Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is a varied state. There’s mining, mountains, universities, and colonial history. Take a cable car up Mt. Washington for a great view of Pittsburgh from above. In town see the biggest museum in the U.S. dedicated to one artist, hometown pop artist Andy Warhol. Philadelphia’s Second Bank of the US building now houses the National Portrait Gallery with paintings from the top artists from the time of the American Revolution. The Liberty Bell, ironically created in London, was designed to commemorate freedom by ringing on important occasions, including the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Independence Square. Currently, more tourists come to see the cracked chime at the Liberty Bell Center than any other attraction in Philadelphia.

The University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania houses extraordinary antiquities. Go to Valley Forge to see where George Washington and his troops camped during a particularly challenging winter of the Revolutionary War. The Crossing of the Delaware is almost an hour east, outside of Trenton, New Jersey. If you’ve got kids, a visit to the Crayola Factory in Easton should be entertaining for all of you. The stiff and stressed-out may benefit from a stay at the Himalayan Institute in Honesdale near the Poconos. Some yoga classes and Ayurvedic treatments should help improve one’s whole health. It’s also near some beautiful hiking.

Amish offerings include shoofly pie, generous buffets, and hamloaf; in Philly they love cheesesteak; and Hershey’s chocolate is ever-popular. You can get vegetarian and vegan food at multiuse cafes and even in an antique store in Pittsburgh. There’s baba ghanoush, Vietnamese tofu dishes, and Caribbean cuisine in a fun environment. Philly’s got it all, from falafel to pierogi to Mexican to Burmese. Local, organic ingredients, grass-fed burgers, and whole grains are all available. Get some locally-grown fruit on your sundae down the street from Independence Hall!