The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau and the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway
provided complimentary train tickets. All opinions are my own.
For more information, see my disclosures here.

This year’s Halloween may have been my favorite of all time. Let me tell you why.

In the late morning, Bryan and I drove up to Jim Thorpe, PA for a day trip. Jim Thorpe has been one of my favorite places since my first visit in high school. It’s the most quaint little town ever. It’s located approximately 80 miles north of Philadelphia and 100 miles west of NYC. Random trivia fact: The Swiss Tourism Board has called Jim Thorpe, PA the “Switzerland of America” because of the town’s picturesque scenery and architecture. 

If you’re interested in traveling to Jim Thorpe, below are five things I recommend that you do during your day trip. 

1. Ride the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway

We arrived in Jim Thorpe around a quarter to noon, and rushed over to the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway ticket booth to catch the noon train. The Railway operates trains into Lehigh Gorge State Park on weekends, holidays and select weekdays May through December. It also has excursions throughout the year including the annual Autumn Leaf Excursions from Reading and Northern Railroad Corporate Headquarters in Port Clinton, PA to Jim Thorpe and back. 

Bryan and I really enjoyed riding the train. It was approximately 45 minutes and I had my camera out the entire time. Autumn was a great season to get tickets because the different colored leaves were absolutely stunning and the weather was perfect. If you’re ever in Jim Thorpe and have never been aboard the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, I highly suggest that you go. It’s great for all ages, and you can even take your (well-behaved) pet along for the ride too! 

2. Have lunch at Molly Maguire’s 

After we rode the railway, we were beyond hungry. We wanted something casual, so we opted to have lunch at Molly Maguire’s Pub and Steakhouse, which was right across from the train station. We were originally going to eat inside the restaurant, but after noticing their heated deck, we decided to dine outdoors instead. It was a really relaxed atmosphere. I even ran into one of my co-workers! How crazy is that?!

I ordered a Stella with a crab cake sandwich, which is my go-to lunch.  Both were delicious. Bryan ordered a pumpkin beer with a Guinness burger. The burger had 1/2 pound of beef, American cheese and caramelized Guinness onions. He really enjoyed his burger, because it was cooked exactly how he wanted – medium rare. Even though the food was typical pub fare, it was above average in my opinion. The staff was very friendly, and our food came out quickly. Nothing was missing from our order and nothing was under- or overcooked. 

If you’re looking for fine dining options, both Moya’s and Tony Stella’s Encore received good reviews online. 

3. Tour the Old Jail Museum

Bryan really enjoyed touring the Old Jail Museum in the past with his friend Jonathan. So when we were finished with lunch, he recommended that we walk up to the Old Jail Museum and see if we could catch the next guided tour. I was a bit hesitant at first, since I’m not too keen on anything too scary, but I trusted his judgment. 

I must have told Bryan at least 50 times that I was having a great time. Just to be clear, the Old Jail Museum is NOT a haunted house with scary pop out creatures and flashing lights. You tour the actual old jail, which in and of itself is pretty spooky anyway. The tour was fantastic and our guide fit the part. She acted a bit creepy, which made the experience that much better. 

4. Go shopping

The borough of Jim Thorpe has great boutiques. We stopped into quite a few including a health and wellness shop, a used book shop, and a store with various types of jerky. The shop owners were very friendly and answered any questions we had. Most of the boutiques are on Broadway, but you can find a few more on Race Street. 

Many of the boutique owners gave out candy, and had signs on their front window or door signifying that they were participating. We saw so many trick-or-treaters in their adorable costumes for Halloween. It wasn’t just the kids who got dressed up. We even saw a group of St. Bernards dressed up like hamburgers! 

5. Stop for hot apple cider & apple empanadas 

Before leaving Jim Thorpe, we were both craving hot apple cider. We stopped at a little food cart across from the visitor’s center to pick up two cups. When we saw that they also had apple empanadas, we couldn’t turn one down to share. I think next time I’ll be getting my own. Certainly not the healthiest snack, but it was super delicious and the perfect ending to our Jim Thorpe trip. 

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