Pennsylvania Travel Guide

Pennsylvania is a state in the eastern United States. It is known for its revolutionary war era historical sites (mainly in Philadelphia) and its steel industry.

Pennsylvania Travel Guide - Regions

* Coal Region
* Cumberland Valley
* Delaware Valley
* Lehigh Valley
* Northern Tier
* Northwest Region
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
* Laurel Highlands
* The Poconos
* Susquehanna Valley
* Western Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Travel Guide - Cities

* Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
* Altoona
* Erie
* Harrisburg-Carlisle-Lebanon
* Johnstown
* Lancaster
* Philadelphia
* Pittsburgh
* Reading
* Scranton-Wilkes-Barre
* State College
* Sunbury-Lewisburg-Selinsgrove
* Williamsport
* York-Hanover

Pennsylvania Travel Guide - Other Destinations

* Chadds Ford near the location of the Battle of Brandywine, fought September 11, 1777.
* Jim Thorpe
* Pocono Mountains

Pennsylvania Travel Guide - Understand

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a geographically diverse state with a Great Lake on one shore and a major seaport on the other. The climate of Pennsylvania is pleasant, with cold, often snowy winters, mild to hot, humid summers, and gorgeous green springtimes, and most notably, spectacular displays of colorful autumn foliage.

Pennsylvania hosts a number of vital cities, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. The city of Philadelphia houses the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, two major national historical landmarks. The interior of the state has a number of subcultures worth exploring, including the famous Amish countryside, a religious community based in Christian Anabaptist dogma.

Pennsylvania is also home to a diverse group of people, with ethnic enclaves of black, Hispanic, and Southeast Asian populations in its major cities.

Pennsylvania Travel Guide - Talk

Most Pennsylvanians speak American English, although many subtle regional accents and 'dialects' do exist. There are large Latino, Spanish-speaking populations in Reading, Allentown, and Philadelphia, and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have their share of Asian, European, and other languages. There will be no problem communicating with people who live in Pennsylvania, except, of course, if they resort to the famous Pennsylvania Dutch "Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch" dialect of German. Although widescale non-Amish use of the language faded circa 1950, there are pockets of young people who are learning the language as a way to preserve their heratige.

Pennsylvania Travel Guide - Getting There

By car

Interstate highways lead most traffic into the state. Clockwise from east:

* from Boston: I-84 W.
* from New York City to Scranton, Allentown, Philadelphia: I-80 W, I-78 W, I-95 S.
* from Washington and Baltimore to Philadelphia, Harrisburg: I-95 N, I-83 N.
* from the Appalachian Mountains to Harrisburg, Pittsburgh: I-81 N, I-79 N.
* from St. Louis and Indianapolis: I-70 E.
* from Chicago: I-80 E.
* from Cleveland to Erie: I-90 E.
* from Toronto: I-90 W.
* from Montreal: I-81 S.

Also, U.S. Routes 219, 15, and 220 (soon to be I-99) all enter the state at alternative points from both the north and south.

State-operated Welcome Centers and Comfort Facilities are located just inside the borders at all major crossings into Pennsylvania.

By train

Amtrak serves Pennsylvania with major stops at Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh. Philadelphia is a stop on the Northeast Corridor.

By air

The two major airports in Pennsylvania are Philadelphia International (booking code PHL) and Pittsburgh International (booking code PIT). Philadelphia is a major hub for US Airways and Pittsburgh is an large focus city for the same carrier. Both are served by all major carriers and have low fare service by Southwest and AirTran Airways. Philadelphia is also one of the Northeast's major international termini.

Regional airports in Pennsylvania include Lehigh Valley, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. All of these airports are served by US Airways, US Airways Express, Delta, Northwest and Continental. Erie is slightly bigger. Lehigh Valley has low-fare service by Lehigh Valley Air and TMA, and Harrisburg has service by TMA as well(TMA suspended flights in 2005).

Pennsylvania Travel Guide - Getting Around

By car

In addition to the Interstate highways that enter Pennsylvania and travel throughout:

* The Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) is a toll freeway that is the main east-west route between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with state capital Harrisburg along the way. Take note of the four tunnels through Appalachian ridges.
* The Turnpike's "Northeast Extension" (I-476, also toll) reaches north from Philadelphia to Allentown and Scranton. Another tunnel is found along it.
* U.S. Route 322 travels diagonally from the Philadelphia area to just below Erie. Many portions have been converted to freeway, but numerous small towns still lie directly on the way.
* U.S. Route 22 is an alternative, more mountainous path west through Altoona and Johnstown to Pittsburgh.
* U.S. Route 6 is a long, rural, scenic drive across Pennsylvania's "Northern Tier". Go west from the northern Poconos through the valley of Scranton and its suburbs, follow the Susquehanna River through the "Endless Mountains", spend three hours through state and national forest land, and end near Lake Erie.

There also exists a wide network of state highways and municipal roads that reach into the mostly forested and farmed rural areas. The more mountainous of these areas should be traversed with caution by visitors as they can be drastically winding, narrow, or steep (or all three!) in parts.

Speed limit signs are almost exclusively posted in miles per hour, "mph". Seatbelts use is mandatory, and a second ticket and fine will be issued to those who are pulled over for speeding, etc. if not worn. Pennsylvania has not yet enacted a ban on hand-held cell phone usage while driving, as some neighboring states have.

As conditions go, Pennsylvania has two seasons according to an old joke: winter and construction. In the rural majority of the state, large snowfalls render the most minor of roads impassable, but the major thoroughfares like Interstates are comparatively well plowed and salted. Still, car travel anywhere should be done with extreme care in the winter, especially by those unfamiliar with the visited area.

Likewise, the jest rings true in the remainder of the year. Look out for occasional paving, line painting, or road widening projects on freeways that restrict travel to a single lane. Bridge repair or any major redesign may force detours that are typically marked clearly. Speed limits in work zones are always reduced and State Police will impose double fines for breaking them. Proceed carefully around PennDOT (state transportation department) crews, who are easily visible in fluorescent yellow attire.

Pennsylvania Travel Guide - Tourism

Pennsylvania draws 2.1% of the Gross State Product from Accommodation and Food Services. Only Connecticut, Delaware and Iowa have lower numbers, and Nevada gets a whopping 14.2% of their GSP that way. Philadelphia draws tourists to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the Franklin Institute and the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, while The Poconos attract honeymooners, golfers and fishermen, and the Delaware Water Gap appeals to boaters, hikers, and nature lovers.

The state government launched an extensive tourism campaign in 2003 under the direction of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. An extensive website has been established to promote visits to the state.

The Pennsylvania Dutch region in south-central Pennsylvania is a favorite for sightseers. The Pennsylvania Dutch, including the Old Order Amish, the Old Order Mennonites and at least 35 other sects, are common in the rural areas around the cities of Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg, with smaller numbers extending northeast to the Lehigh Valley and up the Susquehanna River valley.

The term "Dutch" is an archaic word meaning "German" or "Teutonic" rather than "Netherlander". The Random House dictionary says "dutch" originated with the Old High German word "diutisc" which referred to the daily language used by Germans, as opposed to formal Latin.

Pennsylvania Travel Guide - Recreation

Pennsylvania is home to the nation's first zoo, the Philadelphia Zoo. Other notable zoos include Claws 'n Paws, Erie Zoo, Pittsburgh Zoo, and ZOOAMERICA. It is also home to the National Aviary, located in Pittsburgh.

All 121 state parks in Pennsylvania feature free admission.

Pennsylvania offers a number of notable amusement parks, including Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Dutch Wonderland, DelGrosso Amusement Park , Hersheypark, Idlewild Park, Kennywood, Knoebels, Lakemont Park, Sandcastle, Sesame Place, and Waldameer Park.

Article Source: Wikipedia