The historic town of Gettysburg, located in the central part of the state in Adams County, offers not only a glimpse of one of the most historic battlefields in the United States, but also offers a chance to explore nature trials, wineries and historical sites. When you plan your Gettysburg trip, be sure to include Gettysburg National Military Park. The penultimate battle in the Civil War was fought on the ridges overlooking the town. You can travel the trails tread by Union and Confederate soldiers while listening to a guided audio tour. After you walk with history, you can visit a winery, play a round of golf or tour the historic homes of 1863 Gettysburg. If you are in the mood for amusement, you visit nearby Hershey and Hershey Park.
Located near the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History offers visitors a world-class dinosaur exhibit. Displayed in environments that accurately depict the lost worlds of their time, dinosaur fossils are posed as they might have been in real life. The centerpieces of the exhibit are two fossils of the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex, posed in mid-battle. Dinosaurs are just part of the attraction. The classic Mammal Hall has enthralled visitors for generations as have halls of geology, architecture and botany. While you are in the area, you can visit the adjoining Carnegie Museum of Art, the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium in nearby Highland Park and, on the north side of town, the Carnegie Science Center. Pittsburgh offers many fine hotels, restaurants and shopping also and, if you are a sports fan, you might want to squeeze in tickets to a Pittsburgh Steeler, Pirate or Penguin game.
A weekend trip to Pennsylvania Dutch Country will transport your family back 200 years and more. Located in Lancaster Country, between Harrisburg and Philadelphia, you'll find here acres of rolling farmland and communities of Amish. Make sure you visit some of the Amish towns outside of Lancaster for their famous horse and buggy rides and an opportunity to buy quilts, furniture and farm fresh produce.
Among the various accommodations in and around Lancaster are the many bed and breakfast inns that dot the countryside. Some are even located on working farms. There is plenty of family fun, from theme parks in nearby Hershey to seasonal festivals in such towns as Lititz and Intercourse. Your family will also learn about a way of life that is foreign to most of us who live in a modern world of automobiles, mobile phones and laptops.
