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Pennsylvania roadside attractions listings Here
Lehigh Valley-Allentown Bethlehem Area
Amusement Park-
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, 3830 Dorney Park Road, Allentown, PA
610-395-3724-great Six Flags like amusement park only an hour or so out of NYC. Owned by the company that runs Cedar Point in Ohio.
Drive In Theater-
Becky's Drive In-4548 Lehigh Drive, Walnutport PA, 18088 (610)767-2249 -Family run drive in open every night through summer.
Easton Sweet Shop -251 Centre Square, Easton, PA ,610-250-3672, Get either pancakes, cheese steak or pepper pot soup |
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Philadelphia
South Street is the place where most hip stuff in Philly is, and old city has tons of bars and clubs as well. South Street has Hipster Travels Favorite bar-Tattooed Moms at 530 South St.
R5 productions puts on some of the coolest shows in town. Check before you visit.
There are two alternative weeklies. One is Philadelphia Weekly. The other is CityPaper. Holly Eats has a great rundown of Philly food.
Other things of note, and perhaps not that hip, but definately unusual:
Victor Cafe,1303 Dickinson Street at: 13th St tel: (215) 468-3040-this is an italian restaurant that has opera singing waiters and waitresses.
Ron's Ribs, 1627 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146, 215-732-3561
You can walk through Phillys Italian Market area. It runs on 9th street between Christian and Wharton Streets and chow down on cheese, olives and sausages.
Amazing! Reading Terminal Market, right by the Market East Station of the Septa train. HUGE market of amazing foods like the DiNics Roast Pork Sandwich (get it with greens and provolone), Ricks Steaks (cheesesteak, natch!), the down home diner (good and CHEAP!), Dienners Chicken, Salumeria for Italian subs. You can eat here for a week and not try everything plus they have Bassetts ice cream.
Yum-In the old city area, Shane Candies, 110 Market St , is one of the oldest candy stores in the country.
Even odder-
Mutter Museum of Medical Curiousities-19 S. 22nd St. Philadelphia-tel: (215) 563-3737
Record Stores-
A.K.A. Music, 7 N. 2nd St., Philadelphia, PA 19106
Cue Records (Hip Hop), 617 South 4th St, Philadelphia
Philadelphia Record Exchange, 608 S. 5th St.
Repo Records- 538 South St. 215-627-3775
Siren Records-25 W. State St. 215-348-2323
Spaceboy Records, 407 South St.,Philadelphia, PA,19147
Spruce St. Records- 1201 Spruce St. 215-985-2955
611 Records-611 S. 4th St, Philadelphia (215) 413-9100-vinyl
Where to stay
Bed and breakfast-
Abigail Corby's Carriage House on 1935 Manning St. in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood, offer a communal dining/living room with a stocked fridge, appliances, TV/VCR and a washer/dryer, all for around $60 per night.-ed-sadly this has closed
For the budget conscious, the Chamounix Mansion Hotel, located in the middle of Fairmount Park, offers clean, dormitory-style rooms for between $18 per night. Its a hostel. Recent reviews say its clean but not that convienient
The SEPTA regional train system goes from the City Center to the suburbs, as does the rather limited subway system. The trains, however, along with the extensive city bus system, stop running at midnight, and cost $1.60 one way. New Yorkers can get there fairly cheap by taking the NJ Transit train to Trenton from Penn Station, and then transfer at Trenton to the SEPTA train to Philly. It costs about 29 dollars, about half as much as Amtrak.
Philly is a city based on squares. Figure out which one you are staying on and how to get back to it, and you won't have a problem finding your way around.
Where to eat
Campos-214 Market Street. Excellent italian subs. Get a laugh by reading their online typo filled menu with Brocolli "rabbi"
POD-3636 Sansom St. Philadelphia, PA (215) 387-1803-asian fusion and conveyor belt sushi. Great for eating alone too.
George's Sandwich Shop ($) Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches 900 S 9th St, Philadelphia 19147 old sandwich shop in the italian market with pork and other sandwiches
Pamplona, 12th and Locust Streets, offers small portions of Spanish specialties such as Cocoa (a Spanish pizza) and orange garbanzo salad. Each dish is $5, and four or five are more than enough food for two people.
My Thai, located at 2200 South St., offers Thai specialties for about $12 for dinner.
Phoebe's Bar-B-Q, a take-out stand at 2214 South St., is famous for its barbecued ribs, rotisserie-cooked chicken, corn bread and cheap prices.
Villa Di Roma-936 S 9th St-Philadelphia, PA (215) 592-1295 -classic, great, cheap red sauce italian.
Sarcone's Deli-734 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147(215) 922-1717 Hogie shop with tasty sammies, like the junkyard special with turkey, proscuitto, spinach, roasted peppers, fresh mozz and provolone
Jack's Firehouse -2130 Fairmount Ave-tel: (215) 232-9000. Down home food from TV Food network bbq guru.
Walk around City Center and Fairmount Park, and the Italian Market on 9th from Christian to Wharton Streets and the Reading Terminal Market on 12th and Filbert Streets.
Nicky And Pete's Hot Dogs
beef dogs are split and grilled, served on a roll and topped with special sauce and cheese whiz. They also have a fish cake combo, a hot dog and potato fish cake topped with pepper hash, mustard and chopped onions.
Nicky and Pete's Famous Hot Dogs-349 N. 64th Street, Philadelphia PA 19139
Nightlife (this info is dated. Rock clubs updated 8/25/04)
Shampoo gets high marks for dancing at the moment. As with all dance clubs, check that it still exists before heading out. 417 N 8th St., (215) 922-7500. The Tracadero on 10th and Arch Streets is a good bet for rock and pop bands, while Warmdaddys on 4 S. Front St. is a popular local blues spot. If the club scene is more your thing, check out the Milkbar on 417 N. 8th St., Gothum at Brown St. and Columbus Ave, and the many establishments along the waterfront. Bars open til 2 am.
More live music-
Electric Factory-7th and Willow-Big show venue
The Fire-original music venue at The Philadelphia Bar & Grille-412 West Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA 267-671-9298
Khyber -56 S. Second St. tel: (215) 238-5888
Millcreek Tavern-4200 Chester ave, Philadelphia
North Star Bar-2639 Poplar St. Fairmont-tel: (215) 684-0808
Bob and Barbara's Lounge-1509 South St-tel: (215) 545-4511-free live music and good vibe.
the North Star-253 South 10th Street-Philadelphia, 215-922-5900
The Upstage-22 S Third St. 215-627-4825-Great live funk and rock from local and national indie acts.
Pontiac Grille-304 SOUTH STREET, PHILADELPHIA PA 215-925-4053-Sounds cheeseball, right? The fleshtones and some other cool bands play here... the food looks good too.
Theatre Of Living Arts, 334 South Street, Philadelphia, PA-gets the big indie names
World cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia-recent shows have included Frank Black and the english beat
Altoona, PA
amusement park
LAKEMONT PARK, 700 PARK AVENUE, ALTOONA, PA 16602
PHONE: 1-800-434-8006 , (814) 949-PARK-Lakemont park has the oldest rollercoaster in the US with the leap the dips and some other fun rides. It also is home to the Altoona Curves, a minor league baseball team
Duncanville, PA (near Altoona)
Eats-
The Meadows Original Frozen Custard, 1393 Old Route 220 N Duncansville Pa 16635, 814-695-0035
In operation since the summer of 1950, this location is open all-year-round and features miniature golf and batting cages. There is also a location in Holidaysburg nearby.
Hamburg, PA
Cabelas is a 250, 000 square foot outdoor store where you can hunt without killing anything, see a live fish giant aquarium and more. 100 Cabelas drive, Hamburg, PA
HERMITAGE, PA (north of Pittsburgh)
Record store-
FLIPSIDE RECORDS-940 NORTH HERMITAGE RD., HERMITAGE, PA 16148 724.342.0824-over 2 million records in stock..
Huntington, PA Ice Cream- Kerbers Dairy Store, 1856 Guffy Road, N. Huntingdon, Pa 15642 , (724) 863-6930
Johnstown, PA
This town is famous for a flood. We here at Trashy Travel, however, love anything on a track, and they have a hundred year old Fununcular, which is a train that goes up a mountain. You can put the fun in Fununcular. the Incline
Our address is: 711 Edgehill Drive, Johnstown, PA 15905. We are located in Westmont borough.
Lancaster, PA Live Music The Chameleon Club, 223 n. water street, lancaster pa. THE place to see live music in Amish Country...Really. The cutest homepage picture too!
Reading, PA
The bar that invented the free peanut craze (after a pretzel crisis) is in Reading, Jimmy Kramers Peanut Bar, 332 Penn Street, Reading, Pennsylvania, (610)376-8500
Scranton, PA
Eats-
Coopers Seafood House-I got this travel brochure for Scranton which non-ironically said the following: "Coopers is an architecturally significant, work of art; shaped like a pirate ship, it is one of Scranton's neatest places to eat" |
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Unlike the rest of the country, Pennsylvania has managed to hold onto its old fashioned amusement parks. They have 2 of the most unique I have ever been to, and they are both worth a trip to visit. Pittsburgh is home to Kennywood park, one of only 2 operating amusement parks that are historic landmarks. It has 3 amazing wooden coasters including a racing coaster that is actually one continuous loop. You leave on one track and come back on the other. You can slap hands with the people in the other train because there are no obstructions between the tracks.
Elysburg is home to Knoebels, an old fashioned park without walls. You can go on rides one at a time or buy a POP. They have 2 wonderful wooden coasters, the Phoenix and the Twister. They also have great food at reasonable prices and some very unique attractions, including a top rated haunted house.
Altoona, PA has the very small Lakemont Park, Home of Leap the Dips, the oldest operating wooden coaster with a top speed of 15 MPH. |
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Pittsburgh, PA
DONT MISS KENNYWOOD!!
The local alternative weekly is In Pittsburgh. They also have a version of CItypaper. Check Barsmart for Bar listings. Students guide to Pittsburgh.
Bars
Skylark Motor Inn-Airport Area-225 Moon Clinton Rd, Coroapolis, PA (Pittsburg area)
Rock Room-Hardcore music and pierogies-located in Pittsburgh's Polish Hill @ 1054 Herron Ave. (Corner of Melwood)
Gooski's-(412) 681-1658, dive bar in polish hill, 3117 Brereton St
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Live Music
Brillobox-4104 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh 412 624 49 00-A lot of different types of events with Wednesdays being Psych, rock, etc, the Thursday Monthly Throwback and more.
Club Cafe-56-58 South 12th Street • Pittsburgh, PA 412-431-4950
Garfield Artworks-4931 Penn Ave-Pittsburgh-Art and performance space
Millvale Industrial Theater-this out of the way venue for indie/alt music has closed
31st Street Pub-Penn Avenue at 31st Street, Strip District. 412-391-8334-former biker bar makes good.
The Mr. Roboto Project-722 Wood Street, Pittsburgh (Wilkinsburg), PA (412)247-9639-all ages artspace/diy bandspace.
Club Laga-this music venue has CLOSED.
Metropol Industrial Dance Club-1600 Smallman St, Pittsburgh, (412) 261-4512, dance club with national touring DJs and Bands.
Mr. Smalls Funhouse-multipurpose facility with everything from a skate park to studio to artist housing with numerous types of events.
The Smiling Moose-1306 E. Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15203
P: (412) 431-4668-home to the occasional soul party and more
Soul Parties- (pittsburgh soul party blog)
Vipers soul lounge at Shadow Lounge, (5972 Baum Blvd. East Liberty) Monthly
Steel City Soul Club with DJs Riel and Restless
Museums
Andy Warhol Museum -117 Sandusky St Pittsburgh PA (412) 237-8300. Friday nights during the summer they have bands play here.
Mattress Factory-500 Sampsonia Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 in the north shore. Unique museum with room sized environments
Other stuff-
Arsenal Lanes, 212 44th and Butler St, Pittsburgh. Bowling alley with your typical rock and bowl nights, djs, etc. Live bands on wednesdays where one cover gets you unlimited bowling and the band
Record Stores-
The Attic Records, 513 Grant Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15209 (Millvale, pa)
Brave New World, (412) 682-5007, 3495 Bates St , Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Paul’s CDs, 4526 Liberty Ave.,Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Jerry's Records-2136 Murray Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 (412) 421-4533 named one of the best record stores in the us
Eats-
Primanti Brothers-3803 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, (412) 621-4444. Famous sandwich shop where each sandwich comes with French Fries and Coleslaw ON THE SANDWICH.
Original Hot Dog Shop - 3901 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA (412) 621-7388-also called the dirty O. Chili dogs.
Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor (old fashioned soda fountain) 2801 Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh’s “Strip District”
www.klavonsicecream.com.
Isalys is an old chain of ice cream and food counter places that specialize in a chipped ham sandwich, its really shaved ham. Its a processed meat product that has a sweet taste to it on rolls baked in each restaurant. This location sells a "slammer" which is grilled chipped ham with onions on their rolls. Isaly's, 448 Perry Highway, Pittsburgh, PA 15229
Nadines-19 South 27th Street, Pittsburgh, pa 15203, Phone: (412) 481-1793-old fashioned bar with amazing homestyle food, all homemade and things like fried baloney sandwiches
Sunseri Brothers, 2010-12 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA , 412-471-8330. Italian deli is the home of Visionary bread, a loaf layered with roasted peppers, onion, garlic, mozzarella, and herbs. They have tons of olives and other italian specialties
Wiener World -626 Smithfield, Pittsburgh, PA -412-566-7719-gotta love a place with wiener in its name. They also make good fried fish sandwiches.
Adamstown, PA
Funky Musuems- Toy Robot Museum-9 Market Plaza, Adamstown, PA 19501-large collection of Toy Robots.
Clearview, PA
Located in the middle of the state near State College and I-80, Dennys Beer Barrel Pub has giantic 2, 3 and 6 and 15 pound burgers.
Dennys Beer Barrel
1423 Dorey Street, Clearfield, PA 16830
(814) 765-7190
Sharon, PA
Home of the Worlds Largest Candy Store, you can also take a tour of the factory, a short distance away..
Daffin's Candies - Sharon, PA
496 East State Street
1-724-342-2892
Toll Free 1-877-323-3465
Chocolate Factory Tour - The Tour consists of coming to our Factory at 7 Spearman Avenue, Farrell, Pennsylvania 16121. At the Factory, the group will see a short videotape of Daffin's and the History of chocolates. Our seven foot Rabbit and other artistic chocolate items are also on display at the factory. Then the group will take a tour through the factory and see how some of our chocolates are made. We require reservations be made at least 2 weeks in advance for ALL factory tours, and a minimum of 15 people per group. If there are less than 15 in a group, please call and we can group you with a full tour.
Factory tours are available only during the factory production season, Mid September through Mid April with reservations.
No Summer Tours available.
State College, PA
Regional specialty-Ye Olde College Diner serves "grilled stickys", a sticky bun grilled like french toast. (814) 238-5590, 126 W College Ave, State College, PA 16801
Penn State has a food science program with an ice cream masters program. Taste the results at the Berkey Creamery. , The Pennsylvania State University, 119 Food Science Building , University Park, PA 16802 814-865-7535
Live Music-
Crowbar -420 E. College Ave -State College 814.237.0426
State Theater-home of the big shows
Wellsboro, PA
TIme Machine town. The Wellsboro Diner has a gift shop with diner memorabilia in the gift shop. It would be fun to stay at the hotel and go to a movie. Theres a candy store which is just down the street. Not only do they have the classic hotel, but the Wellsboro diner and a cool old movie theater, and the old Dunhams Dept store thats still in business, the whole town is like a trip back in time.
Hotel-Penn Wells Hotel. From 1816 until the present, the site has always been occupied by a tavern, inn or hotel. In 1869, the present four-story brick hotel was built. In 1925, the Cole House was purchased by a group of local residents who closed it for extensive renovations. It then reopened in 1926 as the Penn Wells Hotel. The hotel that you can stay in today remains basically the same as it was in 1925. Theres a lounge in the hotel as well, the lounge is closed on Sundays unfortunately.
Right next door to a vintage theater and the Wellsboro diner is nearby.
Wilkes-Barre, Pa
The local alternative weekly is the Weekender.
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