Bucher's Mill Covered Bridge is a beautiful little covered bridge in Lancaster County across Cocalico Creek. For a guide on other covered bridges in Lancaster County, the county with the most covered bridges in PA, check out our guide. This little covered bridge has white portals with red sides. I am usually indifferent about what color the portals of a covered bridge are, but I have to say that the white portals on this bridge really pop with the lush greenery of the surrounding woods. On one end of the bridge, you approach the covered bridge by going through agricultural areas, very much in ..read more

So we recently covered the beautiful scenic overlook at the Route 15/I-99 Welcome Center. Today we take a look from the other side, looking towards it, from the little strip of land between the Tioga and Hammond Lakes, an abrupt rocky formation that is a fantastic place to have a picnic.  While the view is not as sweeping as the view from up on the mountain on Route 15, here you can see how impressive and bold this road cut was. Engineering and human effort in action to harness nature and have it work together. Between the road cut and the giant dam for the lakes, this is a really imp ..read more

Weaver's Mill Covered Bridge is surrounded by agricultural land in Lancaster County. For a guide on other covered bridges in Lancaster County, the county with the most covered bridges in PA, check out our guide.  I particularly like the large stone entry ways leading up to the bridge.  The bridge is 82 feet long and dates back to 1879. It utilizes the Burr Arch-Truss method of construction and it crosses the Conestoga River. Coordinates:  40.141323, -75.997804 ..read more

We have gone to Beartown Rocks before, and I appreciated it even more on this visit. This rock city is very pretty, and the sandstone weathering on this outcropping is especially beautiful and different from other rock cities across the state. Us and the pups had a great time walking around it.  The weathering, moss, lichen, and odd shapes of the rocks is something that is so neat to see. The weathering process in general is such a neat concept and the wildly different results depending upon the makeup of the rocks is a terrific insight into the power of nature.  These rocks pred ..read more

   So March, April, and early May are the prime times of the year to see early wildflowers. As the leaves begin to grow on the trees, the red blooms begin on the maples, and the flowering trees show off their brilliance, the forest floor comes to life as well. From long fallen brown leaves on forest floors from autumn, new life sprouts up with beautiful wildflowers adding color back to what looked lifeless just weeks earlier. I have updated this list with a few more fantastic destinations that I have stumbled across since we first published this list. Late May through autumn provide ..read more

I will start by saying that French Creek, also known as the Venango River, is a treasure. This waterway is as substantial as many small rivers and riding along it is so picturesque, especially in the area of Cambridge Springs, Saegertown, and Meadville. For comparison, the Clarion River is of both a similar length, width, and depth, with French Creek's depth monitor actually being much deeper. It starts up in Chautaqua County, New York and meanders through northwest PA and eventually comes to a confluence with the Allegheny River in Franklin. The Venango name is likely derived from Seneca Nat ..read more

Another year gone by for us here at Interesting Pennsylvania and Beyond. Life is hectic, but adventure is always fun! That is what we aim to take out time for on this page. To cover the beauty that is right around the corner, everywhere in the commonwealth. Over the years we have hit all 67 counties and are still finding new spots, or new scenes from the same spots, as we revisit them. We created this page as one of the first Pennsylvania based travel blog and were unaware of anyone else doing this at the time. We aim to bring attention to the many great things our state had to offer. Some th ..read more

Driving from the southeast through Route 40/National Road back to Pittsburgh is one of my favorite routings. It is scenic and exciting, crosses waterways, and goes up and down hills and curves from Western Maryland. My favorite kind of driving. As we were driving, it was just getting toward sunset and we were seeing some of the first snow that we saw all year. Heading out of Maryland is pretty spectacular on I-68. Getting to see the Alleghenies unfold like that is pretty spectacular, as you glide across the edge of mountains. I enjoy riding on the Turnpike, up through Breezewood, but I really ..read more

Harrisburg has an absolutely stunning train station. It was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1885-1887 and was significantly rebuilt after a fire in 1905, giving it its current distinctive barn roof, which is one of my favorite aspects of this classic station. Everything about this station is grand, from the entrance and ornate lobbies, to the train shed over the tracks. This is a grand entrance into the city that many larger cities should be envious of, especially New York City. PRR 4859. This sleek GG1 electric locomotive was built at the Altoona Works and designed by GE. It was the ..read more

There are a number of pretty roadside overlooks in Buchanan State Forest, several of the prettiest and easiest to find ones are located on Martin Hill Rd and Blankley Hill Rd. They are both essentially the same road and if you follow them you will see at least 3 scenic overlooks looking on either direction of the ridge.  The Sweet Root Gap Vista is at the top of the gap in which the Sweet Root Natural Area and trail are based. The Mid-State Trail goes through this spot. If you are headed from Maryland's Rocky Gap State Park, a popular destination for Pennsylvanians, it is gr ..read more