehighton has quiet, tree-lined streets along White Street. The old Lehigh Canal towpath runs along the river as part of the D&L Trail, and the restored Hofford Mill has become a popular gathering spot. It is an easy place to start a bike ride toward Jim Thorpe.

East Stroudsburg

East Stroudsburg's downtown grew up around the railroad, and its centerpiece is still the historic Dansbury Depot, a Victorian-era station with wide eaves that now houses a restaurant. East Stroudsburg University adds a youthful buzz, with students filling the cafes and shops along Washington Street. Dansbury Park is a trailhead for the Levee Loop, a path along Brodhead Creek that connects East Stroudsburg with neighboring Stroudsburg. It is an easy walk from the depot to the creek and back.

Lansford

Visitors to Lansford can ride a mine car deep into the mountain at the No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum to see how miners worked. Above ground, the museum's exhibits tell the story of the families who built the Panther Valley. Lansford is a classic anthracite coal town, and its downtown along Ridge Street is protected as a historic district. Rows of brick storefronts, churches, and miners' homes climb the hillsides. Lansford gives a real feel for life in Pennsylvania's coal country.

Tamaqua

Tamaqua's restored railroad station, built in the 1870s, anchors a downtown full of Victorian architecture and now houses a restaurant and shops. The former coal and railroad town sits at the southwestern edge of the Pocono region. Broad Street is lined with ornate commercial buildings and churches, and the Tamaqua Historical Society's museum shares the town's mining and railroad past. Hiking trails in the nearby hills offer wide views over the valley.

Carbondale

Carbondale, at the northern edge of the Poconos, calls itself the Pioneer City. The name nods to its role in the early anthracite coal industry and the gravity railroad that carried coal over the mountains to the Delaware and Hudson Canal. Main Street is lined with grand brick buildings from those boom years, and the castle-like City Hall and Courthouse is a downtown landmark. The Lackawanna River Heritage Trail passes through town, giving walkers and cyclists an easy riverside route.

Bangor

Slate from the quarries around Bangor once covered roofs and chalkboards across the country. The town sits in the foothills of Pennsylvania's Slate Belt at the southern edge of the Poconos. Broadway, its main street, is lined with brick buildings from that quarrying heyday. Just outside town, Columcille Megalith Park is a peaceful woodland garden filled with standing stones and a stone labyrinth. The Appalachian Trail runs along the Kittatinny Ridge to the north, offering hikes with views over the valley.

Matamoras

Matamoras sits at Pennsylvania's northeastern corner, where the Delaware River forms the border with New York. Its small downtown runs along Pennsylvania Avenue, with local diners, shops, and views toward the river and the hills beyond. The Delaware here is part of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, popular for canoeing, tubing, and fishing in summer. Milford and the trails of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area are a short drive south.

Strolling The Poconos

These 10 main streets show a quieter side of the Poconos, where coal towns, canal villages, and railroad hubs have kept their historic character. Each pairs a walkable downtown with trails, rivers, or museums close by. Pick two or three that are near each other, park once, and spend the day exploring on foot.