Scranton, PA - 1 Mile off I81

Don't be fooled by the picture. There is much more to this area than trains. You can spend an entire day in this little area of Scranton - trust me. I wandered into this area because of my bucket list item to get to every National Park, Monument, Battle Field - you get the idea. I try to never go into uncharted territory without doing research first. There is quite a few things in this area maybe a total of 1.5 miles off I81.

I started my excursion by first stopping at Krispy Kreme for a donut and coffee. As luck would have it I timed it perfectly - the donuts were just coming out of the oven. The smell! I think I gained two pounds just standing there, but not to worry, you'll walk it off.

My next stop was the Scranton Iron Furnaces. This is just a small park like setting but you get to see how hard early Americans worked. This would have been on Mike Rowe's Dirtiest Jobs show for sure.

Next stop: Steamtown National Historic Site. I have to be honest. I like trains but am not into them at all. I went just to check it off my list of National Parks to see. Since visiting this place I've since learned that the small National Parks can be amazing! I really liked this one! I spent hours there that I had not planned on spending but there was so much to see and learn. Many of the trains are outside but there is much of the park inside as well so if you go in the winter, you can still enjoy, learn and see a lot. I spent quite a bit of time sitting inside a caboose. Why you ask? My farm in NY was once owned by a railroad. My driveway was where the track ran. Of course now I want a caboose - it would be a great addition to all the railroad relics my kids have found on the farm and a fun place for grandkids to hang out. That will have to be at the bottom of the bucket list for now. Back to reality...

From there I went to a small park that I81 goes right past to get my hiking fix in. I have traveled on 81 in this area literally hundreds of times and never knew it was there. If we only take more time to stop and see what's near when we're flying down the highway...

Nay Aug Park is a delightful little park with beautiful sights.

There are many other things to see in this little area that I did not go to. There's a trolley museum, Electric City Aquarium and Reptile Den, shopping right by the aquarium, and the Everhart Museum.

What I'm drinking today:

Scranton is know as the electric city so of course I'm drinking coffee from Electric City Roasting Co. I picked this up at Wegman's in Wilkes-Barre. Very tasty!

If you don't want to go into a grocery store to try this coffee you can find it in the coffee shop at Mohegan Sun. They also have a shop open on the weekends. You can order coffee or find information about that location here.