Pennsylvania is a fantastic destination with a rich history and authentic cultural experiences that will pique your interest and broaden your perspective.
Discover unique attractions, excellent restaurants, fun traditions, and plenty of entertainment options.
One thing is for sure, PA is culturally diverse, which leads to unique experiences wherever you go. Let’s discover some of these things that make the Keystone State what it is.
Find Great Food
Pennsylvania has a diverse food scene with plenty of restaurants, unique eateries, and trendy food spots. You’ll love to go on a discovery journey for the best dishes in the state.
The commonwealth is known for local specialties and global cuisines and usually ranks in the top tens of best food states lists.
Visit Philadelphia for its traditional cheesesteaks, Irish Potato Candy, and Hoagies.
Pittsburgh is another great foodie destination, usually considered one of the best in America. You’ll get to try regional treats like Haluski, Whoopie pie, and Pierogies.
If you like variety when it comes to food, much of PA, particularly the cities offers regional, American, and global options.
The Wineries and Breweries
For a fun and rewarding destination, there’s got to be places to have a good drink.
How else are you going to wash down the excellent meals and chill after an exhausting adventure?
Pennsylvania has a rich drinking culture — if you can call it that.
The state has been brewing beer since the 17th century and now it’s a producer of the second most craft beer in America.
While there are tons of breweries, it’s more immersive to go on a tour of PA’s beer trails to experience how the finest craft beers in the Commonwealth come about.
Try these beer trails:
- The Cumberland Valley Beer Trail
- The Pittsburgh Brewers Guild
- The Bucks County Ale Trail
- The Adams County Pour Tour
PA is also home to some of the nation’s best wineries. Ranking fifth as the largest grape producer nationally and seventh in wine production, you can already tell you’ll have a great time exploring the wine scene.
For wine trails, try out:
- Sweet Arrow Wine Trail
- Lake Erie Wine Country Trail
- Southwest Passage Wine Trail
- Hershey Harrisburg Wine Country Trail
Explore the Outdoors
Pennsylvania’s picturesque outdoors offers great opportunities or adventures. From the extensive wilderness of the north, pristine lakes and rivers, to the rolling hills down south, you’ll find no shortage of outdoor destinations.
Some of the top outdoor activities in PA include:
Stargazing
Have you ever experienced a clear night sky?
It’s nothing like you’ve ever seen if you live anywhere with light pollution.
PA is one of the best states for stargazing, with remote, otherworldly areas suited for the activity. It also has an internationally-certified dark sky park, the Cherry Springs State Park.
Camping
With 121 state parks, PA is one of the top wooded states. If you crave an authentic wilderness experience, come pitch a tent, rent a cabin, or park your RV in the state’s 7,000 family-friendly camping sites.
Canoeing
Besides being home to a section of Lake Erie and the Great Allegheny River, Pennsylvania is home to hundreds of other lakes and rivers that provide excellent opportunities for water activities.
Enjoy canoeing and kayaking in the state’s popular boating and rafting spots like Neshaminy State Park, Marsh Creek State Park, and Prince Gallitzin State Park.
Scenic Trails
If hiking, biking, and nature walks are your thing, you’ll appreciate PA’s extensive scenic trails ranging from mountainous biking and hiking trails to multi-use rail trails.
Tour Hemp Farms
Many Pennsylvanians are pro cannabis and that has led to a number of cannabis reforms.
Tour some of the state’s cannabis farms to know more about hemp and marijuana. It will be a good learning experience if you’re interested in venturing into the cannabis industry.
These tours are great if you also wish to learn about cannabis as a plant and its economic and health implications.
Here is a good resource if you’re interested in Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program and how to qualify as a patient.
Final Thoughts
Pennsylvania has a unique cultural tapestry, which can be seen in its history, cuisine, longstanding brew tradition, outdoor life, and more. The best way to truly experience Keystone State is to make it your next destination and chances are, you’ll find it as captivating as it is said to be.
