10 Coziest Small Towns in Pennsylvania

  Pennsylvania offers a vast and varied set of travel attractions. Named after 17th-century English aristocrat William Penn, the state, in the US Mid-Atlantic region, offers terrain from its Poconos Mountains and riverside vistas, to cultural and historical draws like the Civil War site Gettysburg and the former Moravian enclave of Lititz. The state’s longtime Amish and Mennonite religious communities suggest it is a state of both tolerance and diversity. Whatever the out-of-state traveler might like to see, Pennsylvania’s small towns are likely to offer it with open arms.    

Wilkers-Barre, population 44,300, sits in eastern Pennsylvania, along the Susquehanna River, one of the state’s longest waterways. The former hub of revolutionary activity and a coal mining town, the place can claim a number of quirky firsts, from being the original headquarters of the Planters Peanut Company to being the launchpoint of Home Box Office (HBO), which ushered in the rise of modern cable television.

These and other stories are available for tourists to consider at the Luzerne County Museum in town. History buffs may prefer the River Street Historic District, while culture connoisseurs will want to visit the historic Little Theatre at Wilkes-Barre and the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center, a performance space at Wilkes University. Green spaces include Kirby Park and the River Common, both of which give views over the Susquehanna.

 

 

In south-central Pennsylvania, just north of the Maryland border, the modest Mercersburg, with 2,000 residents, offers the visitor a tony, small-town feel. The town since 1893 has hosted the presitigous Mercersburg Academy, with notable alumni including more than fifty Olympic athletes, as well as actors James Stewart and, more recently, Benicio del Toro. The school and the town’s historic district are both featured on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

 

For fresh air and a little exercise, try Johnston’s Run Walking Trail, Mercersburg Lyons Community Park, or for baseball, Mercersburg Little League Park. Fun fact: the town is the birthplace of former US president James Buchanan, and the cabin said to be his physical birthsite sits on the Academy’s campus.

Gettysburg, with a population of 8,600, is synonymous with a turning point in the US Civil War. The town saw a 1863 battle that would prove the bloodiest of the entire war, with more than 51,000 total dead or wounded from both sides. The Gettysburg National Military Park commemorates the battle. Visitors should also explore the David Wills House, where Lincoln put the finishing touches on the Gettysburg Address. Many US historians consider the speech the finest and one of the shortest in American history.

For lighter fare, Lincoln Square, in the heart of downtown Gettysburg, promises one-of-a-kind shopping and strolling. The Dobbin House Tavern, an 18th-century restaurant, serves up a colonial ambiance and menu unlike anywhere else.

Article: 10 Coziest Small Towns in Pennsylvania – WorldAtlas  from World Atlas