Centralia (Bloomsburg, Shamokin, Mount Carmel: where to stay, best hotel, how much)

[pa-expert]

hi everybody

i saw the old threads but nobody really covered this

i am planning a trip to centralia soon and have a few questions. sorry if some of these seem repetive

why dont they fill the mine with water to put out the fire
where should we go to eat, preferably italian but not more than $30 - $40 per person
what is the best hotel, preferably in town but i am NOT PICKY
i read somewhere that some of the buildings in the financial / business district have fallen down, are they still there or have they been cleared away
i read somewhere too (same place) that most of the remaining businesses are haunted, is this true??!?
there is a rumor that there is no fire???
how much are the mine tours and is it worth it, do you need respirator etc
where did they film silent hill? are there still props nearby???
is there anything else to do in town, movies shopping etc

thank you all very very much, i am so looking forward to this trip! we will spend three days in centralia, if thats not enough please let me know

thanks again

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by pa-expert

why dont they fill the mine with water to put out the fire

The only way to put it out is to dig it out, it's so extensive there is really nothing to do.

how much are the mine tours and is it worth it, do you need respirator etc

I don't know what the costs are but it's not much, maybe $10 at the most. Certainly worth it if you have never been in a mine.

You don't need respirator, they never let you in if you did. There's two concerns in coal mine. Methane which can explode and "black damp" which is mixture of CO@ and nitrogen. The coal absorbs oxygen and generates CO2, when carbon dioxide levels are high suffocation is very possible. Don't confuse this with CO poisoning which is much more lethal, with CO2 you can be overcome very quickly but fresh air is the only cure you need.

At least within the Lackawanna mine tour explanations on this will be part of the tour. I'm sure it's part of all of them. All active underground mines continuously have fresh air being pumped into them, you can see the fan on the surface they use at the Lackawanna mine tour. In addition to that the tour guides are continuously testing for it.

[pa-expert]

ok this may sound like a dumb question then but if they keep pumping fresh air into the mine, isn't that what is feeding the mine fire ???

[Dawne]

The mine tours are in Ashland, not Centralia. I don't know if everything is eventually connected underground as far as coal veins go, but the fire is not in the Ashland section where the tours are. The Ashland coal mine tour also has a short train ride you can take above ground.

There is no "downtown" Centralia any more. At best there may be a handful of houses scattered around what looks like a huge field. There are no commercial buildings and no churches. The last one was torn down a number of years ago. There are no fallen down buildings. Everything was torn down and buried or removed. There is nothing left to be haunted, just the few homes that people live in.

The closest towns are Mount Carmel to the north on Route 61 on one side of Centralia and Ashland to the south on Route 61 on the other. You may find accommodations in either of those places, but no chain hotels like Holiday Inn, etc. I know Ashland has several Italian restaurants; not sure what Mount Carmel has. I had to chuckle at "no more than $30 to $40 per person". This is a depressed area and the local restaurants are waaaay below that amount per person. Otherwise, they'd go out of business in a hurry as it's not much of a tourist area either.

I'm not sure where Silent Hill was filmed, but maybe someone else can reply to that.

I don't know that you'll find three days' worth of things to do in the area, and certainly not in Centralia itself. We drove through a couple weeks ago and did see people out walking in Centralia. You can spread out a bit further and head west (I think) on Route 42 to Bloomsburg (mall and restaurants near I-80), Catawissa and Elysburg (Knoebel's - on Route 487 off of 42) for more things to do. You can also follow Route 61 South to Frackville where there is a nice mall for shopping.

[ki0eh]

Here is a chain hotel nearby, just off I-81: Hotel In Frackville PA: Country Inn & Suites Frackville Hotel: Frackville Hotels

The Yuengling Brewery, Hawk Mountain, and Cabela's are three nearby attractions to the south and east.

[lilyflower7]

To the OP, I don't think you understand what Centrailia actually IS.

There IS no town. Not anymore - there's no financial/business district, nowhere to stay (in Centrailia), nothing. Most buildings have been torn down except for a very few that a handful of older people are living in. These might already ALSO be gone at this point. Last article I saw from last year said there were 7 people living in the town. What's left are empty streets, a possible handful of houses, cemetaries, and the mine fire underground (which IS still burning and does vent smoke at various points.)

The area - even in its heyday, was not a major metro by any regards. Time, the end of active major mining in the area and the fire have not made it into a major metro. The surrounding towns are mostly rural and do have a few things to do as people mentioned. As Centrailia never WAS directly off a major interstate (81 is the closest but it's a decent distance away) there's not the major development you'd see for towns off an interstate until you get to Frackville.

Mostly, it's not a tourist area like others said.

[pa-expert]

thanks but i was hoping to find a hotel IN town or at least within walking distance of the ruins, even if its not a chain thats ok as long as i'm under $100 a night

i read another post on here that said there was part of the town that most regular tourists dont know about, back in the woods or something, i guess with the fire the geography has changed and there are trees there now or something, anyway thats the part i guess im looking for, from what ive read thats where the businesses are and i guess most of them are struggling because theyre not on the main road anymore (highway closed = no traffic)

i don't think interstate 81 is the one that caught fire, thats a little too far away, someone said it was concrete so i envisioned a 6 or 8 lane highway, maybe elevated, concrete supports caught fire and melted, im pretty sure this was in the late 90s, i cant find the post now but i know i read it somewhere

thanks for all your help, keep those tips comin!

[ki0eh]

To "pa-expert" - once you go I do hope you'll post your reactions to the site.

[blauskies]

why dont they fill the mine with water to put out the fire

Too hot, will only generate steam.

i read somewhere that some of the buildings in the financial / business district have fallen down, are they still there or have they been cleared away

There are little if any buildings left in Centralia, though the Church there is still active.

there is a rumor that there is no fire???

Do you like the smell of sulfur?

how much are the mine tours and is it worth it, do you need respirator etc

They only offer one way mine tours in Centralia, respirator not required.

where did they film silent hill? are there still props nearby???

Movie wasn't filmed in Centralia, but I heard that Pyramid Head was spotted walking down main street last week with nothing to do.

is there anything else to do in town, movies shopping etc

Get a lawn chair and breath in the sulfur then head over to the Fun Shop in Downtown Shamokin.

[Lehigh Valley Native]

Originally Posted by pa-expert

thanks but i was hoping to find a hotel IN town or at least within walking distance of the ruins, even if its not a chain thats ok as long as i'm under $100 a night

i read another post on here that said there was part of the town that most regular tourists dont know about, back in the woods or something, i guess with the fire the geography has changed and there are trees there now or something, anyway thats the part i guess im looking for, from what ive read thats where the businesses are and i guess most of them are struggling because theyre not on the main road anymore (highway closed = no traffic)

i don't think interstate 81 is the one that caught fire, thats a little too far away, someone said it was concrete so i envisioned a 6 or 8 lane highway, maybe elevated, concrete supports caught fire and melted, im pretty sure this was in the late 90s, i cant find the post now but i know i read it somewhere

thanks for all your help, keep those tips comin!

You are in luck. The anthracite inn and resort just opened in downtown centraila, it's located next to the ruins of Interstate 66, which as you mentioned is the 8 lane super highway that is sinking into the pit of burning coal. Often the locals sit here and roast marshmallows on the red hot rebar.

Rumor has it that they are building a hot springs resort that uses the heat from the mine fire to heat the mud pits for the guests to soak in. Sulfur mud takes 5 years off your complexion.

Finally, don't miss the dante inferno exhibit. It is an elevator that takes you down hundreds of feet underground for a first hand look at the mine fire.