Pennsylvania in the north east of the States, borders Lake Erie and New York state to the north, New Jersey to the east, West Virginia and Maryland to the south, and Ohio to the west. The state covers 45,322 square miles and has the Allegheny Ranges (northern end of the Appalachian Mountains) at its centre.


Pennsylvania – “Penn’s Woods” – was given to the English Quaker, William Penn, in 1681 by Charles II, by a charter that made him the sole proprietor of this vast landmass. Penn subsequently bought what is now Delaware in order to gain access from Pennsylvania to the Atlantic. Despite the exuberance of Philadelphia, and the bustle of Pittsburgh, the state is mainly a gentle rural farming region where you will find Amish and Mennonite people living the simple lives of their ancestors, and in many cases speaking German.


Historically, Pennsylvania played a part in changing the mood of voters at the time of the Whiskey Rebellion. Congress had passed a federal excise tax on distilled whiskey. A group of farmers who lived in West Pennsylvania protested that it was putting them out of business and the Republican Governor of Pennsylvania of the time saw fit not to repress them in their grievances so that Washington and the Federalists took it to be a direct political challenge and marched off to put down the rebellion. It all turned into a fiasco as noone remained to be arrested, but it proved a bad political move as voters transferred their sympathies from the Federalists to the Republicans.

The State Capital is Harrisburg on the Susquehanna River 93 miles north west of Philadelphia – the principal city and port of Pennsylvania. Harrisburg was originally a trading post and its Three Mile Island nuclear power plant saw a near tragedy in 1979 when a fault led to a reactor core meltdown, but disaster was averted.

Philadelphia lies 100 miles up the river Delaware from the Atlantic Ocean. It was here in 1776 that the American Declaration of Independence was signed.

It's Reading Terminal Market, established in 1892 at 12th and Arch Streets, is the nation’s oldest continuously operating farmers’ market. Through its long and interesting history , it has seen times both good and bad, but has emerged in the 21st century as one of the greatest public markets in the country.

When you visit the market, you can enjoy eating virtually every type of cuisine, from sublime soul food and exquisite Asian and Middle Eastern dishes to authentic Philly Cheesesteaks and traditional Pennsylvania Dutch fare — all available from largely family-run stands. For more information visit www.readingterminalmarket.org


Pittsburgh to the west is a former coal and steel industry centre some 100 miles from Lake Erie, nicknamed Steel City while under the influence of Andrew Carnegie, and nowadays better known as a centre for finance. Carnegie’s name is remembered in the Museum of Art and Hall of Sculpture and the Science Centre that he founded. South of Pittsburgh lie the Laurel Highlands and the famous Laurel Ridge hike from Ohiopyle in the Laurel Ridge State Park.


If you are travelling between Harrisburg and Philadelphia there are some places of interest to visit in the area. At York you are in the land of Harley-Davidson and can visit the Assembly Plant at Eden Road. Harley-Davidsons have dominated racing since before the First World War yet it was just a little hobby initially for the bike mad teenagers William Harley and Arthur Davidson that developed into the world wide business of today.



At Hershey your children will love Hershey’s Chocolate World and the Hershey Amusement Park, and adults too get to sample the chocolates at the end of a tour of the factory. The whole town is dedicated to chocolate, so if you are on a strict diet, give it a miss unless your will power is in top gear. For details visit www.hersheypark.com .

Down on the Maryland border are the lovely Longwood Gardens in the delightfully named Brandywine Valley. Stunning fountains that jet sky high are the highlight of the gardens and are lit by night with musical events taking place here on summer nights. There are also of course, plants, trees, topiary and greenhouses, a garden for children and themed displays. For more information about these great gardens visit www.longwoodgardens.org

New Castle in the West is the region where the Amish people live. They wear plain dark coloured clothes with hats and they use no electricity or modern technological aids. Their transport is a horse and buggy. They farm in very much the same way as did their self-sufficient ancestors. In the eastern part of the state, at Lancaster, is another Amish community, whose forebears set up a printing press in order to make a living. Visitors can see the buildings dating from the 1730s at Ephrata where to this day printing continues, as the Rodale Press is based here.


At Bethlehem (Pennsylvania) there is an annual Bach festival. Also another really unusual festival takes place in central Pennsylvania on the 2nd February when a rodent called Punxsutawney Phil awakens from the slumbers of his hibernation to give the spring weather forecast! For the real weather predictions visit www.worldweather.org

Getting There:
Pennsylvania’s three main airports are, Philadelphia International Airport which is the major international gateway into the State and is 11 kilometres from downtown Philadelphia. Pittsburg International Airport, which is 30 kilometres west of downtown Pittsburg. Harrisburg/Middletown Airport which is 15 kilometres south east of the State Capital and is mainly handling domestic traffic with the occasional Canada flight.