Unusual Tourist Attractions In Pennsylvania

In Disneyworld “It’s a Small World,” but in Shippensburg Pennsylvania it’s a “Tiny World.” At Shippensburg you’ll be greeted by the Medieval gates that beckon your entry into Tiny World.

Now one note of caution when approaching this area use plenty of caution driving as you’re apt to find a cat or two running across the road and you wouldn’t want to hit them!

Why so many cat’s in the area you ask? Well that’s because Ernest an 82 year old man is the creator of this tiny city and it was created for… you guessed it “the cats.” It started back in the 1980’s when Ernest built his first Victorian cat house and since then it’s simply grown. Now there’s a general store, log cabins, a gas station, train station, church, Courthouse, farm, and firehouse. You’ve just got to see it to believe it!

In Somerset Pennsylvania you’ll find Quecreek Mine Rescue Memorial Site. If you think your job sucks you might have a whole new perspective after touring this mine disaster memorial.

Here you’ll find statues and road side markers in coal and mineral regions throughout the US where miners died from flooding, explosion, fire, toxic gas, cave ins, and a host of other inadequate safety reasons for the high fatalities in the industry.

But there’s some great news here. On July 24th 2002 there were 18 miners from the Black Wolf Coal Company working in Quecreek Mine. They were working with a map that was not accurate so they inadvertently broke through a wall that resulted in the #1 Mine being filled with water trapping 9 of the miners.

Rescue began immediately and above ground GPS was used to try to determine their exact whereabouts. Once they were located a narrow hole was drilled down 240 feet to where the miners were so that air could be forced into the chamber to hold the water back. Then pumps were set up at the entrance to remove the water. After 77 hours all of the miners were retrieved alive and suffering from only minor injuries.

Today Quecreek Minor Rescue Memorial is located at the site where the rescue shaft where the minors were hauled to safety. You’ll also find a 7 foot bronze statue of a minor with a small slope down to a cylinder grate next to him. There are many artifacts around the field all with signed to explain their importance. This is a is an amazing place recognizing both the good and bad in mining rescues.

Now everyone young or old loves a chance to doodle with a Crayola crayon so what better vacation destination than the Crayola Factory in Easton Pennsylvania. Okay it’s not really a factory but under a giant box of spilled crayons you’ll find the most unique family experience!

This is a place to discover! It’s a three story building that also houses the Two Rivers Landing Museum and the National Canal Museum, as well as the Crayola experience which calls the middle floor home.

You’ll learn all about the process involved in manufacturing crayons and you’ll even learn that crayons aren’t toxic, infact the demo partners will prove it to you by eating crayons. The Crayola Factory has several stations that are appealing and fun for the kids. This is a child proof and child safe area where your kids can have a blast. Don’t miss it. And yes Mom and Dad you can play with the Crayola crayons too!

Now Philadelphia is home to one of those more “gruesome” attractions while at the same time being absolutely fascinating. Here you’ll find the Mutter Museum where you’ll be spellbound by the incredible sights and medical monstrosities. This is actually ran by the College of Physicians and is designed as an educational tool where you can discover about the anomalies in the human body. Perhaps not suitable for younger children.

You’ll see the plaster cast of Chang and Eng and their actual attached livers. You’ll see the collection of over 2000 objects people have swallowed and doctors have removed. You’ll view pickled brains of epileptics and murderers. You’ll get to vies Grover Cleveland’s secret tumor and John Booth’s thorax. Oh wait that’s not all! There’s the giant colon that actually looks like one of those creatures you’d find in a scary sci-fi. Yes it’s real folks! And there is just so much more but we’ll leave the rest to your imagination and your visit. Unbelievable!

The Pagoda stands on a mountain in Reading Pennsylvania. This Pagoda has no affiliation with the Asian community. Instead it was the creation of William Witman back in the early 1900s. His inspiration was a postcard. It was completed in 1908 and it’s a whopping 72 feet tall made of Japanese brick complete with a temple bell imported from Japan.

You can see it right across town. And although Witman’s dream for it to become a luxurious hotel never materialized it certainly has become a landmark. It’s served many functions over the year from snack bar to radio transmitter. Don’t miss out on this chance to experience one of the most historic and unusual buildings in the US.

Fun, wacky, and unusual – Pennsylvania has it all to offer! And of course there are many other more traditional attractions that are worth seeing but these few will keep you talking for years to come. Don’t be surprised if your friends don’t believe you. They’ll have to visit Pennsylvania to see it for themselves!

Aura Mirchandani is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory.