Oh my goodness! What an adorable village. The interiors are so well made. Carpeted floors, mirrors,…read morelamps, beds, chairs. It's all there. These houses are bigger than I had expected, maybe three feet at the roof line. You must squat down to look inside. Using my digital camera to 'see' inside helped a lot and revealed the surprising detail. Eagle scouts were on site decorating for Christmas when we stooped by. One of the houses is being repaired and the train needs to be set up to run before they open for the holidays. According to their social media page they open for the season this year on November 25th, but they are open all year 'round. Some houses are in need of TLC. A roof or two have moss, and the firestation is filled with cob webs. But honestly, if I were a spider I'd want to live in one of these amazing houses! This is a wonderful family outing location. Especially all lit up for the holidays and with Santa on site too. A donation box is located at the entrance, on the right hand side. It's not obvious, so please look for it and make a small donation to help keep this local public point of interest available for everyone to enjoy! One man's desire to build his cat a victorian home has turned into an impressive display. And yes, there are still cats on the property. Go check it out!

This place is SO CUTE during the holidays!!! Such a unique experience in Shippensburg. A great…read moreplace to take photos and walk around with lots of lights, blow up characters, and more. They also offered free hot chocolate. Parking is free and nearby, just be careful when walking along side and crossing the road. Well worth the visit during the holiday season, especially with the kids!

The arts festival is huge and it's extremely hard to get parking most of the time. The prices are…read morecompletely outrageous. It's usually so crowded, and so hot , you can barely breathe. However it's a great way to spend an afternoon, looking around at all of the artwork. From paintings to clothing to pottery to sculptures with lots of potters and jewelry makers. There's a lot of great music scheduled and it's all free. Quite a few food truck vendors. Peoples Choice is held at the Grange fair now and used to be the more affordable version of the arts festival. Now it's six dollars to park at the Grange Fairgrounds, and the prices at the Peoples Choice are just as high.

Part of our Central PA Arts Festival Weekend…read more They got it going, on a beautiful July weekend. They have the food, they have lots to do, the booklet they produced is detailed and very informative, the volunteer trash crew is everywhere and very dutiful at their jobs, good food choices, and clean bathroom facilities all over. One suggestion. Many festivals around the country have become dog free. You should think about this. Most large dogs are poorly attended to by their owners, take up precious sidewalk space, and in general the environment may be too noisy for animals. I see you ban bicycles. You must have thought that one through, because most festivals encourage bicycles. Think it though on animals. I would encourage a ban. This is the 47th iteration and it seems they are only getting better. They take over the entire city and everyone cooperates! Plan to come next year, central PA is lovely in July.

Visited this neat geyser on the side of the road on my way to Hershey park. Not much in the area as…read moreit's located in the side of the road/across from someone's house. There is a space to pull over on the side of the road. Didn't smell too much like sulphur until up close

Let's clear one myth out of the way. This is not an actual geyser. I mean sure it's called that,…read morebut in reality it's not. I think overall though, the name works better than calling it a man made air ventilation hole that excess ground water now escapes from under high pressure from a long vacant mine. Why Big Mine Run? Was the mine big? Did it have the runs? I don't know but it could also simply be the name of the street it's located on so over time the name just stuck. Either way this geyser serves a purpose as without it the underground water would have nowhere to escape to except into local homeowners basements. If you're coming, know that now, in summer, is not the best time. Ideally you're looking for early to mid-spring when there has been a good combination of snow melt and some recent rain. During our visit in April the water was a solid 6-7 feet in the air. After a long dry spell you may not get much past some gurgling. Speaking of air, note that it does indeed stink by the geyser. That luscious sexy rotten egg scent is Sulphur from all of the mineral runoff. It's not bad then every so often the water will surge a bit and like Old Aunt Dinah Flo after $40 of Taco Bell, Wham!, it stinks. One last obvious one is that at the end of the day this is not a tourist attraction. This is not a place to leave garbage just like there is no parking here for a reason and that reason is I'm pretty sure the geyser is on private property. If you take a look on Google or Trip Advisor that of course doesn't mean anything to a lot of dipshits out there. Be decent. Pull over, stay in the car and take your pictures/video and leave it at that. Obviously this is not a destination stop by itself. This is at best a 5-10 minute junket which can easily be coupled with a visit to Centralia, Knoebels, Yuengling or the Pioneer Coal Mine. But if you love a good roadside oddity/curiosity and are in the area, this one is a must see and is worth the brief detour.

Probably one of the oddest and most unique places I have visited. The lore around Centralia is…read morestuff of legends. Many a show and documentary about abandoned places will mention this town. Even so far as a video game and movie using the premise. The history part of this. Centralia started out as Native American land sold to settlers around 1749. Reading Road was being developed and came through this area causing the land to be surveyed and ultimately developed. A few land swaps later and with the discovery of anthracite coal nearby a village started to pop up. Mining started in 1856 and continued for decades, up until the 1960s. While mining declined, and the population of the town, Centralia continued on. There are differing accounts on when and how the mine caught fire, but most people agree it was during the town dump clean up prior to the Memorial Day celebrations in 1962. Long story short, the fire department set the dump on fire to clean it up and this caught a coal seam as well. Over the years the signs that there was a problem went unnoticed until about 1979. At a gas station where they found the tank holding the gasoline was extremely hot. In 1981 a 12-year-old boy fell into a sinkhole because of the fire. In 1983 the U.S. Congress offered a buyout and nearly all the residence moved out, 500 structures were demolished. By 1990 only 63 people remained. In 1992, eminent domain came into play, condemning the remaining buildings. Legal suits followed, failed, by 2010 only five homes remained. Side note: nearby Byrnesville was also abandoned due to the underground mine fire. The fire continues to this day. Those five people remained after another lawsuit. Claiming the fire had moved on from underneath the town and the air quality had improved to levels o other nearby towns. My visit here was kind of quick. In order to get here I put in the only church left, otherwise I would have bypassed this area completely. But I am persistent and I knew I would find the area. It is interesting, and what an understatement that is. Knowing what happened here, that this used to be a vibrant small town like so many others in the area. Full of shops, houses, government buildings, and schools. But when you drive through here on the broken grid that once ferried numerous vehicles it feels different, you just get this feeling of unease. Not because there is only five houses, one church, a municipal building, and a handful of cemeteries. But because all movies about abandoned places tell you to get gone. But not me, I decided why not just keep going on the grid. That is until I came upon a dead end street (no pun intended there). This dead end literally lead into the woods. See the pictures attached to this, the one where it says "Stay out of the woods, there is more there than you think." That made the hair on the back of neck stand up. While I tried to turn around on the road I felt like I was being watched. Maybe it was subconscious but I made my way back towards the main roads. With that, let's segway into the next topic. Be aware of your surroundings. Not just for your own safety, but because there are still people living here. Also, there might be other vehicles on the broken street grid. Besides the broken street grid there are several reminders that a full town existed here. The cemeteries obviously, but the remnants of sidewalks, fences and retaining walls. You can obviously see where the school once stood as it is kind of obvious with that retaining wall taking up a whole block. On the outskirts you can see where the highway ended. Like I said, if you did not know that a town once existed here, you would fly by the area in your vehicle as if nothing mattered. You might even think to yourself that this would be a nice place for a town.

Abandoned town and tourist attraction are not words that usually go together but that's what has…read morebeen going on for the past few decades in the town formally known as Centralia. For the people that don't know the history I'm not going to go over it because I assume if you're looking at a listing for this place you probably have some idea of the backstory and if not, there are more than enough websites, blogs and videos out there that explain what has gone on here over the past 60 years. If you go, understand that this is not a destination stop because there is not a lot to see. Maybe a brief stop on the way to/from somewhere else like Knoebels, Yuengling or the Pioneer Coal Mine for example. What are you going to see? It's basically the three cemeteries and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church (Mass is Sunday at 11am - if you attempt to worship there you will be welcomed but they also very much know who is an outsider and who is a regular) and not much else. The few houses that remain are occupied by the last of the remaining residents. IME, no, they don't want to be bothered and no they don't want to talk with the tourists. Lots of dumped garbage and overgrown weeds/foliage. On weekends there will always be other people driving/walking/dirt biking/ATVing/off-roading the same as you looking for ?? whatever people come to Centralia for. The main prior "attraction" of the Graffiti Highway has been mostly covered over with dirt mounds for a few years yet when we were walking around during our visit we ran into two other groups near Odd Fellows Cemetery that had no idea and were looking to ATV on it. Good luck with that. I've seen other sites and reviews referencing that at this point in time there is no more smoke to be seen and that's not true in the least. Before coming here we stopped at the Pioneer Coal Mine in Ashland and our guide said that's an urban legend that is told to dissuade visitors. He told us that if you come during winter or on cold days you will definitely see smoke somewhere if you spend a few minutes driving around. Sure enough as we were driving down Big Mine Run Road we saw a few plumes of smoke coming up from the hillside not terribly far from the back of Odd Fellows. There is no goon squad up there telling people they can't wander around but at the same time I think the legend obviously is greater than the reality. It's worth a visit to say that you've been and that you've seen it but I think it's best to just leave well enough alone and have your expectations in check or else you might be disappointed that whatever you think is here, isn't really here.

Awesome experience with Becka our very knowledgeable and fun guide! I learned so much and I'm a…read morenative of Lancaster!!!

I was fortunate enough to find Kendra's tour company. I cannot recommend Kendra's tours highly…read moreenough! (If I used all the superlatives in my mind, my review would sound unreal.) I have never had a better city tour experience, or a more attentive, sensitive, personable, professional guide. I felt like I was visiting a friend, and getting to share her day as she visited with her friends. If you're looking for an amazing experience with absolutely scrumptious food, history told with heart, and a chance to meet some of the most welcoming people in one city, Kendra's tours are for you.

Great fireworks. The show is set to music on a radio station so bring a radio and a blanket and…read morehave fun. The show lasted a little more than 45 minutes and there were no down times. Fair food stations are around. A few took credit but bring cash just to be safe.

Not worth to see in the winter. No signs were found as soon as I got there, and could not drive…read moreback. Therefore, we had to walk a mile to 'find' the location and it was not that great to see due to not even the snow/weather, just not worth the walk.

The GAR Circle is just a little plot of burial land and green space located within Oakland…read moreCemetery. The initials, GAR, stand for Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization of Union veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marines and certain members of the Revenue Cutter Service formed after the American "War of Rebellion," as it is now referred to in certain texts, but more commonly known as the "Civil War," yet in certain Southern States as the "War of Northern Aggression." Hard to believe, but one needn't look far to find that arguments, bitterness and deep feelings about it persist even to this day. Be that as it may, the GAR Circle stands a burial and memorial plot maintained in good and inspiring order by the Oakland Cemetery Association, the American Legion, Order of Odd Fellows and numerous devoted volunteers. It's often overlooked and forgotten by local residence, and indeed the GAR itself was disbanded in 1949, but GAR Circle still stands as reminder of hardships, losses of life and general tragedies that for many years tore this country apart. In all honesty, it isn't much to see. The value is in what it stands for and what it means as is best stated in the motto of the GAR, "Lest We Forget!" and the purpose being "If a Nation forgets its heritage it forgets everything."

The Twin Bridges are two covered bridges and small park located four miles northeast of…read moreOrangeville. Parking is available on either side of the bridges, with the larger lot being after the cement bridge. The Twin Bridges are closed to vehicle traffic and are for walking only. The views of the creek from the bridge are lovely. Each bridge has several picnic tables on them, with additional tables in the park. The park is small but cute with a nice amount of green space and benches. Trash cans are provided along with a few porta potties. The only negatives about this area is some vandalism, including foul language spray-painted underneath the cement bridge and in the guest book. The Twin Bridges is a pleasant and serine area worth a stop if in the area.

Love these covered bridges so quiet and just to listen to the water makes you relax. They keep the…read moreplace to clean and well kept.

I'm guilty of rarely leaving reviews but was in DuBois for business and dined at Luigi's on May16th…read more2026. Let me just say I wish we had a Luigi's down here in Pittsburgh. The atmosphere was great, the staff was awesome, especially our server Lisa H. and the lasagna was the best I've ever had. If I am ever within an houir drive I will be back for sure. Great place, highly reccomended.

I'm not local to DuBois but I pass through the area on a regular. Luigi's has been a staple in my…read morelife for over 20 years and I love it. My wife, who's Italian, wants to take this +1 hour trip several times a year just to come here because it reminds her of the various "Mom & Pop" restaurants of her hometown in northeast PA. It sits in downtown DuBois with plenty of parking options nearby. The restaurant is good sized but it also does a lot of business so plan ahead on the weekends. The inside has a cozy/hometown feel with pictures of their family all over the walls. I don't think much has changed to the interior in those 20 years and that's okay by me. For this outing we opted for the antipasta salad, Italian wedding soup, veal parm and stuffed manicotti. Their dishes are more traditional italian (i.e. not olive garden) and they offer lunch, half, or full-sized portions. Their gravy has a good balance between sweet and savory. They also make a great fresh baked loaf of bread and they're happy to bring several to the table throughout the course. It was a special occasion so we closed out the night with their famous strawberry cheesecake. Service was excellent and the bill, with several drinks, was around $60 for 2. This is not a chain; it has character, it's not polished but it's a true gem of spot in rural PA. I'm glad places like this still exist!