Pennsylvania Getaways: Harrisburg & The Poconos

Hey friends! For today’s post, I am going to continue our little adventure through scenic Pennsylvania. We’ll make a brief stop in the state’s capital for some good music before visiting a region renowned for its access to the great outdoors. So, go grab some tea or coffee and get settled in a comfy place. Ready? Ok! Let’s get started.

Harrisburg

Our stop in Harrisburg in mid-October was brief, our long journey there flanked by picturesque scenery, fall foliage, and political campaign billboards for the, then, upcoming Presidential election. Pennsylvania is a “battleground” state in the political sense and the increase in campaign signage for both major political parties compared to New Jersey’s amount was not subtle.

Anyway… back to Harrisburg. Equipped with two Trampled by Turtles concert tickets, a new car that actually works (RIP Silver Bullet), and a hotel reservation downtown, we were lured by the music. The city welcomed us with a majestic view of the state capitol building and complex on our way, which, in hindsight, we probably should have paid a dedicated visit to as it was a spectacle of its own.

Lodging

Judging from the map, the Hilton Harrisburg looked like it would be a close enough walk to the concert venue, XL Live. We checked into the hotel after navigating the labyrinthine parking situation and spent a longer than usual amount of time at check-in due to a friendly reservation agent who was very nice and even gave us some complimentary bags of chocolates upon checking in. As a frequent Hilton guest and Silver member, the chocolates were new, but were definitely a nice touch! We checked into our room, changed for the show, and got to work hunting down a cozy spot for a quick dinner.

Dinner

McGrath’s Pub fit the bill and was a short walk from our hotel. On our walk there through downtown Harrisburg, on a Friday evening- mind, it seemed a little strange to us that there were not many people out. Still, the pub was a welcoming respite after our long drive and we snagged a couple open seats at the bar and ordered some drinks and dinner. McGrath’s had quick, friendly service, a good draft selection, and standard pub fare, which is just what we were looking for. I also enjoyed the warm, comfortable ambiance, pretty stained glass windows behind the bar, and the sculptural light fixture above us that was adorned with various retired tap handles.

The Show

After dinner, we made a quick stop to stow our leftovers in our room and then headed right back out to walk to XL Live. Harrisburg is, perhaps, just not a walking city. On our twenty minute walk to the venue, we only saw three people and also had to turn on our flashlights for one particularly dark section. Still, despite the somewhat eerie walk, the closer we got to the venue, the more excited I got to see the show! We made an agreement to take a rideshare back to our hotel if we didn’t see other people walking toward downtown after the concert and then got in line to go inside the venue.

Walking into XL Live reminded me of walking into the Starland Ballroom at sixteen to see The Academy Is… for the first time. The hot static of nostalgia tingled my neck and made me smile in the way one might when they just can’t help it. I was excited to finally see a band that I’d been listening to for over a decade, hear songs that have been both entertainment and medicine, see the musicians who made it all happen with their calloused fingertips and Minnesota influences. Mike grabbed us some PBRs (or Pabst for those who call it by its other name) from the bar as the opener finished their set and then we wormed our way to the center of the crowd to get a better view of the stage.

The show was everything I hoped it would be and more. We were happy to hear a lot of the band’s older material along with the new material they were touring, from their EP, Always Here. If you haven’t experienced bluegrass or think you don’t like the genre, I suggest giving this band a listen. The talent can’t be ignored, Dave Simonett’s lyrics are poetry, and it’s evident that the guys are just having a lot of fun performing together. Some particular highlights for us to hear live were Kelly’s Bar and Wait So Long, though perhaps the most mesmerizing spectacle of all was the mandolin player’s hair blowing dramatically in the breeze from the fan at his feet- simply breathtaking.

After the show, more than three people were walking back towards downtown so we chose to walk too. Energized by the show and wanting to stretch the night, we headed back to our tried and true McGrath’s in want of one more drink before turning in. I opted for an Old Fashioned to compliment the evening’s spirit of nostalgia. It didn’t disappoint.

The Delaware Water Gap & The Poconos:

We left Harrisburg the next morning, having done what we’d come to do, and made our way back east to the Mount Minsi trailhead on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware Water Gap. The parking at the trailhead was crowded and there were no spots until about ten minutes after we arrived. It was what we expected since we did not arrive very early in the morning, like most trail guides recommend. After securing a coveted spot, we enjoyed a little lunch to fuel up for our hike- some Wawa hoagies and fruit, then laced up our hiking boots and got started on the trail, doing our best to decipher the mostly-downloaded trail guide as we did to make sure we were headed in the right direction.

We have wanted to hike Mount Minsi since hiking its neighbor, Mount Tammany, across the Delaware back in 2021. It’s funny how sometimes you just don’t quite get around to doing the things you’ve been wanting to do, isn’t it? Well, it felt good to finally get around to this and to be in good enough shape to complete the hike comfortably. Our adventure up the little mountain took us to a couple of scenic view points- one of which mirrored the lookout on Mount Tammany (pictured above) that we had climbed to three and a half years earlier. We also wound our way through multiple rhododendron tunnels and up and down a few minor rock scrambles. We saw exactly one snake, which was one more snake than I had hoped to see, once we were almost done with the hike and that provided a good little startle. We hopped back in the car, freeing up our spot for another one waiting and headed out for yet another bout of hiking elsewhere.

Bushkill Falls

I’ll lead off by saying I didn’t know exactly what to expect pulling into the parking lot of Bushkill Falls. The entrance to the trail had an off-brand theme park vibe that I felt a little resistant to at first, being in a great outdoors mindset for the day. There were multiple buildings, among them a ticket office, visitor’s center, souvenir shops, an apparel shop, fudge kitchen, snack bar, playground, maze, picnic area, and restrooms. There was a silhouette cutout of Bigfoot by the ticket office, proposing the challenge to observant visitors to find two others like him along the trails. The place was also swarmed with families. Had it been a mistake to come to this woodsy Disneyland among the trees? The cost to access the trails to the waterfalls seemed pretty steep at first at $20 each. I think I went in feeling prepared for it not to live up to the price and then I saw the staircases and it all made sense.

Every day at Bushkill Falls is leg day, my friends. The park has an extensive system of winding, wooden staircases and bridges that provide access to beautiful views of the park’s multiple waterfalls. These staircases must require constant maintenance, which explained the ticket price right of the bat, and even made twenty bucks seem like a bit of a bargain.

The grandest of the waterfalls is located right at the beginning of the trail and is aptly named “Main Falls”. If you are looking for a fun outing with your kids, you could spend a decent amount of time just in the park’s entry area and viewing Main Falls without too much grumbling from the kiddos or the less actively inclined participants in your group. We, however, were looking to put some distance between ourselves and the crowds and headed down the stairs of the “red trail” toward the nature trails.

Once we passed a sign that advertised that what lay beyond were trails intended for experienced hikers only, the crowds died down a lot. We passed more people than we did on our walks in Harrisburg to and from XL Live, but had little portions of the trail completely to ourselves. Shortly into the nature trail, we found a Bigfoot silhouette and I couldn’t resist asking Mike to snap these photos before thanking him for putting up with me.

We realized the distances depicted on the map provided by the Visitor’s Center did not accurately represent the actual distances between each waterfall and lookout, nor their actual location on the side of the creek. It made for a journey that kept us a little on our toes and each discrepancy we came across provided a little comic relief. Once we got closer to a waterfall called “Bridesmaid’s Falls”, we caught a glimpse of herds of creatures in their natural habitat. The Poconos are, after all, a popular destination for bachelorette parties. I, myself, can recall more than one occasion of traipsing around the region with a “Bride Tribe” Shot Glass Necklace and even a green wig, in one case. I suppose the name of this waterfall was a particular draw for these herds of women along with one further along called “Bridal Veil Falls”. Bushkill knows its market, I guess.

We ended our hike with a scenic view of the Delaware Valley which had not yet fully blossomed with fall color, but still provided a picturesque sight (and another silhouette of Bigfoot!). With tired muscles from miles and miles of inclined walking over the course of one day, we headed back to the car, which was good an dirty by this point, and drove to our final stop to check into our hotel.

Stroudsburg

We checked into The Penn Stroud in downtown Stroudsburg where our room was comfortable, though the lighting was a bit stark for my taste. If it were up to me, Bright White lightbulbs would be reserved for medical facilities, research labs, emergency exits, and nowhere else. The Penn Stroud, however, seemed to have a different opinion of them and used them in abundance. There was a desk lamp in the room, so we switched that baby on and that provided relief from the bright-as-day lighting. We freshened up and headed back out for dinner.

We tried out Farmhouse Mainstreet in downtown Stroudsburg, which had a very different menu to the all-day brunch menu posted on their website, but we decided to still give it a shot. It looked cozy with a distressed vintage vibe in the pictures online and even would have been if bright-as-day lights weren’t trending in Stroudsburg. I ordered the Apple Arugula Salad with Chicken which was delicious and Mike ordered something that tasted much less impressive. The service was weird and the servers seemed annoyed with one another, which was uncomfortable as diners, but my cocktail and meal were delicious so it could just be that we came on an off day. I hope so.

After dinner, we headed down the street to Down River Brewing Company. The brewery was set deep within a fluorescent lit indoor mall type place and we instantly turned around upon seeing it was karaoke night. Now, I’m a fan of karaoke sometimes, but it wasn’t what we were looking for on a Saturday night on our little weekend away. We switched gears and headed to Finola’s Irish Pub, finally finding a place that suited the ambiance we were craving.

At Finola’s, my perfectly poured pint of Guinness picked up my spirits as we sat there at the bar, puzzled by Saturday night in Stroudsburg (and Friday night in Harrisburg). I followed my Guinness with a non-alcoholic beer to stretch the night a little further before we headed back to our hotel for some much needed sleep after our long day of driving and hiking.

The previous evening’s track record left me a little wary of brunch that Sunday, but there was no need for that whatsoever. The Cure Cafe was a cozy little spot on Main Street that had us leaving Stroudsburg on a high note. We sat outside, bundled up in our jackets and I had my first coffee since May (five months with no coffee- I’m still in disbelief) and enjoyed every sip of it alongside my breakfast. With achy leg muscles, full bellies, and a family birthday party to get to, we got back in the car and headed out, leaving the Poconos behind us until next time.

If you are enjoying these little PA travel journals, great, because there’s one more to come! If not, bear with me and I’ll be sure to write some strictly cozy posts soon. Thanks for reading and have a cozy day! 💖