You are here
Enjoy Pennsylvania Culture and Sports
With festivals, culture, shopping, and seven professional sports franchises, there are always exciting things to do in PA, no matter the season.
There are more than 300 golf venues, five of which appear on Golf Digest’s “Greatest 100” lists, more than 20 auto raceways, six horse racetracks, and numerous local baseball, hockey, and soccer teams.
For festivals, the list is endless. Perhaps the best known is Groundhog Day each February in Punxsutawney, but there are so many others with a large following.
For the horticultural-minded, the Philadelphia Flower Show is held each March. It is the nation’s largest indoor flower show.
Agricultural enthusiasts can visit the Bloomsburg Fair, the state’s largest agricultural fair, held each September. And the nation’s largest indoor agricultural event is the Pennsylvania Farm Show, held each January in Harrisburg.
For shoppers, the Kutztown Festival and America’s Largest Quilt Sale is held each June and July. And the December Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem is rated a Top 100 Event in North America by the American Bus Association.
History and military aficionados flock to the Gettysburg National Civil War Battle Reenactment which takes place in July at Gettysburg.
And for a late summer whimsy, there’s the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire which runs from August to November each year in Mannheim.
The International Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous attracts 25,000 people to Ridgway each year in February.
For music lovers, the FirstEnergy Berks Jazz Fest has featured smooth jazz each March for 20 years in Reading. Philadelphia Folk Festival is held each August. It is one of the oldest music festivals in the world and the longest continuously running U.S. festival of its kind.
More than 100,000 motorcyclists arrive for the Thunder in the Valley® Annual Motorcycle Rally each June in Johnstown.
These are just a few of the hundreds of events that are listed across the state each year.
Culture, Sports & Entertainment Blog
Distilleries are Worth a Shot (or cocktail)
08/16/2023 - 11:17amAs the cradle of the first American whiskey, Pennsylvania has a heritage that is both deep and wide when it comes to crafting exceptional spirits. Take a stiff drink of aromatic history combined with assertive forward-looking flavors at some of the state’s best distilleries. Stoll...
Read MoreAn Artisanal Christmas in Bucks County Pennsylvania
08/16/2023 - 11:06amAre you looking to find that perfect gift and a little bit of Christmas spirit on an idyllic Christmas getaway weekend? Architectural Antiques in Perkasie and Byer’s Choice Christmas Museum and Gift Emporium are hidden gems in historic Bucks County that will help you find gifts—and memories—to be treasured for a lifetime.
...
Read MoreBarking Up the Right Tree
08/16/2023 - 9:37amLumber was one of Pennsylvania's greatest resources in the late 19th Century. In the height of the industry, lumber lords harvested thousands of giant hemlocks and the bark was peeled off from felled trees between April and June, when the sap ran freely from the tree's roots to the needles. To celebrate the end of this busy time, a festival was...
Read MoreAdams Apples
08/14/2023 - 10:04amThe rocky, nitrate-rich soil in the fertile valley of Adams County, Pennsylvania, combined with prime altitude, rainfall, and temperature make Adams County one of the most intense and significant fruit-growing regions in the United States. While all 67 Pennsylvania counties grow apples, Adams is the largest producer, a feat that has earned it th...
Read MoreCosmopolitans and Adventurers Unite in Erie
08/06/2023 - 1:49pmSome look for inspiring cultural experiences in urban centers and some look for exhilarating outdoor experiences in rural areas—but what if it’s possible to have both at once? In Erie, the cosmopolitan and the countrified meet: between favorite destinations such as the Erie Art Museum and Presque Isle State Park, sojourners to Erie’s shores and...
Read MoreFind the Childlike In You at Hershey’s Chocolate World’s 50th Celebration
06/21/2023 - 6:49pmIf there’s anything that beats a sugar rush, it may be the flood of nostalgia when you rediscover something that tangibly reminds you of your childhood. At Hershey’s Chocolate World—celebrating 50 years this summer—you can combine what is sweet and sentimental in one stroke....
Read MoreMake Big Memories at the Bigfoot Festival in Marienville, PA
05/30/2023 - 9:21amIf your summer is beginning to take a predictable course—with the same tiresome activities, the same stale destinations, the same boring summer menus—you should try something new this year by heading over to the 2023 Bigfoot Festival in Marienville. Whether you’r...
Read MoreA Spring Refresh—for You and Your Furniture—in Amish Lancaster County
03/25/2023 - 11:46amPerhaps the lingering grays (and blues) of winter have you looking to make a change in your environment. But you don’t need to plan an elaborate and exorbitant trip to Fiji in order to alter your surroundings: all you need is a décor refresh. By planning a trip to Lancaster County to peruse their plentiful selection of Amish furniture stores, yo...
Read MoreVisit Pennsylvania's Botanical Gardens this Spring
02/16/2023 - 9:49amThere isn’t a more beautiful time to explore Pennsylvania this spring as the state’s landscape transforms into a colorful tapestry of wildflowers, tulips, wisteria, and fragrant flowering trees. Although that landscape is large beyond measure, you can find Pennsylvania’s breathtaking botanical gardens and arboretums in every corner. Find out mor...
Read MoreBuggies and Boutiques: Lancaster is the Best Small Town for Christmas Visits & Beyond
12/07/2022 - 11:13amPerhaps one drawback to Lancaster having the largest and most vibrant Amish community in the United States is that outsiders tend to think it’s the only reason to visit Lancaster. In reality, Lancaster uniquely combines seeming opposites as strikingly as the scene of a horse-drawn buggy next to a world-class mall, modern attractions wit...
Read More