Interesting Things to See and Do in Northeast Pennsylvania

Easton, Pennsylvania Where We Will Start Our Visit of Northeast, PA

Easton, PA is a small city along the fork where the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers meet. Downtown Easton and neighboring Phillipsburg, New Jersey have seen their share of natural disasters in the low lands along the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers as a result of the aftermath of several hurricanes that have hit the Eastern seaboard. But after every recovery, the towns are back stronger than ever.

The heart of Easton, is the circle in downtown, where you will find a weekend farmer's market surrounded by several local shops, restaurants, and bars. One of the most popular, being Pearly Baker's Ale House, which is only s few short steps in from the hub of the circle. Pearly's has great food, a nice beer selection, and live entertainment several nights each week. Most of the entertainment to be found at Pearly's is blues based. During the summer months, there is also outside dining available at Pearly Baker's.

The building that houses Pearly Baker's was built in 1869 and was originally the YMCA in downtown Easton. During it's history, it has also served as a GE store, The Manhattan Club, and Charlie's Bar, finally becoming Pearly Baker's in 1994.

Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Easton, PA

Centre Square, the town square of the city's Downtown neighborhood, is home to the Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument, a memorial for Easton area veterans killed during the American Civil War. The Peace Candle, a candle-like structure, is assembled and disassembled every year atop the Civil War monument for theChristmas season.^[3] Source: WikiPedia

Easton, was among the first three cities in which the Declaration of Independence was read, the others being Philadelphia and Trenton. Because of Easton's proximity to the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers, it was an important route for the Revolutionary armies to move troops and supplies. Today, Easton is easily accessed from New York City, via Interstate 78 and from Philadelphia via Rte 309, Rte 611, or the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension.

State Theatre, Big City Theater, Small City Atmosphere

The State Theatre located at 453 Northampton St near 6th Street features many well-known performers and big-city plays that you can see on a small city budget. Ringer Starr and His All-Star Band have made appearances every year for the last several years. Lewis Black makes fairly regular appearances also, the last of which was just in November 2013.

The State Theatre has been open since 1926 when it was originally part of the Vaudeville Circuit. At today's State Theatre, you can see ballet, Broadway shows, popular musicians, comedy, you name it, they have it.

There is a free shuttle bus from the parking garage near Center Square in Easton (I don't know why the call it "square," because it is a circle) that runs from the theatre and back to the garage during every show night. To see current show information, go to http://statetheatre.org/shows/show-information/ The State Theatre also operates an acting camp every summer for aspiring school-age actors from 1st through 12th grades.

Prices for shows at the State Theatre are generally considerably less expensive than theater tickets in Philadelphia and New York, which might even make it worthwhile to make a bus trip. The bus station in downtown Easton is right next to the parking garage, and then just hop on the shuttle to go to the theatre.

Lehigh River Gorge Rail Trail

Since the demise of the popularity of train service in the Lehigh Valley, many of the old railroad beds have been turned into walking, hiking, and biking trails. One of the most popular is the Lehigh River Gorge Rail Trail, due to all of the great scenery and the fact that it is relatively flat (3% grade). Also, it is a very long trail, so if you decide to do it, you are in for a good ride. This trail is a total of 25.7 miles and runs along the Lehigh River Gorge from Jim Thorpe, PA to Whitehaven, PA.

To reach the Northern part of the trailhead, you can take the PA Turnpike Northeast Extension to Rte. 940. To get to the Southern part of the trailhead, you can reach it via Rte. I-80 to Rte. 209 to Jim Thorpe. There are shops in Jim Thorpe that will drop you and your bike off and pick you back up at a designated spot and time, for a nominal fee. If you don't want to ride the entire 25.7 miles, you can arrange pick-up at the half-way point. This is a great ride, summer, spring, or fall when the leaves are starting to change.

Let's Head East to Delaware Water Gap

Delaware Water Gap use to be home to the Delaware Indians of Pennsylvania, and is nearby to the former home of the Shawnee, and Lenni Lenape (Delaware) Indian tribes who used to call the Pocono/Appalachian Mountains home.Now, all of the surviving Shawnee Indians live in Oaklahoma. In this area of the Poconos there are plenty of outdoorsy things to do, from nearby skiing, camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, boating, swimming and more.

The Delaware Water Gap State Park comprises 70,000 acres of beautifully maintained nature that has had human habitation for at least 10,000 years. The Gap was carved into these mountains over thousands of years of the flowing Delaware River, and continues still to be etched deeper year-by-year into the earth's surface.

This is still a place where black bears roam freely, along with many other animal inhabitants. Make sure that you have a nice digital camera when visiting the Water Gap, but remember bears are still wild animals, so never get close enough to them to annoy them (especially a mother with cubs). Don't feed the bears, and if you camp, make sure you have all your food enclosed in containers that conceal food smells from the bears. It's always a good idea to have a can of bear repellent spray, just in case.There are also snakes in this neck of the woods, so a snake-bite kit is a wise addition to any first aid kit also.

There are three beaches in the immediate area, including Smithfield Beach, which came drastically close to being destroyed for the Tocks Island Dam Project in the 1960s. The Army Corps of Engineers was making way to flood the entire region to make it a giant recreational area, but fortunately the project was stopped before it gained the needed momentum to actually happen. Unfortunately, several people living along the river already had lost their homes to the government for this project for which they received little money in return.

That time is done, and much of the rich cultural history in the area was preserved after all. There are many archeological sites in the park area, many of which have been, or are being investigated. From the Delaware Water Gap, you can also enter the Appalachian Trail which runs from Maine to Georgia. Many people every year attempt (and some succeed) to hike the entire length of this great trail. Getting on the trail in Delaware Water Gap is probably close to the half-way mark.

Close by to the Delaware Water Gap, you will find Shawnee Mountain Ski Area, Camelback Mountain Ski Area, Big Boulder Ski Area, and Elk Mountain Ski Area. Slightly South, you will also find Blue Mountain Ski Area.

If you are a hunter or fisherman, this region is teeming with wildlife, including deer, bear, rabbits, trout, perch, bluegill, crappies, catfish, Northern Pike, and muskie. In the regions surrounding the Delaware Water Gap, this is certainly some activity that will satisfy almost any person. For those who don't like to camp, there are also plenty of resorts and resort hotels.