She is very knowledgeable about harry houdini. I don't want to crap on her, she seems to have…read moreenough challenges already. However this event should have been more in the $6 range. Pro tip: don't sit down, you'll thank me later.

Run! Don't walk! Be prepared to laugh your head off. Dorothy is FANTASTIC. So much rich history &…read moreso much fun to be had. She is amazing with kids as well. Truly, so funny. Also, yes it's long. Which is a DELIGHT. It's so kind of Dorothy. Be prepared for 3.5 hours or so; she has so much to cover! I think she's probably only scratching the surface.

We throughly enjoyed our tour through the Old Jail Museum! The guided tour was informative, while…read morealso giving tourists the freedom to explore around themselves at their own pace. The staff and guide(s) were very kind and helpful! The only thing I would see as a "negative" is the information received in the ~5 minute pre-tour video, that gets repeated again afterwards, taking up a chunk of time.

There are tours available, approximately 45 minutes, and its worth the $12 fee. The tour guide was…read moreknowledgeable, took questions, and did a good job explaining things. I would highly recommend this tour.

I am an avid Halloween Haunt enthusiat. Every year my Buddy and I select a place to enjoy the sets,…read morethe scares and have a blast. This year we selected Hotel of Horror in PA. The YouTube videos looked great and tickets were purchased. After our pre-haunt meal we arrived. The place was lit up nicely, creepy music playing. The actor who gave the instructions was on point, he was creepy, funny and into the festivities that awaited us. So this is by no means a bad review, however, there was just not enough actors to deliver scares. The sets were fantastic, using all the standard fare that all the great places use. That being said, again, just not enough actors within the haunt. We walked through several scenes without seeing an actor. For the price of the tickets (which are on par with much larger places like Penhurst Asylum and East State Penitentiary) Hotel of Horror just does not stack up with the big boys. Would we return? Probably not, for the money, would most likely return to one of the big boys!!!

If your ready for fall time and you would like to get scared and spooky just before Halloween ,…read morethis is the place that will satisfy your needs. Great place to go with your friend. The Hotel of Horror and Altered Nightmares are both indoor, walk through Haunted House attractions featuring live actors and paranormal activity housed in the 200 year old "abandoned " Pocono Mountain resort once called The Lake House Hotel, Saylorsburg, Pa. Open rain or shine with a covered wait line and free parking. Don't let the weather scare you. That's our job! Our revamped ticketing process gives you less time in line and more time in the attraction. The Hotel of Horror and Altered Nightmares Halloween Attractions are both housed inside the legendary Lake House Hotel intertwined and breathing next to one another, sharing organs and a circulatory system like conjoined twins. The sinister subconscious of the Hotel of Horror feeds off the dark energy that stains the lumber skeleton of this once pristine mountain resort, while Altered Nightmares celebrates the chaos that grows stronger as each soul travels through its decaying halls and abandoned rooms. They are open the end of September until the end of October!!

I cannot express enough how much I loved this museum! We spent about an hour inside looking at the…read moreexhibits and reading the booklet of information about most pieces. They truly have a gorgeous collect! AND they have beautiful grounds to walk around and enjoy a peaceful lake.

Took a wonderful three hour hike through the wildlife sanctuary that is part of the 600 acre…read moreestate. The museum apparently operates part time given the limited resources of the not-for-profit and the volunteer staff. There is ample parking, a pair of clean bio-safe restrooms, and some seating next to the lake. The museum itself was closed so we could only look through the huge display window at some of the glass pieces. The hike took us past the amphitheater where there is a large cement platform/stage for the performers. The hillside above the stage is cut back (carved into the hill) to provide "stadium" seating. We were told there is an annual concert/ fund raiser. Looks like a fantastic spot fir a concert! Our group then spent the next three hours on several of the properties' trails, winding through old growth forest, pine stands, and fern covered hills.

Built in 1861, this Victorian Italianate architecture-style home was constructed over a span of two…read moreyears at a total cost of $14,000 dollars. The Asa Packer Mansion listed as a National Historic Landmark was the home of philanthropist, railroad magnate, and founder of Lehigh University, Asa Packer, from Oct. 16, 1861, to Oct. 29, 1912. Located in Jim Thorpe, this building is recognized by a red-ribbed tin roof and a central cupola proudly atop Packer Hill with the commanding stunning views of the surrounding Pocono Mountains, where my partner, his aunt and I came for a tour today. Tickets were easily available and reasonably priced for the 1pm tour, which covered the entirety of the first and second floors. Our tour guide was a young lady (she mentioned she is a senior in high school) who obviously loves her job and is personally interested in the history of the mansion and family. From the furniture, woodwork, and stained glass to the artwork, she spoke about the history or significance. The mansion is not a restoration where pictures and video are prohibited inside. An amazing walk back in time, for which we can recommend this place.

This was absolutely the highlight of our day in Jim Thorpe! Such a stunning home with amazing…read morehistory and it's incredibly well preserved. Our tour guide was very passionate about the subject and brought the story of the home to life. We learned so much about Asa Packer and his family as well as his contributions to the town itself. I highly recommend visiting the mansion. It's very affordable and you won't regret it. The setting is very scenic as it's set atop a gorgeous hill overlooking the region. Bonus points if you have the opportunity to visit during the fall season. You'll be surrounded by the most beautiful foliage. But very important to note, accessing the museum means walking up the hill and some stairs. It's a short walk but could be taxing for some. Very much worth your efforts though!

We actually visited Steamtown National Historic Site during a government shutdown. That's probably…read morepart of what ended up making the stop feel so memorable. Because it was officially closed, there were very few people visiting and there was plenty of parking, so that definitely added to my personal enjoyment of the experience. We were able to walk around and enjoy the incredible collection of locomotives and historic rail yard but the star of the collection is the "Big Boy" locomotive. It's one of the largest and most powerful steam engines ever built. It's huge. It was cool to see the massive wheels and be able to read and learn about this amazing machine. This is the second "Big Boy" I have seen and the first was surrounded by a fence, so being able to get up close and personal with this one was exciting. While checking out the trains, a local gentleman who was walking his dog struck up a conversation with us and was very chatty and friendly. He offered suggestions for other places to visit in the area and gave us some great info. Our dogs also enjoyed getting to know each other. It would have been nice if the building had been open and we could have gone inside and learned more, but I'm glad for the private time that I had to enjoy the site and reflect on the beauty of the machines. We probably spent almost an hour walking around the yard with our dog and soaking it all in. You could spend quite a while here even without tours or ticketed exhibits and if you do come, the trolley ride in the area is a must, but that is for a different review...

I had no idea there was a National Historic Site in this area. None. I knew I was going to be going…read morethrough the area and decided to look up what was available throughout the area and stumbled upon this. What a nice surprise. I don't know if I would say that this is in the heart of the downtown area as some reviewers have stated, it's more like off to the side and hidden down a road that looks like it dead ends on the skirts of downtown. I honestly thought I was going the wrong way when I came to find it. It is a shared space area. Where, yes, you have the Steamtown National Historic Site, but you also have another museum that shares the property, track, and parking lot. Steamtown, itself, is a museum dedicated to a time when the railroad was dominated by the steam engines. It is a free to enter site that allows you to go about it at any speed you want. It is also an indoor/outdoor space, be prepared to deal with weather if you do visit. The buildings are not always connected and you will have to exit and enter to continue your visit. Each building for the indoor portions of the site are filled to the brim with everything railroad and steam engine. Some spaces have a second floor which expands the exhibits in the building and gives you a bird's eye view of what was below. Some exhibits inside are explorable. You can enter old engines and cars to see what it was like. From a caboose to a mail car. Outside there are numerous steam engines from different eras and companies. Some are explorable while others are just for looks. The store for this place is a separate building that was reused from it's past use. Two unique things here. One, they do guided tours, if you want to know a bit more about what is here, this is the best way to go about it. Two, they do have a train ride, you do have to pay for this and it is scheduled at certain times throughout the day. Be sure to check ahead so that you give yourself enough time to partake in a ride if you wish.

The Bloomsburg Children's Museum is a unique and fun place to take your kids to. There are many…read morechildren's museums and for all of them you can say "fun and educational". But parents know, it feels like once you've seen one, you've seen them all. Bloomsburg manages to be different by capturing a small town rustic feel. The museum is set up like a small Pennsylvania town where kids can tour through and learn how the town functions as well its history, and the backgrounds of the different immigrant cultures that helped build it. If you are in town to visit Knoebels, the museum is an excellent pre-game stop. The amusement park doesn't open until noon, but the museum opens at 10:00am, so its a productive way to spend time while waiting. Admission is free for the military, but don't forget to hit up one of the donation boxes.

I can't believe how few reviews there are for this special magical place! I had such an amazing…read moreafternoon here with my nearly 4-year-old daughter who was taken by total surprise at the mix of engaging activities here. It does feel slightly nostalgic/outdated and to me that's part of the charm. My daughter really enjoyed the tunnel underneath the animals looking through the glass holes at all of the different taxidermied species. There was a fascinating Iroquois home installation that she really enjoyed as well as lots of little art stations and dress up opportunities. The only negative feedback I would have is that it's not particularly accessible they do have a lift but it first if you ask them about an elevator they'll tell you no elevator and you need to walk up a lot of stairs to get to different levels of the exhibit. additionally there's a couple of areas of kids play exhibit that are broken and they don't really have clear signage so we couldn't understand what exactly to do but later realized they didn't work it seems like it would be easy enough to just add a sign that says out of service or kind of tape it off. We will be back in the area later this summer and excited to check out the drop in camp and activities definitely don't hesitate to take your kids it's so educational and entertaining.

This place has been on my radar for a while, and I'm genuinely kicking myself for not coming…read moresooner. We visited on a Friday afternoon during the school year and it was the perfect day for it, not crowded at all, staff was warm and attentive everywhere you turned, and there was just so much to explore across two floors. As a homeschool mom, I am always on the lookout for places where kids are learning without even realizing it and this delivered completely. My little ones were engaged the entire time, bouncing between exhibits and coming back to do things on repeat. The water table on the second floor was a huge hit (dam building = instant obsession), the crawl-through body exhibit had them giggling the whole way through, and the immersive hall with the giant projector and the orchestra activity where they put their faces into the performers? They talked about that the whole ride home. We timed our visit to catch the 3 o'clock otter feeding and training, definitely worth planning around. Maybe 30 people gathered and it was totally manageable and really sweet to watch. What surprised me most was how engaged I was as an adult. I was genuinely learning things alongside my kids, which is not always the case at these types of places. It felt appropriate and interesting for every age in our group. A few things to know before you go: follow the directions on their website for the specific parking garage , it's about a 5-minute walk and was only $5 for us. Strollers and wagons are totally doable with elevators throughout. They also have a café if you want to make a full day of it, and rotating special exhibits (always check the website ahead of time so you know what's on and whether it fits your crew). We stayed about two and a half hours and left happy. Already thinking about when we're coming back.

Very overpriced. I feel bad for the large local families who can't get in at all or can't get in to…read morethe "special" exhibit. I have seen every special exhibit and let me tell ya - not worth any extra fee, especially what they charge. But with that said the Da Vinci center is only really worth it for the "special exhibit". It REALLY pays off to become a member even if you think you'll go once a season. Nothing so impressive. No real meaningful selling points. It's just okay. I liked it better when it was on CC. Go on Sundays. It's empty and street parking is free.

An eclectic collection of coal mining machinery like drills and battery locomotives, exhibits on…read morethe origin and daily life of the immigrant miners, enormous silk weaving machines, pictures and stories from the 1902 anthracite strike, a mockup saloon where the boys drank after work, kitchen of a coal miner's house, original altar from a RC church in Berwick PA, a special exhibit on the international correspondence schools of Scranton (now called Penn Foster), a reproduction of a doctor's office complete with the special chair and scary tools, and even bread ovens (heated with coal of course). Is that eclectic enough for you? Coal is just a diamond that has to try harder, right? The Anthracite Heritage Museum is basically a snapshot of life in and around Scranton Pennsylvania a century ago. I think this place will bore most children halfway to tears. The exhibits are marked with some text, but it's a rather amateur design, sometimes I just didn't know what I was looking at, or why it was there at all. So the museum could try a little harder too. $7 admission is out of proportion to the content. On the plus side, the gift shop sells little bags of coal that are perfect for Xmas stockings. Heh heh, I ain't kidding either! Really this is local history which is not my thing, but I can't downgrade to two stars just because of that.

As a history professor and a member of a family of mining buffs (yeah we're weird) I have pretty…read morehigh standards when it comes to museums, and I very much enjoyed this one. The coal mine tour (offered only between 10am and 3pm) takes tourists down into the mine. You ride down the slope in a trip car, and then walk through the mine, seeing equipment and three coal seams while the tourguide explains the process of anthracite mining and answers questions. I didn't learn anything new but I would imagine that for people who have never been down a mine before it would really be an eye-opening experience. The museum itself, located on the hill above the mine tour, is EXCELLENT. Although you can tell that the curators didn't have a lot of money to curate with, they have some terrific artifacts, including all of the heavy equipment involved in silk weaving (I've never seen that anywhere else), 19th-century medical tools, and many pieces of mining equipment. I also saw a very fine temporary exhibit about the 1902 strike in the anthracite fields and learned a ton; it was one of the best, most comprehensive exhibits on labor issues that I have seen anywhere. There were some activities for children interspersed throughout the museum. Our 11-year-old was particularly affected by pictures of boys his own age working as breaker-boys, and by a pair of hobnailed boots worn by another child with his same first name, who died at of meningitis at the age of 11.