Travel with Terri
Seriously. Spooky. Stuff. Pennsylvania-Style.
By Terri Marshall, Photos by Gregory Holder.
There is a crispness in the air. Shades of orange, red and yellow adorn the trees. Pumpkins of every size and variety line roadside market stands and dot the pumpkin patches. Scarecrows, ghosts and goblins are hanging around. This is autumn, Pennsylvania style.
Lancaster County has plenty of options for family fun all year round but especially during autumn. Celebrate the season at Cherry Crest Farm’s Fall Harvest Festival with pony rides, pumpkin picking, corn canons, face painting and cheek art. On Friday and Saturday nights during the Fall Harvest Festival, experience the ultimate challenge of navigating the five acre corn maze by flashlight.
For a unique animal encounter, visit Eastland Alpacas in Mount Joy. Sue and Kevin began raising the South American animals several years ago and now have between 110 and 115 alpacas on their 20 acre farm. Although related to camels and llamas, alpacas have a much softer coat making their fur a popular choice for sweaters, scarves, socks and other products. Eastland Alpaca’s 10th Annual Fall Open House will be held the first two weekends in November. Visitors can feed the alpacas, take a wagon ride around the farm and shop at the farm store. An obstacle course demonstration – “Alpacas with an Agenda” – will be presented by the Lancaster County 4-H Club. You will fall in love with their adorable faces, but if you get between an alpaca and his food you may be showered with spit!
While visiting, stay in a real caboose at The Red Caboose Motel. Interact with the sheep and goats at the petting farm, wave to the Strasburg Railroad’s steam train as it passes by or enjoy a ride in a horse drawn Amish buggy. See www.padutchcountry.com.
Autumn in Valley Forge and Montgomery County arrives with brilliant displays of color, an abundance of outdoor festivals, craft shows and harvest celebrations. But for daredevils, Spring Mountain in Schwenksville is the place to go. Rick and Gayle Buckman have cleverly transformed their mountain of winter ski slopes into a challenging and exciting zip line and ropes course. Fly from tree to tree on the zip lines, cross Indiana Jones worthy bridges and rappel off treetop platforms. And, if a daytime course doesn’t frighten you enough, try it at night with a headlamp on your helmet. Go ahead, I dare you.
In October, Spring Mountain transforms into Scream Mountain! At the turn of the century, the rocks quarried on Spring Mountain were used to build the streets of Philadelphia, monuments and gravestones. One night the mountain inexplicably went up in flames destroying the quarrymen and their families. On the Haunted Hay Ride each October, the mountain is filled with the screams of men, women and children lost in the fire and the sounds of hammers pounding stone!
If you make it off the mountain, escape to nearby Woodside Lodge located on the back side of Spring Mountain. Built in the early 1920’s, it is the last standing inn among several that catered to the period when travelers came by train to Schwenksville from Philadelphia. The lodge has been restored and updated with modern amenities. There is a restaurant and full bar onsite. You may need a drink after that Scream Mountain experience. See www.valleyforge.org
A bit further north covered bridges, a castle and ghosts await. Bucks County has numerous covered bridges worth discovering, but if you are looking to jump start your spooky Halloween experience, search for the Van Sant Bridge – known to locals as “Cry Baby Bridge.” After an unmarried young woman with her newborn child was jilted by her lover, she threw herself and her child over the bridge. If you stand on the bridge at night, you can hear the cries of the baby and the whispers of the young woman.
Nothing says haunted like a castle…and Fonthill Castle in Doylestown is said to be the place of the ghost of 
Henry Chapman Mercer’s housekeeper. Whether you believe in haunted tales or not, Fonthill is definitely worth a visit. The castle is constructed of poured concrete. It features 44 rooms, over 200 windows, 18 fireplaces and 10 bathrooms. Built between 1908 and 1912 by archaeologist and tile maker, Henry Chapman Mercer, with the help of 10 semi-unskilled laborers and one horse, Lucy, the castle is testament to Mercer’s fondness of the Arts and Crafts movement. Fonthill is filled with an extensive collection of tiles embedded in the concrete of the house as well as artifacts from his travels. When touring the house, be sure to take note of the furniture…much of it is built into the concrete leaving little to no opportunity to rearrange on a whim. It was Mercer’s desire that his home would become a museum…this explains the numbering and cataloging noted on every book, print and artifact inside the castle. Trust me, this place is cool.
New Hope‘s collection of inns offer you plenty of opportunities to spot a spirit. Wedgwood Inn Bed & Breakfast was built atop tunnels leading to the Underground Railroad and housed many a runaway slave during the 19th century. It is believed that a 12 year old ex-slave girl, Sarah, still roams the inn searching for her parents who escaped via the Underground Railroad. She has appeared to various 12 year old girls visiting the inn. But don’t worry…all the ghosts at Wedgwood Inn are friendly and certainly not sleeping in your room.
If you manage to make it through all of these experiences without spotting a ghost, you can take your paranormal investigation a step further with a visit to 1758 Sun Inn in Bethlehem. This 18th century
Moravian inn was known throughout the American Colonies for its gracious service, fine food and wines and comfortable suites. The restored inn reopened in 1982 for tours and catered events. It is also the place for some serious ghost hunting!
I decided to see what all of the ghostly tales were about with my own paranormal investigation. Accompanied by a group of travel writers, I was given a tour and introduction to the lovely inn then taken up to the attic for close encounters of the spirit kind.
The floor was scattered with toys left by previous visitors for the little girl ghost who remains in the attic. Armed with an assortment of ghost detecting devices, we were seated in a semi-circle around the toys. Our guide turned off the lights and began to call to our little spirit.
Initially, the little one was shy (scared away by the screams of my friend, Jill, who swears she was poked in the shoulder blade just as the lights went out), but ultimately she did appear. How did we know? She began playing with the flashlight on the floor by repeatedly turning it on and off. Seriously. Spooky. Stuff.
When you have exhausted yourself with your ghost busting endeavors, check into Historic Hotel Bethlehem for the night. This beautifully restored hotel has been home to an impressive list of guests including the Dahlia Lama. It is also home to more than a few “permanent guests” if you know what I mean. Room 932 has a most peculiar record of paranormal activity. A couple staying in the room reported being awakened by a man standing in front of the bed asking “Why are you in my room?” – only to find no one there when they switched on the light. Sweet dreams.
See www.discoverlehighvalley.com.
Terri is a freelance writer with regular columns on travel, chocolate and bar reviews. She is busy each month visiting new places to bring unique travel destinations and events to you. Yes, it is a sacrifice – but she is willing to do that for her readers! You can see more of Terri’s writing at www.examiner.com where she is the National Chocolate Examiner and at www.barzz.net. Also, check out her blog at www.trippingwithterri.com. You can contact Terri at [email protected].