Things to Do Near Route 209 in Pennsylvania (Erie, York: houses, shops)

[mbenay]

My husband and I will be driving from Connecticut to Newport, PA for vacation, and we'd like to go by an interesting route. In the past, we've traveled from east to west through PA on Route 6 right through to Erie, and really enjoyed it, but this time, we'd like to try a different route that's not an interstate, and that seems to be Route 209.

We're leaving an extra few days for the drive so we can meander along roads on route. Can anyone recommend stuff to do along or near Route 209 going from New York through to Newport, PA? We like good scenery, but we also like a little more variety, such as old closed factories that make for photographic opportunities, junk stores where we can spend a few hours, funky stores, interesting museums, or other interesting stops.

Thank you!
mbenay

[Gettingouttahere]

I am not sure where you'll pick up 209 -- my guess, looking at Google Maps, is that you'll pick it up in Matamoras, NY/Milford, PA, and head south from there.

You'll find some antique shops in Milford, along with Grey Towers -- the home of Gifford Pinchot, the first U.S. Forest Service head. Nice grounds and tour there.

Milford is along the Delaware River and the northern entrance to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Great drive south on 209 through the park. Stop at Dingman's Falls and Raymondskill Falls -- entrances off 209, free, short stroll to nice waterfalls. All kinds of wildlife and pulloffs to river beaches (fee) along the way.

Once out of the park, 209 gets touristy and blech for a while. Go through Stroudsburg (stay on Business 209, not the bypass) -- nice Main Street with some outdoor cafes and such if you get hungry. Starbucks there for refueling.

Keep going south on 209, through Broadheadsville, and on to Jim Thorpe. Great little town nestled in the mountains on the Lehigh River. The jail that held the Molly Maguires is here - movie might ring a bell? Great artsy shops, etc. Scenic railroad tour through the Lehigh River Gorge. Nice lake - Mauch Chunk Park - is up the hill from the borough. Lots of B&Bs if you decide to stay the night.

After that, you're now out of my stomping grounds. Hope someone else can chime in with other suggestions farther south.

HTH

[CarbonCountyLiving]

Originally Posted by Gettingouttahere

I am not sure where you'll pick up 209 -- my guess, looking at Google Maps, is that you'll pick it up in Matamoras, NY/Milford, PA, and head south from there.

You'll find some antique shops in Milford, along with Grey Towers -- the home of Gifford Pinchot, the first U.S. Forest Service head. Nice grounds and tour there.

Milford is along the Delaware River and the northern entrance to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Great drive south on 209 through the park. Stop at Dingman's Falls and Raymondskill Falls -- entrances off 209, free, short stroll to nice waterfalls. All kinds of wildlife and pulloffs to river beaches (fee) along the way.

Once out of the park, 209 gets touristy and blech for a while. Go through Stroudsburg (stay on Business 209, not the bypass) -- nice Main Street with some outdoor cafes and such if you get hungry. Starbucks there for refueling.

Keep going south on 209, through Broadheadsville, and on to Jim Thorpe. Great little town nestled in the mountains on the Lehigh River. The jail that held the Molly Maguires is here - movie might ring a bell? Great artsy shops, etc. Scenic railroad tour through the Lehigh River Gorge. Nice lake - Mauch Chunk Park - is up the hill from the borough. Lots of B&Bs if you decide to stay the night.

After that, you're now out of my stomping grounds. Hope someone else can chime in with other suggestions farther south.

HTH

And don't forget Country Junction, the World's Largest General Store, is about 5 miles before Jim Thorpe

About 30-40 minutes south of Jim Thorpe you'll run into Pottsville. Be aware that before that, you might run into a detour around Tamaqua (not sure if that's still in effect). In Pottsville you can tour the Yuengling Brewery:

http://www.yuengling.com/

After that there isn't much. 209 takes you on to a few podunk towns in Dauphin County, and I'm not really sure after that. It's not the gem that Route 6 is, that's for sure.

[rsrobbins]

I visited an interesting museum on Route 209 just last week, the Frazetta Art Museum. Frank Frazetta was an artist famous for his artwork on the covers of science fiction and fantasy novels. You may have seen his work on the covers of Edgar Rice Burroughs or Conan the Barbarian paperback novels. The museum has his original paintings. There are detailed directions on the web site and I suggest you use Google Street View to plan your route. Coming from the east, you should pass Country Kettle before reaching the Frazetta Art Museum but if you pass Pocono Candle then you've gone too far.

[Gettingouttahere]

Yup, Frazetta's is in East Stroudsburg, kind of hard to see coming from the north. You have to kind of loop around the block, as the road splits into one-way and is divided by a block of houses & ESSA bank. I forgot all about it -- we only think about it at Halloween

And how could I forget Country Junkyard, as my then-toddler daughter referred to it?!!

[CarbonCountyLiving]

Originally Posted by Gettingouttahere

Yup, Frazetta's is in East Stroudsburg, kind of hard to see coming from the north. You have to kind of loop around the block, as the road splits into one-way and is divided by a block of houses & ESSA bank. I forgot all about it -- we only think about it at Halloween

And how could I forget Country Junkyard, as my then-toddler daughter referred to it?!!

Haha, Country Junkyard--that's a fitting name for it! I swear they have tried to sell the same stupid snowman stakes for the past couple of years. It's a snowman with a sign that reads "see you next year!"

[mbenay]

Thanks so much for the info! I'm putting all these stops on our map so we make sure not to miss them. As Route 6 devotees, we were concerned that Route 209 might be a bit dull, but it sounds like it will be fun.

[psurangers11]

I could be wrong but the ride through Milford, PA could be quite boring and long... but once you get towards Bushkill/Marshalls Creek you'll start to see a lot more stuff. You can also check out the Pocono Indian Museum!

www.poconoindianmuseumonline.com

Want a place to go "sight seeing"? Check out the East Stroudsburg Wal-Mart! Full of interesting locals.... lol, jk.

[Flaneuropa]

I second the Jim Thorpe and Pottsville stops.

Jim Thorpe- Old Jail Museum, abandoned train tunnel that you can walk through, funky shops, absinthe bar, haunted mansions etc.

Pottsville- Yuengling Brewery and take a side trip to Centralia, the abandoned town where the underground coal fire still burns

[LVBuzzbear]

No one mentioned Bushkill Falls. This is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon but be prepared to hike up and down a lot of steps! Check out their website.