Pennsylvania
3
Day Itinerary •
USA
Three days in Pennsylvania gives you the essential Keystone State experience, from the extraordinary historic core of Philadelphia, the birthplace of American democracy and home of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, to the magnificent Pocono Mountains and the extraordinary Amish Country of Lancaster County. This route covers the heart of Pennsylvania. The extraordinary Independence Hall and Reading Terminal Market of Philadelphia, the finest cheesesteak in America, the remarkable covered bridge country of Lancaster County with its Amish farm stands and the extraordinary Fallingwater house, the finest work of architecture in America.
Best Time To Visit
April to June or September to November
Getting There
Fly into Philadelphia International (PHL)
Getting Around
SEPTA in Philadelphia. Rental car for Lancaster and Fallingwater.
Budget Per Day
Approx $120 to $200 per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, mostly walking and driving
DAY 1
PHILADELPHIA
MORNING
INDEPENDENCE HALL AND THE LIBERTY BELL, THE BIRTHPLACE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
Independence Hall is the most extraordinary historic building in America, the site where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4 1776 and the United States Constitution was signed in September 1787, making it the birthplace of the American republic and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Liberty Bell in its adjacent pavilion, with its extraordinary crack and the inscription from Leviticus, is the most visited artifact of American freedom. Both free, timed entry tickets required for Independence Hall. Drive: 20 min walk
MIDDAY
READING TERMINAL MARKET, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY FOOD MARKET IN PHILADELPHIA
Reading Terminal Market is the most extraordinary public market in Philadelphia, its extraordinary 1892 train shed housing over 80 vendors of Pennsylvania Dutch baked goods, Amish farm produce, local cheeses, fresh seafood, Bassetts ice cream and the finest Pennsylvania Dutch cooking in the city. The Down Home Diner, the Pennsylvania General Store and the extraordinary Amish stands from Lancaster County operating Thursday through Saturday are unmissable. Free to enter. Drive: 15 min walk
AFTERNOON
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART AND THE ROCKY STEPS
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is the most extraordinary art museum in Pennsylvania, its extraordinary collection of over 240,000 works including the finest collection of Pennsylvania German decorative arts in America, a remarkable Impressionist wing and the extraordinary Arms and Armor galleries. The iconic steps immortalized in the Rocky film give the finest view of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Barnes Foundation nearby has the most extraordinary Renoir collection in the world. Museum entry approx $25.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Elfreth's Alley in Philadelphia is the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in America, its extraordinary 32 homes dating from 1702 to 1836 giving the finest preserved colonial streetscape in the United States. Free to walk at any time. The most extraordinary hidden gem in Philadelphia's historic district.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Famous 4th Street Cookie Company, Society Hill The finest cookies and pastries in Philadelphia. Extraordinary rugelach, black and white cookies and strong coffee. | Lunch: Reading Terminal Market The most extraordinary food market lunch in Pennsylvania. Amish pretzels, DiNic's roast pork and Bassetts ice cream. | Dinner: Zahav, Philadelphia The most celebrated restaurant in Philadelphia. Extraordinary modern Israeli cuisine. Book months ahead.
DAY 2
LANCASTER COUNTY AMISH COUNTRY
MORNING
LANCASTER COUNTY AMISH COUNTRY AND COVERED BRIDGES
Lancaster County is the most extraordinary Amish community in America, its extraordinary landscape of rolling farmland worked by horse and buggy, quilt shops, roadside farm stands selling fresh vegetables and baked goods and the finest concentration of covered wooden bridges in the eastern United States giving a journey entirely unlike any other in Pennsylvania. The Intercourse and Bird-in-Hand communities are the most authentic. The Hans Herr House is the oldest surviving Mennonite meetinghouse in America. Free to drive. Drive: 1.5 hr drive
MIDDAY
LANDIS VALLEY VILLAGE AND FARM MUSEUM
Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum is the most extraordinary living history farm museum in Pennsylvania, its extraordinary collection of 18th and 19th-century Pennsylvania German buildings, craftspeople demonstrating traditional skills and heritage breed livestock giving the finest insight into Lancaster County's German immigrant heritage. The heirloom seed program preserves the most extraordinary collection of Pennsylvania Dutch vegetable varieties in existence. Entry approx $14. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
BIRD-IN-HAND FARM STANDS AND AMISH QUILTS
The Bird-in-Hand area of Lancaster County is the most extraordinary rural shopping experience in Pennsylvania, its extraordinary network of Amish and Mennonite roadside stands selling fresh produce, handmade quilts, Lebanon bologna, shoofly pie and the finest soft pretzels in America directly from the farm. The Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market is the finest indoor market in Lancaster County. The extraordinary covered bridge at Herr's Mill Road is the finest in the county. Most stands free to browse.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Ephrata Cloister near Lancaster is the finest hidden historic site in Pennsylvania, its extraordinary 1732 German religious community buildings the oldest surviving communal religious settlement in America, with remarkable medieval German architecture entirely unlike anything else in the eastern United States. Entry approx $10.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant The finest Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast in Lancaster County. Extraordinary scrapple, eggs and shoofly pie. | Lunch: Miller's Smorgasbord, Ronks The most legendary Pennsylvania Dutch buffet in Lancaster County since 1929. Extraordinary local dishes. | Dinner: The Inn at Leola Village The finest restaurant in Lancaster County. Extraordinary local Pennsylvania produce in a historic inn.
DAY 3
FALLINGWATER AND THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS
MORNING
FALLINGWATER, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY HOUSE IN AMERICA
Fallingwater is the most extraordinary work of residential architecture in America, Frank Lloyd Wright's extraordinary 1939 house built directly over a waterfall on Bear Run creek in the Laurel Highlands of southwestern Pennsylvania in a cantilevered composition of reinforced concrete terraces and native sandstone that the American Institute of Architects named the finest American building of the 20th century. The guided tour gives the most extraordinary access to Wright's masterpiece. Entry approx $30. Book ahead. Drive: 2 hr drive
MIDDAY
OHIOPYLE STATE PARK AND THE YOUGHIOGHENY RIVER GORGE
Ohiopyle State Park is the most extraordinary whitewater park in the eastern United States, its extraordinary Youghiogheny River gorge giving the finest Class III to V whitewater rafting on the east coast. The natural waterslides at Meadow Run are the most extraordinary free swimming experience in Pennsylvania. The Ferncliff Natural Area peninsula loop trail through the extraordinary river gorge is the finest short hike in the Laurel Highlands. Entry free, rafting tours approx $35. Drive: 15 min drive
AFTERNOON
KENTUCK KNOB, WRIGHT'S HIDDEN MASTERPIECE
Kentuck Knob is the most extraordinary hidden Frank Lloyd Wright house in Pennsylvania, its extraordinary 1956 Usonian house of tidewater cypress and sandstone on a Laurel Highlands ridge above the Youghiogheny valley entirely different in character from the famous Fallingwater below yet equally extraordinary in its integration with the surrounding forest. The sculpture park surrounding the house contains works by Andy Goldsworthy and Richard Serra. Entry approx $22.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Laurel Caverns near Farmington is the finest cave in Pennsylvania, its extraordinary 3-mile cave system open for spelunking tours through narrow passages and large chambers entirely unlike the developed commercial caves of the state. Entry approx $15. The most extraordinary hidden adventure in the Laurel Highlands.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Summit Inn Resort dining room Extraordinary Laurel Highlands breakfast before Fallingwater. Local Pennsylvania eggs and strong coffee. | Lunch: Falls Market Restaurant, Ohiopyle Outstanding casual lunch beside the Youghiogheny River falls. Local Pennsylvania cuisine and craft beer. | Dinner: Lautrec, Nemacolin Resort The finest restaurant in the Laurel Highlands. Extraordinary local Pennsylvania cuisine and outstanding wine.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Philadelphia, Night 1 The Logan or Hotel Monaco Philadelphia. Approx $150 to $280 per night. Lancaster County, Night 2 Fulton Steamboat Inn or Inn at Leola Village. Approx $120 to $200 per night. Ohiopyle or Uniontown, Night 3 Ohiopyle State Park camping or Summit Inn Resort. Approx $80 to $160 per night.
Top Tips
1. Book Fallingwater tours at fallingwater.org weeks ahead. The in-depth tour gives the most extraordinary experience.
2. Philadelphia cheesesteaks: Pat's and Geno's are famous but Jim's on South Street is the finest quality.
3. Reading Terminal Market is free to enter. Arrive at 9am on Saturday for the finest Amish vendor selection.
4. Lancaster County covered bridges: the Hans Herr House and Landis Valley Museum are the finest hidden stops.
5. Ohiopyle State Park whitewater on the Youghiogheny River is the finest in the eastern United States. Book ahead.
6. Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary is the most extraordinary historic prison in America. Entry approx $17.
Total Budget
$120 to $200/day