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The beauty of New England in the fall is legendary, but the roads can get a bit crowded that time of year. However, did you know that Pennsylvania has the same romantic landscape along its rural highways and those roads typically have less traffic? You could spend your whole life exploring just the rural Pennsylvania countryside by car, and the rustic landscape is perfect anytime of the year for a retreat with that special someone.

One of the first places you run across travelling westward out of Philadelphia is Lancaster County and the Amish Country, and there’s no shortage of info on seeing these friendly individuals and their farms but the Pennsylvania Dutch country has a great deal more, including the Dutch Wonderland Theme Park and the American Music Theater. Beautiful historic romantic travel inns are all throughout this colorful area. 

One thing is sure, you will not have any trouble booking vacation cabin rentals, since Lancaster County has an abundant source of vacation rentals ranging from rustic to deluxe at the area’s numerous fine inns.  For a different kind of romantic experience, check out Mechanicsburg. Nestled just north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, this historic community offers a variety of activities that will appeal to him as well as her.

For him, there’s the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing, which features exhibits of fully restored race cars from the earliest days of competitive road racing as well as other displays.  Afterwards, she will love a day at the Revalations Day Spa, which offers not only lodging but also a hot springs, massage, and mud bath for couples.

Halfway between Philadelphia and Lancaster is Chester County, which includes most of Pennsylvania’s rustic Brandywine Valley. The individuals who reside here have been steadfast about shielding their historic heritage. As a result, as you drive through the vicinity, you will come across a number of quaint small towns that date back 250 years and more. Deciduous forests, rolling pasturelands, covered bridges over brooks and streams and more await your discovery.

More active couples who really want to see Pennsylvania should check out the Allegheny Passage C&O Passage, which offers over 300 miles of off-road cycling paths winding from Pittsburgh all the way across the Keystone State and into Washington D.C. This is another part of a budding network of old rail lines that are being modified into bicycling and hiking trials that are relatively level and hard-packed with crushed limestone and gravel. For couples who are on the go and have the time, there’s no better or more unhurried way to view the romantic Pennsylvania countryside.

Hiking in Pennsylvania is not like hiking in the Rockies or High Sierra and that’s a good thing! A hiking adventure in the Keystone State presents a much different experience in a venerable area of the country that is abundant in natural and human history in America’s eastern woodland area. From a Pennsylvania cabin rental in Butler County or elsewhere in the scenic Alleghenies, one can unearth plentiful opportunities not only for hiking and backpacking, but for a diverse range of outdoor activities ranging from fishing and wildlife watching to whitewater rafting and canoeing.

There are also hiking trails in Pennsylvania for all ages and fitness levels. If you are simply getting started, the Clarion-Little Toby Creek Rail Trail is a skillfully marked, easy route that parallels the Clarion River for almost twenty miles. As an old railbed, the trail is quite level and for that reason an easy hike and is apt for biking in the spring, summer and fall months and cross-country skiing in the fall. With two excellent entrance points from bed breakfasts in the charming and historic towns of Ridgway and Brockway, the Clarion trail is an excellent starting point for viewing the Pennsylvania countryside on foot.

Speaking of picturesque hikes, you are no doubt aquainted with Arizona’s Grand Canyon but did you know that Pennsylvania had its own Grand Canyon as well? The Pine Creek Rail Trail is another old railbed and therefore a flat, easy hike that extends the length of the Keystone State’s breathtaking Pine Creek Gorge. Set up your base of operations from one of the cabin rental accommodations in Colton Point, then depart up the gorge and enjoy a feast for the senses that include ancient rock formations and spectacular waterfalls in a flourishing deciduous woodland teeming with wildlife. A person can almost picture what the region was like 300 years ago, when the continent west of the Appalachian Mountain range was unspoiled wilderness. 

Individuals who are touring Pennsylvania for the first time should consider going to Keystone Ramblers, a website that is a broad guide to hiking in that state. In addition to a guide to various hiking experiences, you will find information on issues such as stretching, nourishment and gear as well as potential hazards such as poison ivy and oak. This group also organizes guided group hiking tours for those who are interested.

Another online resource for Pennsylvania hiking tours is Pennsylvania Hiking and Trekking Tours. This site features links to businesses and organizations offering set tours, which may be a fine alternative for newcomers to the state.
 
 

We don’t usually associate the word “Alpine” with the Blue Ridge Mountains of north Georgia, but the town of Helen is a small piece of the Bavarian Alps that found its way into this expanse of Dixie.  In addition to the hiking trails and whitewater rafting you would expect to discover in this part of the southern Appalachians, there is a three month Oktoberfest that lasts from the late summer until the midpoint of fall every year, a time-honored Bavarian Christmas Alpenlights celebration, and yet another transplanted Germanic tradition, das volksmarch. The best place to participate in Oktoberfest is from one of the various cabin rentals in the area, or a deluxe room in one of Helen’s fine European themed inns.

Originally inhabited by Cherokee Indians, the vicinity was the locale of a gold discovery in 1828. For over seventy years, prospectors and commercial mining companies worked deposits that rivaled those in the Rockies and the Sierras. The gold fields were mostly dredged out by 1900, but the wood industry moved in shortly afterwards. With the installation of the railroad, the township of Helen was established in 1913. The timber industry was short lived.  By 1931, the trees were gone and by 1960, all that remained was a row of cement block houses. The town’s revitalization began in the early 1970s as it begun to reinvent itself in the Bavarian style, influenced by an artist who had served with the U.S. Army in Germany. Today, Helen is one of the top getaway resorts in the region.

The Chattahoochie River provides recreational opportunities for whitewater rafting and inner tubing, while the encircling mountains offer hikers a chance to experience nature and the diverse woodland species up close and personal. Mountain lodges that include hot tubs are accessible for romantic getaways, and the town itself is residence to various specialty shops and four star dining establishments, including an authentic Bavarian Hofbrau Haus, featuring the rich food of Germany’s southern region. German and northern Italian cuisine may also be enjoyed at The Troll, one of Helen’s more flavorful eateries.

Easily available family outdoor activities include golf, mountain biking, fishing and horseback riding. In fact, there is almost no better way to see this part of the Blue Ridge than from the back of a horse.  Check out Chattahoochie Backcountry Treks and  Sunburst Stables for more information.

For hikers, one of the most spectacular sights is Anna Ruby Falls, one of the four waterfalls in the immediate area inside Unicoi State Park. The falls are just over 800 yards from an enhanced public access area, and are actually two separate falls with the better of the two topping out at greater than 150 feet high.

Of course, just because you are out in and in the company of nature does not mean you have to rough it. North Georgia bed breakfasts possess all the comforts of home including cable TV and wireless internet access.  The proprietors of these lodgings are more than pleased to share the unique history of the vicinity as well as suggest other interesting site seeing tours and wonderful regional bistros.