Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) was known for identifying carbon monoxide, but mainly as the…read morediscoverer of oxygen in 1774. He was also a theologian, educator, political activist and writer. He spent the last years of his life in then rural Northumberland, Pennsylvania. He was a strong supported of the political ideas of the french revolution and had supported many religious Dissenters (both no-no's in his homeland of England), for this his house, library & laboratory were burned down, he was accused of treason and then he immigrated to The United States. First settling in Philadelphia, then moving to northumberland, he had hoped that moving to such a rural and secluded area would perhaps give him some breathing-space and time to think. He wasn't welcome as a preacher in Northumberland, but founded the first congregation of Unitarian faith in Philadelphia. His house was equipped with a laboratory, where he conducted experiments. His ideas greatly influenced Thomas Jefferson and the Constitution, and also his education planning is the basis for the liberal arts college. This is basically a tour of his original house, it has been modified since then. takes about a half-hour. 4.00 admission per person.

Dan pretty much hits the nail on the head in his review. I'd heard of the Joseph Priestley House…read morebefore, but I'd never visited it. Not only did Priestley discover oxygen, he also conducted early experiments in electricity and counted Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and James Watt among his friends. His teachings were so controversial that his house in Birmingham England was burned to the ground. He and his family fled Engand and Priestley spent the last decade of his life in Northumberland. The Joseph Priestley House is a National Historic Landmark and from the outside, it looks like a typically unassuming English gentleman's estate. But it's really easy to spend some time in here. Priestley and his family not only lived here, he had his laboratory here too. And I'm happy to say that the lab has been recently renovated. When the lab was renovated, it was done so without intruding on the elements of the house. The exhibit is set as though Priestley is at work investigating carbon monoxide in his Northumberland laboratory. Reproduction glassware pieces were selected, based on pieces that Joseph Priestley was known to have used here. The original laboratory glassware is now at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. Other renovations include two representative furnaces with chimneys and a fume hood spanning the width of the lab. There's also a lot of family history in the house. His spouse Mary Priestley did a lot of the planning for the new house. She passed away, however, two years after they arrived in Northumberland and she never saw the completion of the house. As a widower, Joseph Priestley lived here with his eldest son, Joesph Priestley Jr and his daughter-in-law and his grandchildren. In 1919 Dr. George Gilbert Pond bought the house at auction. Dr. Pond was dean of the School of Natural Sciences at Pennsylvania State College (now Penn State). After his death in 1926, the college purchased the house and built the Pond House in his honor. It was used as a firepoof museum for Joseph Priestley's artificats. It once served as a visitor center, however plans are afoot to adapt it for public meetings and exhibits. I think that visiting small historical houses such as Priestley's can be just as rewarding as visiting well-known museums. If you visit the Priestley House, do the "Priestley Pilgrimage" by also visitng the Joseph Priestley Memorial Chapel, Riverview Cemetery and Northumberland's Historic District.

The Pine Creek Gorge is nicknamed the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, and it certainly possesses its…read moreshare of dramatic views. There are a lot of ways to enjoy the area. The Pine Creek Rail Trail runs through the base of the gorge itself, which can be accessed by driving partway down to the parking areas and then hiking or biking in. Or you could opt to take some challenging hikes down the sides of the canyon to the bottom from one of the trailheads at the state parks located on the east (Leonard Harrison) or west (Colton Point) rims. Leonard Harrison State Park offers more amenities, with a visitor's center, and souvenirs and snacks during the busy season, while Colton Point is a bit more basic with picnic tables and overlooks. There is also a covered wagon tour available through Ole Covered Wagon Tours that provide another way to enjoy the base of the canyon, along with a knowledgeable tour guide who can provide information on the history, geology, and nature in the area. If you're unfamiliar with the area, be aware that rattlesnakes and black bears live here.

Noted as Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon the best way to get here is through Wellsboro, PA and the best…read moreview I found was from Colton State Park. Great hiking trails great views and overall a nice place to visit. The town nearby is also a great place to shop and grab something to eat. Be sure to plot everything by GPS there is minimal wireless Anal in the area probably because of how this place aligned with the Earth's magnetic field, regardless don't get lost and try not fall off. I have this place 3 Ninja stars because it was nothing close to Grand Canyon. This gorge is just that, a gorge and nothing near as close to a grand canyon.

Visited the ice mine and the staff were so friendly, nice, and knowledgeable! It's a short tour but…read morewe had lots of fun and got some cute merch. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

A very unique and curious phenomenon. We came Labor Day weekend and just about all of the ice had…read moredissipated, but they allowed us in to see and explain several theories they have for why and how this ecological mystery occurs. Some environmental experts have even visited her to try and discover why ice forms in this cave and only during the warmer weather. Still no one can quite explain exactly why ice forms sometimes several feet out of the cave. This oddity of nature struck my interest when we were planning a Sunday drive upstate and even though I knew the ice was melting I still had to visit. As a cave and cavern junkie I hoped that despite the ice being almost gone we would at least still have a tour of the actual cave. However that is not an option. The "tour" is really only admission to a room that houses the top opening of the cave allowing you to view down inside to where the ice grows up and rises out. Nonetheless I am glad I had the opportunity to see it and may travel back in early spring to see it in her full glory. The mine is closed now (early September) and will reopen seasonally in spring.

I know this place better than anywhere I've ever reviewed on Yelp, because I lived here for four…read moreyears and had the best time of my life. Owned and operated by a nonprofit completely independent from Cornell, Telluride is home to a "self-governing intellectual community" (not a cult, or a fraternity, contrary to popular belief) of Cornell undergrads, grad students, and professors, who live and eat for free in exchange for doing work on various aspects of the house. There are readings, lectures, concerts, film screenings, and much more, a lot of which is open to the public. In addition, the building itself is a gorgeous historical artifact of Arts and Crafts-style architecture, with a lot of original detailing and some rather worn pieces of Stickley furniture. If you're curious, ring the doorbell and ask whoever answers if you can have a tour. Telluriders are really nice, if busy and nerdy, and always eager to talk about the weird, wonderful place where they live.

This Queen Anne style house was the home of cartoonist Eugene Zimmerman. Circa 1890, it is located…read moreopposite lovely Teal Park.

The Berwick Historical Society is located on the property of The Jackson Mansion…read more I took a tour of the Mansion with my family. The price is inexpensive for a tour. If you enjoy the Victorian style-themed era, this house will be enjoyable to tour. For locals, it will give you a glimpse back into that time in Berwick which is neat to hear about our local history. Check out their website for special events such as Christmas time. I hear it is beautifully decorated at Christmas time.

We just returned home from a wounderful tour of this beautiful mansion. I planned a trip to visit…read morethis house, which was over an hour from our house, for our 2 year wedding anniversary and it was better than we even thought it would be. This historic house is set up with a lot of Victorian era items and our tour guide Jen was knowledgeable and very friendly. Thank you for a wonderful day.

The train man was so very knowledgeable. First time riding a train. We will definitely be coming…read moreback for polar Express. Very comfortable ride. On train snacks and restroom.

Don't waste your money, long slow train ride along construction sites, swamps and a highway. Stop…read moreat the lake for a few minutes and back to the station. Huge waste of my time and money

Lemon House is part of the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, meaning that it…read moreresides on the land and can be viewed while you are there. To note, Lemon House is one of the buildings you can see from the highway on your way by. Lemon House is an original building on the grounds. It has been restored to what it would have looked like for the time period. Lemon House, at times, gives you a better timetable for the time that the railway was in use. I suppose you can view this an an extension of the visitor center. When you walk in you are greeted by one of the rangers, they give you a little run down of the inside of the place and let you go on your way. They are also there to ask any questions, might you have them. You only get to view the first floor of this place. What you will get to see is the dining area, bar, and fancy parlor. The Fancy Parlor was by far my favorite room in here. Decorated with pieces from the time period and giving you a glimpse into how people would interact and relax. The dining room is kind of like a cafeteria style area, great big room specifically for eating your meal. The tavern area seems a bit small, but I can see it working. The other rooms on the first floor have not been restored to what they would have looked like. Instead they hold the informative information about the structure. This information gives you the timeline of the house, right down to who owned it at what time and how it changed hands so much. It also tells you that this is not the original house. They built this one here to be near the railway in order to take advantage of the traffic and offer services. They are not sure where the original house stood to this day. It is a beautiful structure. Great addition to the grounds, and I am happy that they decided to save the structure for reuse instead of demolishing it. It would have been too bad if they had.

"The Lemon House is a museum, not a working tavern or restaurant." So says my guidebook from the…read moreAllegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site. Located just south of the visitor's center and the engine house, it's one of the major attractions at the site and one of the few that has been completely restored. The Lemon House shows how the socioeconomic structure developed along the railroad and the Main Line. It was owned by Samuel and Jean Moore Lemon, two of the many entrepreneurs who used the development of the areas natural resources and transportation links in order to make a living. Travelers along the Main Line would stop here to eat, drink, and regale each other with their journeys' tales. The Lemon House was restored in 1997 in the style of 1830-1850, specifically what it might have looked like in 1840. I say "might" because as with the engine house, any plans or schematics for the design of the building have been long lost. There's also little evidence as to how the tavern was operated or what the menu might have been. What the restorers did know however were such things as period artworks and documentation of other 19th century taverns (many had remained in business into the 20th century). Also historians do know what the social mores were at the time, so we will keep them in mind as we tour the building. Historians also do know a few things about the Lemons. Jean Moore Lemon (1797-1880) was well educated and apparently was the bookkeeper for the tavern. The local banks have records of her signature. Her obituary praised her for her charity works. Samuel Lemon (1793-1867) was born in Huntingdon County, PA. His grandfather served in the War of Independence and his father in the War of 1812. He was best known as a tavern owner and businessman. He must have had some business acumen because the Lemon House was very solidly built. So let's take a tour of the Lemon House. Like the travelers of the day, we enter through the central hallway. In most houses the hallway was very welcoming and it's likely that travelers preferred this room. Here travelers could read the paper, play games, or catch up on the stories of the day. It is furnished with simple wooden chairs and benches which could withstand the elements. Period paintings, not original to the house, adorn the walls. The next room is the bar room. Ladies, we are allowed in here today but we would not have been back when the tavern was operating. The social mores of the day required men to act as gentlemen and women to act as ladies. In general, women of any social standing did NOT go into bar rooms. Here the men could ignore the social graces of the day. Guys, imagine such notorious behavior as removing your dress coat or tilting your chair back. Imagine uttering such oaths as "hell" and "damn"! Now the barroom was restored based on a watercolor "Country Inn" by August Koller. The watercolor was painted in 1840 in western PA. We proceed into the fancy parlor. Here a man or woman who wished to have a more quiet retreat could dine or relax (notice girls, we don't get our own room here--ah, the Victorian social graces). You did not have to be rich in order to use the fancy parlor, but you had to exhibit social graces. The furniture was designed for correct posture and appropriate behavior. Chairs were uncomfortable because they did not want you to linger or sleep here. Interestingly, you could smoke or chew tobacco in here and you can see the silver spittoons on the floor. Of course there is a piano because refined ladies would know how to play one. It's likely that Mrs. Lemon entertained neighbors and guests here. The last room we'll take a look at is the Double Dining Room, also known as the Common Room. Travelers and the occasional local foik could stop for a meal here. Unlike today, it was one set meal. There were no choices of what you wanted to eat. Stew was the most likely meal to be served because it could be kept hot on the stove all day. Trains would pull in and the crew would shout out "1 hour for lunch!". Community seating was the rule of the day, meaning you dined with strangers. This was done for efficiency's sake. This community seating lives on today--if you've ever eaten in an Amtrak diner car, you'll know what I mean. I could go on, but I'm almost out of space here. The Lemon House is my favorite site here because it's so complete and it gives you an idea of how people traveled back then. Quite a difference from the Holiday Inns and Denny'ses of today, huh?