11 Coolest Small Towns in Pennsylvania for a Summer Vacation
Pennsylvania's coolest small towns are made for summer. Coudersport is the gateway to the dark skies at Cherry Springs State Park. Ohiopyle offers whitewater on the Youghiogheny and free waterslides at Meadow Run. Wellsboro looks out over Pine Creek Gorge, the state's own Grand Canyon. Each of the eleven below could fill a long summer weekend.
Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe packs its summers with vintage rail trips and Lehigh River whitewater in the Pocono Mountains. Two boroughs merged here in 1954 to take the Olympic gold medalist's name. He had died a year earlier. His remains came here. The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway leaves the restored Jim Thorpe Station on summer weekends. Each round trip lasts 70 minutes along the Lehigh River.
The Lehigh Gorge Trail follows 26 miles of former railroad grade. Cyclists and trail runners ride it through the gorge. Outfitters run Class II and III whitewater on dam-release weekends each spring and fall. Mauch Chunk Lake Park covers about 2,300 acres north of town, with boating and mountain biking. The Jim Thorpe Birthday Bash fills the Asa Packer Mansion district each May.
Wellsboro
Wellsboro makes the classic summer base for Pine Creek Gorge. Locals call it the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. Gas lamps light Main Street after dark. The Penn Wells Hotel has stood there since 1869. Wellsboro is the seat of Tioga County.
The gorge measures 47 miles long and 1,450 feet deep. Leonard Harrison State Park guards the eastern rim. Colton Point State Park holds the western one. Both offer overlooks and trails to the creek. The Pine Creek Rail Trail stretches 62 miles along the gorge floor. Its grade stays flat through old-growth hemlock. The Pennsylvania State Laurel Festival fills the town each June.
Milford
Milford spends its summers on the upper Delaware River. Grey Towers National Historic Site looks over town from a hill above the water. It was the home of Gifford Pinchot. He was the first chief of the US Forest Service and twice governor of Pennsylvania. The estate offers guided tours from spring into fall.
Milford is the nearest town to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The park protects 70,000 acres of forest and river along the New Jersey line. Downtown lines Broad Street. The Hotel Fauchère opened there in 1880 under a Swiss chef from Delmonico's. It still keeps its original walnut bar. The Black Walnut Inn serves French-inspired plates in a 19th-century farmhouse nearby.
New Hope
New Hope packs an arts-and-river summer into Bucks County. The Bucks County Playhouse opened in 1939 inside a restored 1790 gristmill. It still stages a full season. Galleries, music rooms, and restaurants pack about ten blocks along the Delaware River.
The New Hope and Ivyland Railroad runs weekend trips from the old downtown station. Each route covers nine miles of Bucks County farmland. The Delaware Canal towpath follows the river for 60 miles. It stays flat and shaded for walkers and cyclists. Karla's has served Mechanic Street since 1978. Its menu leans European. The Pearl S. Buck House stands about 20 minutes west, near Perkasie. It holds National Historic Landmark status.
Ohiopyle
Ohiopyle turns a village of about 60 people into a summer whitewater hub. Four outfitters work the riverbank all season. Ohiopyle State Park wraps around town. The park holds 20,500 acres of forest and 14 miles of the Youghiogheny River.
The Lower Yough delivers Class III and IV rapids on half-day and full-day runs. The Meadow Run Natural Waterslides lie on the park's southern edge. The creek carved these smooth sandstone chutes, and swimmers cool off in them for free. The Great Allegheny Passage runs through town on its 150-mile route between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Maryland. Fallingwater stands about three miles north. It is Frank Lloyd Wright's best-known house, with daily tours from March into November.
Coudersport
Coudersport pulls summer stargazers toward Cherry Springs State Park. Cherry Springs was the world's second International Dark Sky Park. It holds the program's highest Gold Tier rating. Rangers lead stargazing programs through the warmer months. The Black Forest Star Party draws hundreds of amateur astronomers each September.
The Allegheny National Forest spreads across 517,000 acres to the west. It draws hikers and campers year-round. The Coudersport Ice Mine stands on Route 6. It forms ice in summer instead of winter. Cold air settles in the shaft and freezes. Eliot Ness died in town in 1957. The agent had helped bring down Al Capone. Coudersport now hosts a festival in his name.
Eagles Mere
Families have summered at Eagles Mere since the 1880s. The original Victorian cottages still ring the village. A spring-fed lake covers 105 acres. It lies on a plateau 2,100 feet up in Sullivan County.
The Eagles Mere Inn opened in 1887. It serves a formal dinner menu to guests and walk-ins. The Eagles Mere Country Club runs an 18-hole course along the lake's eastern shore. World's End State Park lies about ten miles north. The Loyalsock Trail threads its old-growth hemlock and rhododendron. The Antique and Classic Automobile Show pulls collectors from across the mid-Atlantic each August. A near-vertical toboggan run drops sledders onto the frozen lake every February.
Hawley
Hawley builds its summers around Lake Wallenpaupack. Crews finished the 5,700-acre reservoir in 1926 for hydroelectric power. The shoreline stretches 52 miles. It holds boat launches and swim beaches. Marinas rent pontoons and kayaks.
The Hawley Silk Mill stands on Welwood Avenue. The restored 1880 textile factory now holds shops and a restaurant. The Lacawac Sanctuary protects 545 acres of glacial lake habitat just south. Its trails stay open all year. The Wally Lake Fest fills three August days with live music and water sports. A Saturday fireworks show closes it over the water.
Lewisburg
Lewisburg pairs a riverside campus with an easy summer downtown. Bucknell University has stood on the southern edge of downtown since 1846. Its red-brick Federal and Georgian halls face the Susquehanna River Valley. The Campus Theatre stands on Market Street. The 1941 art deco movie palace still shows a regular film schedule.
The Buffalo Valley Rail Trail follows 9.2 miles of the West Branch Susquehanna. The whole route is accessible and easy for walking or cycling. R.B. Winter State Park lies 18 miles west. It has a 13-acre lake and trails into the Bald Eagle State Forest. The Lewisburg Arts Festival fills downtown for a weekend each April. Juried artists and live music draw the crowds.
Lititz
Lititz carries a real claim to America's Coolest Small Town. Budget Travel handed it that title in 2013. Moravian settlers founded the town in 1756. East Main Street still keeps its brick sidewalks. Restored 18th-century homes and shops line the route.
The Wilbur Chocolate Company keeps a candy outlet and small museum at its 1900 factory. Full production left town in 2016. The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery opened on East Main Street in 1861. It was the first commercial pretzel bakery in the country. Visitors still twist their own pretzels on daily tours. Lititz Springs Park lies at the center of town. It keeps a spring-fed pool and walking paths. The Fourth of July fireworks there date to 1818.
Bedford
Bedford has drawn summer guests to its mineral springs since 1806. The Omni Bedford Springs Resort grew up around eight of them in the Allegheny Mountains of south-central Pennsylvania. James Buchanan used it as his Summer White House between 1857 and 1861. Other presidents kept coming over the two centuries since.
A 1905 addition brought one of the country's first indoor pools. The spring water still feeds it. Spencer Oldham, A.W. Tillinghast, and Donald Ross built the golf course between 1895 and 1923. Old Bedford Village stands about ten minutes north. It preserves 38 log structures from the late 1700s and early 1800s. They line the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River. Summer weekends bring reenactments and craft demonstrations. The downtown lines Pitt Street. It holds independent restaurants and a visitors bureau in a restored bank. The 126-foot Claycomb Covered Bridge marks the village entrance.
Where Pennsylvania Spends Its Summers
The best Pennsylvania summers come down to one town and one good reason to stay. Jim Thorpe runs a scenic railway through the Lehigh Gorge. Lititz hand-twists pretzels on the same street it has used since 1861. Bedford keeps a spring-fed pool from 1905 and a golf course laid out a century ago. Lewisburg screens films in a 1941 movie palace. Eagles Mere fills with Victorian cottages and August car shows. Milford guards a forester's estate above the Delaware. Pick one town, give it a full weekend, and the season takes care of itself.
