This building is an absolute stunner. They do offer free tours. The history of it is fascinating…read more It's pretty easy to navigate with plenty of directional signs and an employee at the main desk who is happy to help. The rotunda alone is fabulous. There's a cafeteria with plenty of options and a stand alone coffee bar as well. If you don't take the time to go inside you are definitely missing out. The grounds are also beautiful with a stunning fountain that may be dyed for certain months - aka pink for breast cancer awareness. There's plenty of parking options nearby. An absolute must see if you're in the area.

Lovely time at the guided-tour of the Capitol Building…read more Free 30-minute guided tours are available throughout the day between 8:30am and 4pm on weekdays, but are less frequent on weekends an holidays. Be sure to check their website to reserve a spot. After entering through the Rotunda area on North 3rd Street you will have to go through a TSA-style metal detector. You can then wait in that area for your tour to begin. There are bathrooms and a coat rack in this area if needed. Our tour guide was great. She took us through the building, offering some interesting facts of the different sections: main rotunda, House of Reps, Senate an Supreme Court. Photography is allowed but video is NOT. Great experience. Highly recommended to all visiting the area.

I visited the Cornwall Iron Furnace for the first time during their 345th Charter Day celebration,…read moreand I'm so glad I finally made the trip. This historic site had been on my list for a while, and with the beautiful weather and special event happening that day, it felt like the perfect time to go. Interestingly, I had only learned about the iron furnace a few months ago. I've always been fascinated by history especially the processes behind how things were made so visiting a place like this was incredibly intriguing. Seeing such an important piece of industrial history still standing today really makes you appreciate the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the people who built and operated it centuries ago. My group tour started at 12:45 PM and lasted a little over an hour. One thing I really appreciated was that we got to hear from several different volunteer guides throughout the tour rather than just one person leading the entire time. Each guide shared their own knowledge and perspective about different parts of the furnace and its operation. They were all incredibly informative and made the history easy to understand, even if you're not familiar with iron production. By the end of the tour, I honestly felt like I had learned dozens of fascinating facts about early iron-making, the daily lives of the workers, and how complex the entire process was. Workers often had 12-hour shifts to keep the furnace operating, which really highlights the amount of labor and coordination required. Standing inside the furnace structure itself was a unique experience. Even though it was warm outside, it actually felt noticeably cooler inside the building, which was surprising. You could really see the age of the structure and imagine the incredible amount of work that went into building and maintaining it. A few helpful things to know before you visit: Parking: Because of the Charter Day event, we were able to park directly on the property near the furnace building. However, there is also additional parking across the street and slightly down a hill, which requires crossing the road to reach the site. Restrooms are located inside the Welcome Center, where the gift shop is located. These appeared to be the only bathrooms on the property. Visitor tips: *Wear comfortable shoes, as there are stairs involved during the tour. *No food or drinks are allowed during the tour. *Plan to spend about an hour or a little more if you take the guided tour. Overall, this was a really enjoyable and educational experience. It gave me a much deeper appreciation for the hard work, skill, and innovation that went into early American industry. If you enjoy history, learning how things are made, or exploring unique historic sites in Pennsylvania, visiting the Cornwall Iron Furnace is absolutely worth adding to your list. Highly recommend taking the guided tour you'll walk away learning far more than you expect.

Built in 1742 and in use until 1883, the Cornwall Iron Furnace is "the only surviving intact…read morecharcoal cold-blast furnace in the Western Hemisphere." I absolutely love history and history museums and loved everything about it. My girlfriend, 11-year-old son and I visited on a Saturday afternoon on a trip to Harrisburg and Hershey. We took the tour and definitely got our money's worth ($18 for the three of us which included a AAA discount)! Started with a 15 minute video, then a guided tour by Beth which lasted over an hour, during which we got to see the furnace from all angles. Beth was very knowledgeable and also very patient with my son's many questions. The property also boasts a small museum and gift shop in the building that formerly housed the operation's charcoal. The gift shop is excellent. Among other things they have a range of cast iron products, as well as many cookbooks with suggested uses. This was an excellently run museum that I can definitely recommend to others who enjoy American history.

I am SO happy I stumbled upon the Echo Dell Indian Echo Caverns during a rainy day in Hershey, PA…read more After visiting the gift shop at Hersheypark and eating some ice cream, I did a quick search for things to do in the area and the Indian Echo Caverns popped up as a tourist attraction very close by. My family and I have never done a cavern before and I've always wanted to see one so we said why not? We got there around 3:15 on a Tuesday and we were able to hop on the next tour. Our tour guide Jack was absolutely fabulous. The way he told the stories about the cave and the history behind it was just so interesting. My kids were very engaged during the entire tour of the caverns. The caverns are absolutely gorgeous. All the different "rooms" had different stories and different formations throughout. I loved seeing crystal lake, the water was beautiful. The different colors of the limestone was so cool. Everything was just so impressive and neat. They also have a pretty large gift shop, a playground, and a small petting zoo. It was pouring rain so we couldn't do any outside activities but that's OK. The caves are a cool 52 degrees so make sure to bring a sweatshirt or light jacket if you get chilly. Also, you can't touch any of the rocks so if you have a little kiddo who can't help themselves just be aware of that. Echo Dell Indian Echo Caverns was such a cool spot to visit and I am so happy we found it while in Hershey! Thanks again to Jack for the awesome tour, it was so much fun.

The caverns are very high and big, lots of space so it's cool to see. There are super big…read moreformations, but most are dead, would have been amazing if the flowstone were alive and glistening white, majority was ugly grey and dead. They have farm animals outside you can feed, a jungle gym and swing set. It's a nice area and was a nice time

This place is straight out of an episode of the X-Files. I'm from New York City so I've seen some…read moreweird sh*t - and this place creeped me out. Mummified animal remains, letters from serial killers, killer clowns, and a cardboard cutout of Danny DeVito... this museum does not disappoint! While not a full "house" of oddities, I would say it's more like a 1-bedroom apartment of oddities, but this "Whacky World of Weirdful Wonder" is completely FREE! They sell all sorts of strange toys, t-shirts, and trinkets. You can buy unique art pieces such as a "Death Loaf" (a loaf of bread impaled with spikes). Bonus tip: There's a bathroom in the back with a poster of Le Pétomane - a French performer with a unique...er...talent.

This place was amazing! There is a wide assortment of preserved animals, skulls, and artifacts. We…read moreall enjoyed our visit and will check it out again the next time we are in town.

Who says nothing happens in Harrisburg? Today, Tuesday, July 7, crowds of people, myself included,…read morewaited to see a glimpse of the historic Union Pacific Big Boy Steam Engine #4014, built during World War II, as it passed through Harrisburg via the iconic Rockville Bridge. Hubby and I arrived around 1:00 pm to secure a spot to view the iconic train going over the historic Rockville Bridge. It was the first time the Union Pacific Big Boy steam engine train toured cities East of the Mississippi River. We knew the train stopped in Lebanon and chugged along at only 35 miles an hour until it arrived in Harrisburg three hours later. A wonderful piece of history and great to see so many people's interest in railroad history.

All things said about this fantastic structure are true…read more 1. It is truly a marvel of engineering and was designed to be the bridge that would last forever. pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/rockville-bridge-built-last-forever 2. If you are of a foamtastic persuasion, it doesn't get much better than this. Two Amtrak trains a day plus a ton of action from NS. Sure, PSR has killed off some of the volume, but during my recent trip this past Sunday, I got 3 NS movements and the eastbound Pennsylvanian within 15 minutes of each other. Not too shabby. To me, if you really want the best perspective, it's going to be on the water. If you rent from Susquehanna Outfitters, they do a run that drops you off at the boat launch at Fort Hunter which is just north of the bridge. From there you can basically hang out/float in place (unless there has been a huge recent rain, the Susquehanna doesn't have much of a current in this area) and hang out waiting for the next movement plus the only way to head south is to go under the bridge through one of the aqueduct arches. www.yelp.com/biz/susquehanna-outfitters-wormleysburg Whether you see it from the highway, Front Street, Fort Hunter or wherever, the structure is impossible to miss and it's truly one of a kind.

I have never been to a nicer wedding venue! The staff was great. A golf cart escorted me to…read moreparking. Every time you turned around someone was directing you to the proper place. The inside of the building was great for buffet line and bar. The outdoor tent was good sized. It started to rain and they ran right out with towels and umbrellas to close the tent! The outdoor patio area was beautiful and well lit. The sounds of insects and wild life was wonderful. Grounds are very well kept. Ladybugs and butterflies flew around the guests while we watched the outdoor wedding! I cannot speak to the price, since I was only a guest.

I can't say enough good things about this venue. Our daughter just held her wedding here and all…read moreI'm hearing today, two days later, are texts from the guests saying how lovely it was. You really have control over the space and yet they are there managing all the little things. The historic home was impressive and the grounds amazing. The newer part of the old home was built in 1726 but don't worry, it does have indoor plumbing!

Great variety of vehicles to see, some we have never seen before. If you read most if not all the…read moreinformation on the vehicles, you could be there 2 hours. A place to sit and have a vending machine snack. I would recommend this place.

Beautiful museum, lots to see and very friendly staff. We went early one morning and had the whole…read moreplace to ourselves almost. Visit this amazing gem, help keep them open. Worth the visit!!!

This museum is more so a rich man's afterthought. It is from someone who shot and killed animals in…read moreAfrica or in the US. There are rhinos, lions, a full size elephant, giraffe, lots of cats, bears, moose, and more. So basically someone went to kill animals in another part of the world and decided they couldn't keep their dead animals anymore. The new premise that turns it into a teaching experience is good. It is two floors. My kids did love seeing the animals. I did think it was fun but it was a little weird at the same time. It was a little hard to find on Messiahs campus. It isn't labeled very well on the outside. Maybe check it out once and move on.

The Oakes Museum of Natural History is a unique museum experience for the family, classroom, or…read moregroup featuring more than 40,000 specimens. The 10,000-square foot museum is home to a collection of Smithsonian quality African and North American mammals, birds, eggs, fish, seashells, minerals, insects, and fossils.