The Atlas Obscura Guide To Pennsylvania

421 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Pennsylvania

Updated October 22, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Eastern State Penitentiary

World's first "penitentiary," meant to be humane, drove men insane.

Einstein's Brain Slides

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mütter Museum

America's most famous museum of medical oddities is home to the remains of Albert Einstein's brain.

Main entrance to the cemetery

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mount Moriah Cemetery

An abandoned cemetery lies in ruins as the surrounding forest swallows it whole.

Magic Garden

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

A layered tribute to the work of mosaicist Isaiah Zagar.

Summer at Shofuso

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Shofuso Japanese House and Garden

Philadelphia boasts one of the best — and most often overlooked — traditional Japanese gardens in North America.

The cave from the front.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cave of Kelpius

Where America's first doomsday cult awaited the end of the world.

A raven statue outside the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site

Tour the dark and beloved poet's former cobwebbed basement, which may have inspired "The Black Cat."

Aristes, Pennsylvania

Centralia

A toxic ghost town sitting atop a massive coal fire.

See All 421 Things To Do in Pennsylvania

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Pennsylvania

The Church Brew Works

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Church Brew Works

A restored Pittsburgh house of God has been converted to a marvelous house of suds.

Mount Joy, Pennsylvania

Bube's Brewery & Catacombs

In the bowels of a 19th-century brewery lurks a fine-dining restaurant offering an array of themed feasts.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Zenith

This restaurant offers a side of antiques, curios, and a bathroom chock full of owls.

Bedford, Pennsylvania

Koontz Coffee Pot

This titanic java kettle is one of the many kitschy landmarks located along America's OTHER famous highway.

See all 21 Places to Eat in Pennsylvania

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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

6 Fascinating Medical Marvels in Pennsylvania

In the 1700s and 1800s, Philadelphia was the center of medical scholarship in the United States. The city not only attracted the brightest minds, but also the most curious cases and characters. From the oldest quarantine facility in the country to a museum that memorializes a traveling dental circus, here are six places to marvel at the trials, errors, and triumphs of medical history in Pennsylvania.

Displays at the Weaver Dental Museum include a jumble of dentures.

Explore Pennsylvania

Museums 50

History 40

Architecture 39

History & Culture 33

Statues 21

Abandoned 21

Art 20

Collections 20

Sacred Spaces 20

Railroads 18

Sculptures 18

Monuments 17

Places To Stay 3

Unique Restaurants & Bars 2

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Stories About Pennsylvania

Creeping in the dark woods is a hideous beast—but don't say that to its face.

Appalachia’s Ugliest Cryptid Drowns In Its Own Tears

A new festival looks to draw out and soothe the squonk in all of us.

October 22, 2024

Punxsutawney Phil has predicted a longer winter nearly every Groundhog Day.

A Primer on Both Groundhogs and Hedgehogs

Just in time for their moment in the sun (or not).

January 26, 2024

Chris Scott writes that peach cobbler figured in his "happiest food memories," just as it does for many Southern children.

The Sweet and Sour Origins of Amish Soul Food

In Pennsylvania Dutch Country, African Americans have created a distinct and delicious cuisine.

by Sam Lin-Sommer

February 6, 2023

Punxsutawney Phil is far from the only weather-predicting marmot on Groundhog Day.

The Alternative Groundhogs Vying for Punxsutawney Phil's Weather Forecasting Job

Don't forget about Big Al the Alligator and Scramble the Duck's predicting powers either.

by Jennifer Byrne

February 2, 2023

A baled Christmas tree is loaded at the Omni Farm in West Jefferson, North Carolina.

What’s the Real Christmas Tree Capital of the World?

At least a half dozen communities in North America have claimed the title.

by Justin Franz

December 7, 2022

The still-operating Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado is part of one of America's longest-lived narrow gauge networks.

The Historians Saving America’s Pint-Sized Railroads

From Maine to Alaska, narrow gauge is all the rage, including one of the most historic, Pennsylvania’s East Broad Top.

by Justin Franz

Groundhog Day weather predictions in 1975.

When Groundhog Was on the Menu in Punxsutawney

From picnics to club dinners, the critter has a long culinary history in Pennsylvania.

by Diana Hubbell

February 1, 2022

Podcast: The Pennsylvania Firefly Festival

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

October 21, 2021

Lists Featuring Pennsylvania

Blue Sky Mausoleum.

Darwin Martin House Complex.

Skylights on the exterior porch made of red cypress.

A restored Wright house on the Burnham Block.

A 12-Stop Road Trip of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Most Surprising Designs

A UFO-inspired church, a futurist gas station, and more deep cuts.

Including Blue Sky Mausoleum, The Darwin D. Martin House, and Kentuck Knob

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