The state of Pennsylvania sits in the North-eastern region of the USA and part of it borders Canada to the north. It also has about 50 miles of coastline on Lake Erie.
The largest city is Philadelphia and the capital is Harrisburg. Other major centers include Pittsburgh, Erie, Scranton, Johnstown, Gettysburg, Reading, Bethlehem, Allentown,
Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre, Hershey, and Erie. Pennsylvania is the 33rd largest state in size and sixth in population with close to 13 million residents.
There’s a lot of history around as it was the second state admitted to the Union when it joined back in 1787. The winters aren’t too cold in Pennsylvania and the
summers aren’t too hot, but it gets its fair share of rain and snow, so dress accordingly.
There’s a good mix of city life, with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the wilderness of the Allegheny Plateau. Philadelphia is quite a historical site as this is where
the American Constitution and Declaration of
Independence were born. The colonial era is also well represented in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, where Mennonite, Brethren, and Amish communities live their plain and
traditional lifestyle.
Pittsburgh is well known for the three rivers that meet there, which are the Monongahela, Ohio, and the Allegheny. A lot of the state’s landscape is filled with the
rocky mountains of the Appalachian, Allegheny, Pocono, and Endless mountain ranges, which are ideal spots for both summer and winter activities. Lake Erie offers numerous wilderness
and aquatic attractions and the Allegheny National Forest is ideal for camping and other outdoor adventures. Casino gambling was recently legalized and there are currently nine casinos
to try your luck at.
There are many other wonderful sites to visit, including the Philadelphia Zoo, Erie Zoo, Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, Lehigh Valley Zoo, the Carnegie Museum, the Philadelphia
Museum of Art, and the Houdini Museum, which is located in Scranton and honours the famous escape artist and magician.
There are also a lot of amusement parks for the kids to enjoy. These include Conneaut Lake Park, Camel Beach, Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, DelGrosso Amusement Park, Dutch
Wonderland, Idlewild Park, Hershey Park, Lakemont Park, Sesame Place, Sandcastle Waterpark, Waldameer Park, Great Wolf Lodge, and Splash Lagoon.
Pennsylvania has an excellent interstate and highway system which makes driving and around the state a decent way to get around. There’s also a good intercity rail network with
stations in most of the big cities. There are six international airports in the state for those flying in, with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh being the busiest. The others are in
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Erie, Harrisburg, and Lehigh Valley. Pittsburgh, Erie, and Philadelphia also have busy ports, but are used mainly for shipping goods.
Sports are very popular in Pennsylvania, with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia both hosting major-league professional teams in baseball, football, and ice hockey. Philadelphia also has a
major-league basketball and soccer team. There are several minor-league franchises for a variety of sports and college sports are popular as are motorsports, boxing, horse racing and
golf.
There are plenty of excellent places to stay in Pennsylvania including, bed and breakfasts, lodges, motels, and hotels that suit all budgets. Restaurants are everywhere and you can
try some of the regional favourites such as, cheese steaks, soft pretzels, hoagies, liver on a stick, strombolis, perogies, ox roast, and pepperoni balls.
Pennsylvania is one of the most historic areas of America to explore and there are plenty of outdoor activities to mix in during a visit. It’s an ideal state for people of all ages
to enjoy.
About Pennsylvania