tioga/potter county (Wellsboro, Penn: for sale, hotels, construction)

[chuck172]

I haven't been in the Wellsboro area for about 5 years. Really liked the area. Thinking of going out there for about 3 days.
I've heard about the shale oil work going on. Is it that bad? Should I make plans elsewhere?

[ki0eh]

What are your favored activities? The gas affects traffic on major roads and variable effects on minor roads. The gas companies have fixed some roads better than they ever were. Drilling in Tioga State Forest hasn't yet impacted the major visitor areas although there are seasonal water withdrawal points on upper Pine Creek. The major impact is on accommodation, hotels are more expensive than they used to be.

[chuck172]

how bout the town of Wellsboro itself? Has the boom changed the quaint, small town in anyway?

[PAhippo]

other than the housing cost and/or availability, as kiOeh mentioned, I don't think you'd notice much difference on a 3 day visit. Except maybe the traffic but if you actually stay in town and walk, it should be enjoyable.

You might call ahead for reservations for where you want to stay.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by chuck172

how bout the town of Wellsboro itself? Has the boom changed the quaint, small town in anyway?

Yes it has in many ways. Thousands of new people have come through here to work the gas fields and many of them brought their own problems. With all of the construction it adds tons of construction related issues such as traffic, noise, lights, etc.

I had a friend visit here recently from overseas who had been here 5 years ago. To him, not much had changed. It's not like they laid waste to main street and leveled the place. From a tourist point of view, it shouldn't impact you too severely.

Also this year Shell has cut way back on the number of wells they are doing and it has noticeably slowed down right after the beginning of the year. Traffic is more reasonable again, hotels are showing vacancies and the number of people about is less. However the weather is warming up and days are longer and I expect it to pick up some over summer as it always does. Looks like they are starting up some pipeline work west of town.

If you are coming up soon, be aware STPR rally weekend is June 1-2, which will bring a couple of thousand motorsport enthusiasts to town. I'd recommend STPR to anyone interested in motorsports and getting out into the forest. There is more to motorsports than Nascar.

STPR - Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR)

Check out this awesome video from last year:


13 - A short film from STPR 2011 by Gravity Bureau - YouTube

Also rafting/canoeing season on Pine Creek probably has about 2 weeks left to go unless we get more rain.

[chuck172]

How about further west to Potters county. Any nice affordable hotels in a real scenic spot?

[ki0eh]

Potato City Country Inn

Susquehannock Lodge, Potter County, Pennsylvania

I've never been to either but have known people to stay at both without complaining.

[chuck172]

Well we finally made it back up Wellsboro. It's been about 5 years. Last time the area left a tranquil impression, loved it.
First stop was the route 6 dinner. My wife and I both had cheesburgers with fries.
After dessert and coffee, the bill with tip came out to near $40.00. I heard from some locals that the diner has new owners and they are looking to clean up with raised prices. The fries were awful, the pie and ice cream dessert was good.
The drive on Route 6 out to Tioga/Potter was horrible. The area is booming. Trucks, businesses workers all over the place. Help wanted signs wherever you look. Traffic and noise. The area really has changed. Great for the local economy, I'm glad for them.
We cut our visit down to one day and night. Couldn't wait to get back to Sussex County NJ!

[Evergrey]

What is Sussex County like?

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by chuck172

Well we finally made it back up Wellsboro. It's been about 5 years. Last time the area left a tranquil impression, loved it.
First stop was the route 6 dinner. My wife and I both had cheesburgers with fries.
After dessert and coffee, the bill with tip came out to near $40.00. I heard from some locals that the diner has new owners and they are looking to clean up with raised prices. The fries were awful, the pie and ice cream dessert was good.
The drive on Route 6 out to Tioga/Potter was horrible. The area is booming. Trucks, businesses workers all over the place. Help wanted signs wherever you look. Traffic and noise. The area really has changed. Great for the local economy, I'm glad for them.
We cut our visit down to one day and night. Couldn't wait to get back to Sussex County NJ!

Thanks for posting this: I cut and paste your comments and emailed them to my wife. We are veteran visitors to Wellsboro; I've been going there since 1994. We have some great memories in our nearly six years together, including kicking off our honeymoon there. I'm very sad to hear that one of the bed and breakfasts that we always stayed at, La Belle Au Berge, is either up for sale or has been sold. I can't get over your experience at the dinor. Last time we ate there in 2008, we walked out just a little over 18 dollars.