Pennsylvania Campground Owners Association

Pennsylvania Campground Owners Association

You never know what you will encounter when camping in Pennsylvania!You never know what you will encounter when camping in Pennsylvania!You never know what you will encounter when camping in Pennsylvania!
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Region 3 - North Central Pennsylvania Attractions

Welcome to the PA Wilds! That’s right — Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon, home to the 30 mile West Rim Hiking Trail, the Pine Creek Gorge, and 62 miles of Rails to Trails. Not only can you hike, bike, and paddle through Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon, you can tour it on horse-drawn covered wagon rides and off-road Jeep tours. Outfitters based in Wellsboro offer several trips throughout the season. Wellsboro is a quaint town with gas-lit street lights, historic homes, and huge trees. Stop at the Wellsboro Diner and enjoy homemade food in an atmospheric 1930s eatery.

Are you ready for some football? You and 100,000 of your closest friends will feel the excitement at Beaver Stadium in State College, home of the Penn State Nittany Lions. State College also hosts the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts every July, which is nationally recognized for its Sidewalk Sale and Gallery Exhibition, sand sculptures, music and dance and theatrical performances.

Need more sports to feed your passion? Head over to Williamsport, home of the Little League Baseball Museum. The Little League World Series is held here each August and has hosted teams from all over the world for 50 years. Williamsport is part of the Susquehanna River Valley, a Mecca for trout and bass fishing. Anglers love to fish in Loyalsock, Slate Run and Black Hole. So pull out your waders, fly fishing rods, or casting rod and head down to one of the local spots. The Pennsylvania Fish Commission’s website, www.fishandboat.com/fishingfun, will give you additional local spots. If standing in knee high creek water isn’t your thing, try a cruises on the Susquehanna River on the Hiawatha Paddleboat. Take in one of their specialty cruises: Family, Karaoke, Sunday Brunch, or a Concert.

One of the main hiking trails through this region is the Loyalsock, which parallels the Loyalsock Creek, follows the mountain ridges, offers a multitude of vistas for 59 miles, and travels through Worlds End State Park.

Mammals, reptiles and caverns, oh my! You’ll find several family, friendly wildlife animal parks, preserves, and underground caverns in this region: Penn’s Cave, Clyde Peelings Reptiland, Indian Caverns, Lake Tobias Wildlife Park, Lincoln Caverns, and T&D Cats of the World.

For more detailed information on any particular county, visit the following links:
Centre Country Convention & Visitors Bureau
Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau
Lycoming County Visitors Bureau
Potter County Visitors Association
Susquehanna Valley Visitors Bureau
Tioga County Visitors Bureau
Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau

PA Route 6 Tourist Association

Arts & Cultural Attractions

Millbrook Playhouse

The Millbrook Playhouse is a unique barn theatre, having operated as a professional summer stock theatre since 1963. The theatrical companies hired each summer continue to possess highly diverse skills and techniques and provide varied entertainment. Hundreds of plays have been performed, entertaining approximately 1,000 people per week.

P.O. Box 151
Mill Hall, PA 17751
(570) 748-8083

Website

Family Fun & Entertainment

Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland

Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland

Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland is an AZA accredited zoo specializing in reptiles and amphibians. Since opening in 1964, Reptiland has provided the public a link to the less-loved members of the animal kingdom. Reptiland offers a perfect blend of environmental education and entertainment.

18628 US Route 15
Allenwood, PA 17810
(570) 538-1869

Website


Knoebels Amusement Resort

Knoebels Amusement Resort

Knoebels Amusement Resort is Pennsylvania’s largest free admission amusement park, with 50 exciting rides, challenging games, mini-golf, unique gift shops and great food. Giant Crystal Pool and waterslides. Free shows.

P.O. Box 317
Elysburg, PA 17824
(570) 672-9555

Website


Penn’s Cave

Penn’s Cave

America’s only all-water cavern and wildlife park is nestled in Central Pennsylvania’s scenic Penn State Country. The cavern tour is a guided one-hour tour by motorboat on an underground stream. Along the limestone corridors, stalagmites, stalactites, flowstone cascades and draperies decorate the interior rooms, while underwater, trout swim and jump for feed! The farm and wildlife tour is a guided 90-minute motorized tour over 1,500 acres of Penn’s Cave forests and fields which have been carefully preserved as a natural habitat for birds, plants, and animals. North American animals, such as deer, elk, wolves, bears, bison, and mustangs are seen, as well as longhorn cattle.

222 Penns Cave Road
Centre Hall, PA 16828
(814) 364-1664

Website


Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine

Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine

Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine has been one of Pennsylvania’s favorite attractions since May 1963. Pioneer Tunnel, which ceased operation in 1931, was retimbered and reopened as a place where visitors could experience a real anthracite coal mine. The Tunnel affords visitors an opportunity to learn how anthracite coal is mined. The guides are experienced miners who know mining thoroughly. Visitors ride into the Tunnel on mine cars rebuilt to carry passengers. Deep inside the Tunnel, guests alight from the cars to follow their guides as they give an explanation of deep-mining methods. A second featured attraction is a narrow gauge steam train ride aboard the Lokie Henry Clay. Henry Clay is a steam saddle tank engine of 30 tons used years ago to haul coal cars. Now it pulls passenger mine cars 3,000 feet along the side of Mahanoy Mountain.

19th & Oak Streets
Ashland, PA 17921
(570) 875-3850

Website


Tioga Central Railroad

Tioga Central Railroad

The Tioga Central Railroad of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania operates excursion and charter trains on a thirty-four mile railroad extending north from Wellsboro, Pennsylvania to a location about three miles south of Corning, New York.

P.O. Box 269
Wellsboro, PA 16901
(570) 724-0990

Website

Museums & Historic Sites

Bill’s Old Bike Barn

Bill’s Old Bike Barn

Bill’s Old Bike Barn is an experience for everyone both young and old with an overwhelming display of the most pristine collections of motorcycles and memorabilia. Any true motorcycle enthusiast is sure to be speechless as they gaze upon all there is to see. Each time you visit you’re sure to find another item you missed on your previous stops.

7145 Columbia Boulevard
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
(570) 759-7030

Website


Centre Furnace Mansion

Centre Furnace Mansion

The Centre Furnace Mansion serves as headquarters for the Centre County Historical Society. The Mansion, the ironmaster’s residence for Centre Furnace, has been restored and is furnished to reflect the period of residency of ironmaster Moses Thompson and his family, 1842-1891. A mansion in miniature, identical to the original and scaled one inch to one foot, is on permanent display. In addition to the Centre Furnace Mansion, Centre Furnace Village includes the furnace stack and surrounding eight acres. This National Register site represents a small portion of the late 18th-century ironmaking village once located here.

1001 E. College Avenue
State College, PA 16801
(814) 234-4779

Website


Fort Roberdeau Historic Site

Fort Roberdeau Historic Site and Natural Area is located near Altoona in Blair County, Pennsylvania. The rural 230-acre tract features a reconstructed Revolutionary War stockade surrounding six log cabins. It also includes an 1858 barn containing exhibits and a museum shop, an education center in an 1860 farmhouse, three nature trails, picnic facilities, and White Oak Hall, a large multipurpose facility. The original Fort Roberdeau was constructed in 1778 under the direction of General Daniel Roberdeau, one of Pennsylvania’s representatives to the Second Continental Congress. Also known as the “Lead Mine Fort,” it protected lead mining and smelting operations which provided ammunition to the Continental Army.

Historic Sinking Spring
RR #3, Box 391
Altoona, PA 16601
(814) 946-0048

Website


Pennsylvania Lumber Museum

The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum preserves and interprets the colorful heritage of the Commonwealth’s prosperous lumber era when white pine and hemlock were the wealth of the nation. Take a tour of the grounds where a 1912 Shay-geared logging locomotive, Barnhart Log Loader, Brookville locomotive and restored CCC Cabin are on display. Experience the rugged lifestyle of the “woodhicks” in a re-created logging camp. Watch the sawmill turn logs into lumber.

5660 US Route 6 West
Galeton, PA 16922
(814) 435-2652

Website


Peter J. McGovern Little League Museum

Little League Museum

Find out everything you ever wanted to know about Little League Baseball! At the Little League Museum, visitors can learn how Little League grew from its small beginnings in Williamsport, Pennsylvania to being played in over 100 countries. Visit the Hall of Excellence showcasing famous former little leaguers like President George W. Bush, musician Bruce Springsteen, and basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Try your hand at the museum’s several interactive exhibits like pitching, running the bases or play-by-play announcing! Located in South Williamsport next to the Lamade Stadium, where the Little League World Series is played. The Little League Museum is a must for any baseball enthusiast.

525 Route 15 Highway
South Williamsport, PA
(570) 326-3607

Website


Piper Aviation Museum

Piper Aviation Museum

William T. Piper’s career in aviation began in 1929. To meet the increasing demand for light personal aircraft, Mr. Piper developed an assembly line production system which enabled the company to become America’s foremost small plane manufacturer. By 1938 the company began producing its most famous plane, the J-3 “Piper Cub,” a tiny, small-engine craft which was easy to fly and fairly inexpensive. The US Military during World War II was so impressed with the Cub, now dubbed the “Grasshopper,” that it bought thousands for use in flight training, medical evacuation, reconnaissance and artillery spotting. The Piper family turned the company into the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer in terms of craft built. Many called Mr. Piper the “Henry Ford of Aviation,” with company sales in every corner of the globe. The current structure of the Piper Aviation Museum can be traced to its incorporation as a non-profit educational organization by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1995. Soon thereafter it purchased the former Engineering building of the Piper Corporation, a 56,000 square foot structure, which now serves as home to the museum.

One Piper Way
Lock Haven, PA 17745
(570) 748-8283

Website


Williamsport Millionaires’ Row

Millionaires’ Row

In the late 1800’s, West Fourth Street was the crown jewel of Williamsport, when this city was home to more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the country. It was the lumber business and the lumber barons that contributed to the boom in home and church construction.

West Fourth Street
Williamsport, PA

Website

Parks, Lakes & Outdoor Attractions

Bald Eagle State Park

Bald Eagle State Park

This 5,900-acre park lies in the broad Bald Eagle Valley of North Central Pennsylvania. Two geologic provinces create Bald Eagle’s scenic beauty: The Allegheny Plateau to the north and west holds smooth, undulating uplands, and the Ridge and Valley Province to the south and east contains numerous long, narrow mountain ridges separated by valleys.

149 Main Park Road
Howard, PA 16841
(814) 625-2775

Website


Black Moshannon State Park

Black Moshannon State Park

Perched on the top of the Allegheny Plateau, Black Moshannon State Park features the Black Moshannon Bog Natural Area. Trails and a boardwalk help people explore the birds and plants of the bog and surrounding forests. Black Moshannon State Park covers 3,394 acres of forests and wetlands that provide recreational opportunities in a unique, natural environment. More than 43,000 acres of the Moshannon State Forest surround the park and help create a remote and wild setting.

4216 Beaver Road
Philipsburg, PA 16866
(814) 342-5960

Website


High Mountain Adventures

High Mountain Adventures

High Mountain Adventures offers the very best off road jeep tours and custom mountain bike expeditions through pristine and beautiful backcountry locations around canyon country and the Pine Creek Gorge. High Mountain Adventures’ experienced staff will ensure your adventure is one to remember.

25 Main Street
Wellsboro, PA 16901
(570) 724-1321

Website


Mountain Trail Canyon Wagon Rides

Mountain Trail Canyon Wagon Rides

See the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon in the comfort of a horse drawn covered wagon with a knowledgeable guide. Also offers true horseback adventures with professional outfitters. Trips from part-day to daylong, as well as overnight trips of up to five days.

9 Maier Lane
Wellsboro, PA 16901
(570) 376-5561

Website


Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center

Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center

As Penn State’s nature center, the experienced faculty and staff at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center teach courses for Penn State students and provide environmentally sound programming for the community. The Center is nestled in the ridge-and-valley area of central Pennsylvania, between State College and Huntingdon, in the Stone Valley Recreation Area of the Penn State Experimental Forest. Here you will find a mix of educational and recreational opportunities. You may explore the discovery rooms, tour the raptor center, walk the network of trails, and visit the gardens.

3400 Discovery Road
Petersburg, PA 16669
(814) 863-2000

Website

Unique Shopping Destinations

Dunham’s Department Store

Dunham’s Department Store

Dunham’s has a century-long, family tradition of providing customers with quality products, outstanding value and courteous service. Founded in 1905, Dunham’s is one of the few remaining independent, family-owned and operated department stores in the nation. Share some nostalgia from small town America, and experience a shopping trip you will want to repeat.

45 Main Street
Wellsboro, PA 16901
(570) 724-1905

Website

Wining & Dining

Brookmere Winery

Brookmere Winery is located in a 19th century stone and wood bank barn in the beautiful Kishacoquillas Valley in the heart of central Pennsylvania’s “Seven Mountains”. The entire wine making process takes place on the premises, where you may visit and taste wines made from premium Pennsylvania fruit.

5369 S.R. 655
Belleville, PA 17004
(717) 935-5380

Website


Evergreen Valley Vineyards

Nestled in a sheltered valley in the cool central highlands of Pennsylvania, near the highest point on I-80 East of the Mississippi River, Evergreen Valley Vineyards produces fine European wine grapes. In the vineyard as well as in the winery, the vintners work in partnership with the grapes to help bring out the fine flavors imparted by the unique climate, thus creating award winning wines of distinctive styles for your enjoyment.

752 Evergreen Road
Luthersburg, PA 15848
(814) 583-7575

Website


Shade Mountain Winery

Shade Mountain Winery

Tucked away in the fertile Susquehanna Valley, on land that offers ideal growing conditions for grapes, Shade Mountain Vineyards & Winery produces their own premium wines, from vine to bottle. The vineyard began as a family farm in 1989 and has grown to include 45 acres. They grow all of their own grapes, including varieties of Vinifera, hybrids and native vines. These grapes are then fermented, aged and bottled on the farm.

Route 104
Middleburg, PA 17842
(570) 837-3644

Website


Your next great vacation awaits you in Pennsylvania … where camping memories last a lifetime!


Pennsylvania Campground Owners Association
P.O. Box 5, New Tripoli, PA 18066
(610) 767-5026 / Fax: (610) 767-5034
Directory Requests: 1 888 660-7262

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