Remember bemoaning how bored you were on the weekends or during vacation when you were a kid? Boredom and Pennsylvania certainly don’t mix when you become an adult, especially with all of the adventure that awaits in our beautiful state. Turn the rest of your year into one of adventure with this epic adventure bucket list in Pennsylvania.
(To read more about each attraction below, click on the highlighted headline.)
- Treetop Adventures at Elmwood Park Zoo – 1661 Harding Boulevard, Norristown, PA 19401
Elmood Park Zoo Play among the trees when you visit Elmwood Park Zoo. Embark on a thrilling full or half Treetop Zoofari at the zoo’s spectacular Treetop Adventures. Fly high above the zoo’s animals on zip lines. Travel from tree to tree on a thin rope and through hoops on this non-stop adventure. More of a night owl? Treetop Adventures also offers a nighttime course for night owls.
- Appalachian Express Coaster – 243 Resort Drive, Tannersville, PA 18372
Facebook/Camelback Lodge & Indoor Waterpark Get ready for a breathtaking ride - with spectacular views of the lush Pocono Mountains - on the Appalachian Express Mountain Coaster at Cambelback Mountain Adventures. Fly down hills and zip around corners on the only mountain coaster in Pennsylvania. Kids 3 and older are permitted to ride the thrill ride, which operates most of the year, and drivers must be at least nine years old and four feet four inches tall.
- Timber Creek Tap & Table – 11191 Highline Drive, Meadville, PA 16335
Facebook/Timber Creek Tap & Table You’re likely to work up quite an appetite during your adventure, which makes Timber Creek Tap & Table a perfect destination. Enjoy a scrumptious meal - surf and turf, fish and chips, or steak - paired with a a beer brewed right at the restaurant. Opt for a seat at the bar so you can look down through the glass floor below you as the beer is brewed.
- Ghost Town Trail – Indiana County
Indiana County Parks Pack bottles of water and lace up your hiking boots for a journey along the Ghost Town Trail, which covers a total of 36 miles through Indiana and Cambria counties. Hike all or part of the spectacular trail that will take you past such historic sites as the former coal town of Wehrum and Eliza Furnace in Vintondale.
- Dinosaurs Alive at Dorney Park – 3830 Dorney Park Road, Allentown, PA 18104
Facebook/Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom Walk alongside the dinosaurs at Dinosaurs Alive, an interactive attraction at Dorney Park that allows visitors to control some of the dinosaurs’ movements. Get an up close look at the hand-carved dinosaurs and uncover the connection between dinosaurs and dragons. Dinosaurs Alive requires a separate entrance fee of $5 (as of 2016).
- Natural Water Slide at Ohiopyle State Park – 124 Main Street, Ohiopyle, PA 15470
Flickr/Jon Dawson Summer - and the often sweltering heat and humidity that comes with it in PA - will be here before we know it. And, there’s only one way for adventurers to cool down. Head to the Natural Waterslide at Ohiopyle State Park. Zip down the slide, comprised of flat sheets of sandstone that date back 300 million years, to escape the summer heat. Just a heads up, however, there are no lifeguards on duty and previous adventurers have gotten some bumps and bruises from hitting the rocks.
- Eastern State Penitentiary – 2027 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Flickr/Chassy Cleland Do you believe in the paranormal? If you don’t yet, you just might after touring Eastern State Penitentiary, said to be one of the world’s most haunted places. Listen for whispers and footsteps. Turn around and you’re alone in this prison that once housed Al Capone. Add an extra layer of excitement by also visiting the former prison for the annual Halloween Terror Behind the Walls haunted house.
- Kinzua Bridge Skywalk – 296 Viaduct Road, Mt Jewett, PA 16740
Flickr/faithnow22 Stand 301 feet above the forest floor and look straight down, through the glass floor that sits at one end of the Kinzua Bridge Skywalk. Soak up the spectacular panoramic views of the lush green of Kinzua Bridge State Park that surrounds you. But, to enjoy the views, including looking through the glass floor, you’ll have to walk up 600 feet to reach the skywalk.
- Eagles Mere Toboggan Slide – Route 42 & Lake Avenue (on the hilltop), Eagles Mere, PA 17731
Eagles Mere Toboggan Slide Start planning your trip to Eagles Mere next winter to experience a more than century old tradition of zipping down the hill on Lake Avenue on a toboggan slide. Make sure the popular winter attraction is open, however, as it only operates when it’s cold enough.
- Constitution Avenue – Allentown, PA
Flickr/Florian Schwalsberger Tick off the final spot on the adventure bucket list if you dare. A drive down Constitution Avenue in Allentown seems simple enough. But, if you believe the stories about the haunted road, you may just find yourself being stared at by the glowing red eyes of ghost dogs and hear the spirit of a man, killed on that very road decades ago, whistling.
Ready for a year of non-stop unforgettable adventures? Start working on this epic adventure bucket list in Pennsylvania and don’t forget to stay energized by eating at this whimsical restaurant.
Elmood Park Zoo
Play among the trees when you visit Elmwood Park Zoo. Embark on a thrilling full or half Treetop Zoofari at the zoo’s spectacular Treetop Adventures. Fly high above the zoo’s animals on zip lines. Travel from tree to tree on a thin rope and through hoops on this non-stop adventure. More of a night owl? Treetop Adventures also offers a nighttime course for night owls.
Facebook/Camelback Lodge & Indoor Waterpark
Get ready for a breathtaking ride - with spectacular views of the lush Pocono Mountains - on the Appalachian Express Mountain Coaster at Cambelback Mountain Adventures. Fly down hills and zip around corners on the only mountain coaster in Pennsylvania. Kids 3 and older are permitted to ride the thrill ride, which operates most of the year, and drivers must be at least nine years old and four feet four inches tall.
Facebook/Timber Creek Tap & Table
You’re likely to work up quite an appetite during your adventure, which makes Timber Creek Tap & Table a perfect destination. Enjoy a scrumptious meal - surf and turf, fish and chips, or steak - paired with a a beer brewed right at the restaurant. Opt for a seat at the bar so you can look down through the glass floor below you as the beer is brewed.
Indiana County Parks
Pack bottles of water and lace up your hiking boots for a journey along the Ghost Town Trail, which covers a total of 36 miles through Indiana and Cambria counties. Hike all or part of the spectacular trail that will take you past such historic sites as the former coal town of Wehrum and Eliza Furnace in Vintondale.
Facebook/Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Walk alongside the dinosaurs at Dinosaurs Alive, an interactive attraction at Dorney Park that allows visitors to control some of the dinosaurs’ movements. Get an up close look at the hand-carved dinosaurs and uncover the connection between dinosaurs and dragons. Dinosaurs Alive requires a separate entrance fee of $5 (as of 2016).
Flickr/Jon Dawson
Summer - and the often sweltering heat and humidity that comes with it in PA - will be here before we know it. And, there’s only one way for adventurers to cool down. Head to the Natural Waterslide at Ohiopyle State Park. Zip down the slide, comprised of flat sheets of sandstone that date back 300 million years, to escape the summer heat. Just a heads up, however, there are no lifeguards on duty and previous adventurers have gotten some bumps and bruises from hitting the rocks.
Flickr/Chassy Cleland
Do you believe in the paranormal? If you don’t yet, you just might after touring Eastern State Penitentiary, said to be one of the world’s most haunted places. Listen for whispers and footsteps. Turn around and you’re alone in this prison that once housed Al Capone. Add an extra layer of excitement by also visiting the former prison for the annual Halloween Terror Behind the Walls haunted house.
Flickr/faithnow22
Stand 301 feet above the forest floor and look straight down, through the glass floor that sits at one end of the Kinzua Bridge Skywalk. Soak up the spectacular panoramic views of the lush green of Kinzua Bridge State Park that surrounds you. But, to enjoy the views, including looking through the glass floor, you’ll have to walk up 600 feet to reach the skywalk.
Eagles Mere Toboggan Slide
Start planning your trip to Eagles Mere next winter to experience a more than century old tradition of zipping down the hill on Lake Avenue on a toboggan slide. Make sure the popular winter attraction is open, however, as it only operates when it’s cold enough.
Flickr/Florian Schwalsberger
Tick off the final spot on the adventure bucket list if you dare. A drive down Constitution Avenue in Allentown seems simple enough. But, if you believe the stories about the haunted road, you may just find yourself being stared at by the glowing red eyes of ghost dogs and hear the spirit of a man, killed on that very road decades ago, whistling.
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Address: 1661 Harding Boulevard, Norristown, PA 19401Address: 124 Main Street, Ohiopyle, PA 15470Address: 296 Viaduct Road, Mt Jewett, PA 16740Address: 243 Resort Drive, Tannersville, PA 18372Address: 11191 Highline Drive, Meadville, PA 16335Address: 2027 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130Address: 3830 Dorney Park Road, Allentown, PA 18104
