rose's blog

A profusion of native wildflowers herald spring and summer in Penn’s Woods. Chief among them is the evergreen Mountain Laurel. Former Governor Gifford Pinchot designated the Mountain Laurel as Pennsylvania’s official state flower on May 5, 1933.

Mountain laurel normally begins to bloom late May and its pink and white blossoms fill the woodlands well into June. By mid-June, mountainsides from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh are covered with mountain laurel flowers.

Gettysburg’s newest museum – the Seminary Ridge Museum – will open on July 1, 2013, 150 years to the day that the Battle of Gettysburg began and was waged on the museum’s grounds.  The museum building itself became the battle’s largest field hospital. Located on the campus of the Gettysburg Lutheran Theological Seminary, the Museum will tell the story of the first day of the Battle, Civil War medicine and the role that faith played in the conflict.

Are you tired of going to the same place for vacation?  Take a drive and experience the magic of breathtaking scenery and small town charm of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.  Located in Tioga County, 52-miles northwest of Williamsport, Wellsboro was incorporated in 1830 and named in honor of Mary Wells, wife of one of the original settlers.

The nation's oldest and largest outdoor flea market, Rice's Market with 30 acres and over 500 vendors is as big as a mall, but offers an alternative to paying retail prices. Your one-stop bargain shopping paradise. Peruse aisles of Amish foods and crafts, women clothing and accessories, antiques, hand-made collectibles, flowers, plants, and produce all at prices that can't be beat.

Come see Pittsburgh elite soccer team, the Riverhounds.

Over the past 70 years, Hollywood and Broadway legends have played the stage of the Bucks County Playhouse such as Grace Kelly, Angela Lansbury, Walter Matthau, Liza Minnelli and Robert Redford to name a few.  Located in New Hope, PA on the site of a former grist mill along the banks of the Delaware River.

The Bucks County Playhouse has showcased some of the most beloved musicals and plays, including West Side Story, Annie Get Your Gun, Dial M for Murder, and The Odd Couple.

The Great Allegheny Passage, 25 years in the making, is an exploration of our nation’s history. Built on the abandoned grades of the Western Maryland Railway and the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, these rail lines served the iron and steel industry and carried freight traffic down the East Coast and westward. The nearly level 150-mile passage connects Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland.

Voted by Outside Magazine, “One of the 50 Best Rides in America,” The Lehigh Gorge Rail-Trail is a converted railroad bed, easy downhill trail that provides scenic traffic free riding for 25 miles along the Lehigh River. Pick your own pace as you pedal between towering mountains. You will discover dramatic scenery, numerous waterfalls, high trestles, swim spots, great hikes and an old tunnel to explore. There are picnic tables along the way where you can stop, relax and enjoy your lunch.

Looking for something different to do, then head to the Philadelphia area that offers two unique horse racing tracks.

Enjoy harness racing at Harrah’s Philadelphia located at 777 Harrah’s Boulevard, Chester, a 30-minute drive from Center City Philadelphia. The live horse racing season runs from March through December on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  Boasting one of the fastest 5/8 mile horse racing surface, you’ll see the best pacers and trotters in North America.

The midway point of the most famous hiking trail, the Appalachian Trail, is located in the Cumberland Valley, Pennsylvania.  The trail extends 2,180 miles from Georgia to Maine.  A 13-mile section that is the longest, lowest and flattest section on the entire trail and one of the most accessible portions to the trail is the midway point in the Cumberland Valley.