Trains: Romance of the Rails
By Jill Schensul
NorthJersey.com

If images of sleek trains and spectacular scenery have you hunting madly for that 800 number to order Boxcar Willie’s Greatest Hits, relax. No need to spend $16.99 on vicarious thrills when you can experience the romance of the rails yourself[…]

[…]The Strasburg Rail Road dates to 1832 and transported freight as well as passengers through central Pennsylvania. In the 1950s, train enthusiasts revived the neglected route and turned it into a tourist train. Some of those folks are still working on the railroad, providing commentary aboard the 45-minute train ride through Amish countryside.Back at the station, just east of Strasburg on Route 271, are several hands-on activities. And just across the street is the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania[…]

To read the entire article, please visit NorthJersey.

Mississippi Students Visit Friends in L-S
By Rebecca C. Carroll
Lancaster New Era

It’s been hot the past few days. But what we consider hot and humid is a breath of fresh air for students and teachers from Long Beach, Miss. Tuesday, 10 students and two student council advisors from Long Beach, a town severely affected by Hurricane Katrina, arrived in Pennsylvania for the first time.

“The country’s beautiful. The trees are standing up straight, and there’s no humidity,” Peggy Lassabe said. “It feels like springtime!”

Lassabe and Becky Cullifer, student council advisers for Long Beach High School, brought eight students to Pennsylvania for a national student council convention that will be held in Lansdale Saturday through Monday. On their way to Lansdale, they made a detour to Lampeter-Strasburg, where they have some special friends.

In November, 40 L-S students and 18 chaperones traveled to Long Beach to put on a homecoming dance for the students of Long Beach and Pass Christian high schools, both located in towns that suffered severe destruction from Hurricane Katrina. Now, some of the Mississippi students are finally getting a chance to see how their L-S counterparts live.

“I’m not used to seeing farms or corn,” said Lauren Lassabe, 16, who will be a senior at Long Beach High. “It’s so nice to see everything green, and not gray trash piles.

“There’s even hills. I think the highest part in Mississippi is 800 feet,” she said.

“When I got here, I didn’t have the expectation of seeing anything like this,” said Martin McCoy, 17, who will be a senior at Long Beach.

The students at L-S raised $2,500 for plane tickets for the students from Long Beach, so that they could go to the convention and also stay in Lancaster for a few days. Matt Cooper, a science teacher at Lampeter-Strasburg, has been active in helping the storm victims in Long Beach. The 10 visitors will stay on his Strasburg farm while they are in Lancaster County.

“It’ll be a nice time for them to escape,” he said of their trip up North. “This will be the first time most of them are getting away from the destruction.”

Lassabe couldn’t have agreed more. “It’s wonderful to get away,” she said with tears in her eyes. “My only sanity is a vacation.”

Cullifer said that it was not a coincidence that the convention was being held in Pennsylvania, just a couple of hours from Cooper’s home. “It had to be divine intervention. It couldn’t have been planned,” she said.

While in Lancaster County, the students will visit the Strasburg Rail Road and Hersheypark, and even sit in the Kegel’s luxury box at a Lancaster Barnstomers Game. The tickets have been donated. Cooper decided to invite his Mississippi friends to his home after he found out the student council convention would be held just under two hours away.

“I can’t even fathom they’re coming to Pennsylvania,” Abbey Fulmer, 16, who will be a junior at L-S, said before the bus arrived.

“I’ve been counting down the days and the hours,” added Marisa Groff, 16, who will also be a junior at L-S. “They said they were going to come up, but I can’t believe they’ll actually be here.”

Both Fulmer and Groff went to Mississippi in November, and still talk online to the friends they made there. Two of their friends will be staying for an extra week, so they can spend time with Fulmer and Groff. One of those two friends, McCoy, said he is excited to participate in the planned activities, but is more excited about seeing his friends.

“I’m easily amused. I want to hang out with everyone, and just see my friends,” he said of the L-S students.

To read the entire article, please visit Lancaser Online.

In-State Road Trips Feature Recreation, Fun
By Annette Reiff
The Patriot News

Last month, 21st Century Auto Insurance surveyed seven travel and tourism executives in Pennsylvania to determine the state’s top 21 road trips. The insurance company commissioned the poll in connection with its recent business expansion into the commonwealth.

Last week we listed seven of the winners that provided a variety of ideas for summer travels. We’ll finish this week with an additional nine winners and their Web sites for more information.

Harrisburg, www.visit hhc.com. According to the survey, Harrisburg has become “an urban metropolis.” Who knew? Why not take a vacation day and play tourist at home. Visit The National Civil War Museum in Reservoir Park and Wildwood Lake Sanctuary behind HACC. Tour the state Capitol and the admission-free State Museum on Third Street. Ride the Pride of the Susquehanna riverboat and take in a baseball game on City Island.

Mill Run, www.paconserve .org/fallingwaterhome.htm. Mill Run might not mean anything to you, but it’s on the list because it’s the location of Fallingwater, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpieces. Driving directions from Harrisburg to the house, in the southwestern part of the state, are included on the Web site, along with information on tours (make reservations at least two weeks in advance during July, August or October) and prices. This one is not to be missed.

Pocono Mountains, www.800poconos.com. The Poconos aren’t just for skiers and snowboarders. In four counties and four state parks in the northeastern part of the state, the mountains offer theater, rafting, music festivals and more throughout the summer.

Covered Bridges Drive, www.experiencebuckscoun ty.com. The tour of covered bridges is a trip through Bucks County in southeastern Pennsylvania. Each of the 12 bridges is off the beaten path and can be reached by car, foot or bike. For a few hours, you can live life as it was lived in the olden days.

Elysburg, www.knoebels .com. Elysburg in Northumberland County is on the list thanks to the classic Knoebels Amusement Resort. Admission to the park is free. Depending on the day of the week, visitors can buy a Pay-One-Price Plan or pay for rides as they go.

Cook Forest, www.cook forest.com. Cook Forest is a 7,000 acre state park in northwestern Pennsylvania where visitors can ride horses, canoe, hike, take scenic drives and more.

Strasburg, www.strasburg pa.com. Strasburg is a mecca for train buffs, with the Strasburg Rail Road, which offers visitors a 45-minute ride on a vintage train through parts of Lancaster County, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, and The National Toy Train Museum.

Pottsville, www.schuyl kill.org. OK, so maybe you already figured out that Pottsville in Schuylkill County, northeast of Harrisburg, is on the list because it’s home to the Yuengling Brewery, the country’s oldest brewery. But did you know that Pottsville is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year? You can’t get much more eclectic than this celebration with a luau, a cruise weekend, a golf tournament, a ballet, a Big Band concert, a parade featuring the Penn State University Blue Band and more.

Valley Forge, www.valley forge.org. The 3,600-acre Valley Forge National Historical Park in southeastern Pennsylvania offers an education about the difficult winter of 1777-78 when General George Washington fashioned his troops into a fighting force during the American Revolutionary War. A Welcome Center, an 18-minute film and tours through the area provide hours of fascinating history.

To read the entire article, please visit The Patriot News.

In Lancaster, Pa., the History Lessons Include Chicken Potpie
By Roger Mummert
The New York Times

Lancaster and the farm-rich county that surrounds it have a multifaceted history and a reputation for wholesome, all-you-can eat abundance. Visitors can experience a wide swath of American heritage in an active family weekend and sweeten the history lesson with a helping of the area’s hearty cuisine[…]

[…]Outside Lancaster, the fertile countryside beckons. A map inside a free vacation guide from the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau (501 Greenfield Road off Route 30 east, 800-723-8824; www.padutchcountry.com) shows miles and miles of country roads. If you veer off the main road (Route 30) onto Routes 897 or 741 and adjoining back roads, your eyes will be richly rewarded. The children can count cows and goats, giggle at wash lines filled with clothes, spot one-room schoolhouses and wave to Amish youngsters riding in buggies or zooming along on skates and scooters[…]

[…]The Strasburg Rail Road (Gap Road, Strasburg; www.strasburgrailroad.com; 717-687-7522) has been a working railroad since it began as a freight-hauling line in 1836. Today, it hauls tourists and train devotees. Visitors can board vintage train cars for a 45-minute “trip to Paradise.” Buy tickets ($9.75; ages 3 to 11, $4.75) at the century-old ticket office. The open-air cars are a delight in warm months, and you can disembark and picnic or eat lunch ($10) or dinner ($20 to $25) aboard the dining car. Across the street is the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (717-687-8628, www.rrmuseumpa.org; $7; ages 6 to 17, $5) with more than 100 historic rail cars and locomotives. An interactive education center shows how steam engines work, and visitors can operate the controls of a freight locomotive in a cab simulator as a video screen displays a local run[…]

To read the entire article, please visit The New York Times.

Pennsylvania Dutch Country
By Janene Mascarella
The Long Island Exchange

I was looking for a fun place to take the kids for a couple of days—that didn’t involve plane tickets. Something cool and different and reachable by car. So I did what most parents do these days, I hit the net. I surfed around a while for ideas and inspiration, but came up empty.

My son was playing with his ‘Thomas’ trains on the floor making such a racket, I couldn’t even think clearly. He’s obsessed with those trains—it’s a sickness, really. Anyone with young children might know the symptoms: Rattling off the names and numbers of ‘Thomas’ and his many ‘Friends’, humming that silly rail road song, a sudden invasion of wooden tracks. I tripped over one of those trains running for the phone. This gave me a brilliant idea. Some moms mentioned that kids can actually ride on a life size ‘Thomas’. The event is called A DAY OUT WITH THOMAS and it travels around the country. Maybe this little blue train that I almost broke my foot on, is a really useful engine after all. I hobbled back to the computer.
A click here and a click there—and bingo—‘Thomas’ will be at the Strasburg Rail Road. Perfect. Strasburg is located in Lancaster County, also known as Pennsylvania Dutch Country, famous for its landscape and rolling farmlands. I learned there was plenty to do: there’s the Amish, shopping, amusement parks, museums, theaters. Sure sounded fun. Not too far, definitely something different. Its official… to Lancaster County we go[…]

[…]I had no idea what a big event this was. And how crowded. Here’s another tip: make sure you buy tickets well in advance. The lines are crazy. At the Strasburg Rail Road, this event is huge. When we heard that parking would be a nightmare, we were so relieved to learn that the Netherlands Inn & Spa provided shuttle buses going back and forth to the rail road all day. Whew! We thought it would be best not to bring the stroller. Bad move. The shuttle bus left room for strollers in the front seats and when our young kids tired from walking around all day, we had to carry them, along with ten bags full of goodies and treats.

When ‘Thomas’ is in town, the event attracts nearly 50,000 people—but for kids who love that little tank engine, I assure you, they won’t be disappointed. This year, the life size ‘Thomas’ (a real train) blinks his eyes and what’s really great is you hop aboard for a 25 minute train ride through the Amish countryside. My kids were thrilled beyond words. The lines were long, the day was hot, but would I do it again? Yep. We plan to return in December when the event returns. Here are the other cool things that happen at the Strasburg Rail Road during ‘A Day Out With Thomas’. The kids can:

* Get pictures taken on Percy- a life size blow up version of Thomas’s friend.

* Learn about farm animals - with a chick hatching display – a real tractor - and other farm-related fun.

* Ride the Cranky Cars - which are just the right size for young children.

* Go on the pump cars (for the whole family)

* Take a ride on a caboose.

* Ride on a pint sized steam locomotive – the Cagney.

* Find their way through a child sized hay maze.

* Get faux tattoos of Thomas and Friends.

* Shop through an infinite number of Thomas Merchandise.

Take This Trip Tip: Do It Again In December!

We all had such a great time in Strasburg, PA—we are now making plan to return in December. Strasburg is the home of The National Christmas Center, and there are plenty of events and festivals to celebrate the Christmas season. We plan to ride Santa’s Paradise Express. December 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, and 17th, the Strasburg Rail Road transforms into a winter wonderland and the family can take a train ride with Santa! There are also carolers, musicians, storytellers and much more[…]

To read the entire article, please visit Long Island Exhange.