Pennsylvania Travel Guide
Walk historic Philadelphia's Independence Hall, tour Gettysburg's battlefields, and explore Pittsburgh's riverfront and Amish countryside.
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Places to See in Pennsylvania
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Philadelphia★
Sixth-most populous city in the US and second-most populous city in the Northeastern US played an instrumental role in the American Revolution as a meeting place for the Founding Fathers, who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
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Greater Philadelphia Area
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Pittsburgh Skyline, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Pittsburgh★
Known as the "Steel City" for its more than 300 steel-related businesses, is the second-largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia
Photo by and (c)2006 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Lancaster County★
Sometimes nicknamed Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a popular tourist destination, with its Amish community a major attraction
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Cities
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State Park
Pennsylvania, the Keystone State, is one of the original 13 colonies, founded in 1681 by a royal land grant to William Penn as a haven of religious tolerance. Its two big cities, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, anchor a state of Revolutionary and Civil War history, Amish farmland, Pocono and Allegheny mountains, Lake Erie shoreline, and state parks that are free to enter. Philadelphia is the birthplace of American independence, with Independence Hall, and the Gettysburg battlefield marks the turning point of the Civil War.
Regions at a Glance
| Region | What to Expect |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia and its suburbs | Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, world-class museums, Valley Forge, and Brandywine-area gardens (Longwood, Chanticleer) |
| Lancaster County and York | Amish Country, farmers markets, and the Railroad Museum |
| Harrisburg and Hershey | The State Capitol, riverfront, and Hersheypark |
| Gettysburg | The Civil War battlefield, cemetery, and museums |
| Pittsburgh and the Laurel Highlands | Museums, inclines, the Strip District, and Fallingwater |
| Poconos, Allentown, and Scranton | Waterfalls, Steamtown, coal mine tours, and the Lehigh Valley |
| Doylestown and New Hope | Bucks County arts, Mercer's tile and castle sites, and the Delaware Canal towpath |
| Northwest and the Wilds | Presque Isle on Lake Erie, the oil heritage of Drake Well, and Kinzua Bridge |
Good to Know
- State parks: all 121 state parks have free admission
- Nickname: the Keystone State since 1802, for its central place among the original colonies; also called the Coal, Oil, Chocolate, and Steel state for past industries
- Food: Philadelphia cheesesteaks, hoagies, soft pretzels, and water ice; scrapple and shoofly pie in Pennsylvania Dutch country; Pittsburgh's Heinz ketchup and pierogies
- High point: Mount Davis, 3,213 feet
Sports
- Pro teams include the Philadelphia Phillies, Eagles, 76ers, and Flyers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins, plus the Philadelphia Union (MLS)
- College: Penn State Nittany Lions (football), Pitt Panthers, and Villanova Wildcats (basketball)
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pennsylvania", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0