means extra history, fun and

Story by Cindy O. Herman

While Wilkes-Barre in Luzerne County and Scranton in Lackawanna County are two distinct cities, they are close enough to share the moniker WilkesBarre/Scranton. Another thing they absolutely share is their location nestled in the Appalachian Mountain range. “I find the area to be one of the most beautiful parts of Pennsylvania,” said Alan Stout, executive director of Visit Luzerne County.

A lifelong Wilkes-Barre resident, Stout said among his favorite activities are anything connected with the Susquehanna River —including dragon boat races and walking along the River Common.

He quickly listed several reasons people will want to visit Wilkes-Barre: the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts,

Food

the Mohegan Sun Arena — a performance and sports venue — and Mohegan Pennsylvania, a popular casino.

“We have beautiful mountains, forests, streams and waterfalls,” said Alexa Peregrim, director of sales for the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau. “What we always say is, it’s the best of both worlds. You get the big city attractions and restaurants and experiences, but at the same time, 10 minutes away is the country.”

“We have a heritage here, with Revolutionary War history and anthracite coal history,” Stout said. “We are proud of that. Everything we do today is built on the shoulders of our grandparents and great-grandparents.”

Peregrim’s top recommendations in Scranton would include tours of the Lackawanna Coal Mine, “The Office”

Self-Guided Tour, the Lackawanna County Pizza Trail, and a trip to the Top of the World.

When speaking about the coal mine, she said, “Just learning what they had to endure, how our area was built from these men and boys who worked in the mines, and at the same time what their families brought in the sense of traditions and cultures … that’s very fascinating.”

Fans of NBC’s “The Office” can pick up a map at the visitors center to find Scranton sites that made an appearance in the show.

And the Lackawanna County Pizza Trail? It features 60 places voted on by Scranton residents.

After noting there are more than 160 pizzerias in the area, she said, “We love our pizza. But it also tells a little bit about our culture because a lot of those pizzerias came from Italy and they passed along their sauce recipes and everything down through the generations to the family members who now run the pizzerias.”

While not technically in the city, Top of the World is a great hiking spot that can also be reached through the Lost Trails ATV Adventure. At the top of the mountain, the view of the valley below is gorgeous.

Peregrim mentioned the sites we’ve listed and finished by saying she could go on all day.

A RECREATION AREA, BUILDING OR PARK NAY AUG PARK, 500 ARTHUR AVE., SCRANTON

It’s hard to imagine a park like this existing in the middle of the downtown of a busy city. You might expect the picnic pavilion, maybe even the bandstand, but … a treehouse? In a really snazzy park, a fountain or wading pool might be expected, but … two Olympic-sized swimming pools? And some parks offer a little pond, but … a waterfall?

This park is a true oasis from the noise and bustle of the city.

Roaring Brook ambles through the park and leads visitors to Waterfall Overlook and the 20-foot Nay Aug Falls, which is different, but beautiful, in all four seasons.

The park’s unusual name comes from the Munsee Indians, who belonged to the Lenape tribe. Nay Aug means “noisy water or roaring brook.”

At one time, the park held amusement rides and a zoo. Today it’s a place for playgrounds, live music and community events. Free concerts are offered on Sundays and Wednesdays in the summer, and a garden invites you to relax and take in the beautiful sights and fragrances of nature — no matter how close the city is.

For more information: nayaugpark.org or 570-348-4186; Nay Aug Tree House: (visitnepa.org)

A Historic Location

LACKAWANNA COAL MINE, BALD MT. ROAD, SCRANTON

Don’t worry about how hot the day is when you visit the Lackawanna Coal Mine. Inside the mine, 300 feet down, the air is a constant 53 degrees. Bring a sweater.

The mine was opened in 1860. The tour takes people through the rock tunnels where they can see “the mule boy, the nipper, the monkey vein and the dead chute,” according to the tour website. Tours are led by a miner who explains coal mining and the courage it took to work in a mine.

The restoration of the hard coal mine gives visitors the opportunity to understand how difficult the working hours of a coal miner were.

Abby Walsh, ticket associate at the coal mine tour, said most visitors are “surprised to see 12-year-olds working in the mine.”

For more information: coalminetournepa.com or 570963-6463

An Interesting Site

F.M. KIRBY CENTER, 71 PUBLIC SQUARE, WILKES - BARRE

People go to the F.M. Kirby Center to see something special. Perhaps a classic movie or a kids’ production or maybe even something explosive like the recent percussive music of “STOMP.”

However, before the show begins, visitors will enter through one of the five gorgeous art-deco lobbies that feature mirrors and — most impressive — the Giant Lavaliere, a chandelier which crowns the main lobby. A similar version can be found in the Empire State Building.

“People love the art deco style,” said Neil Prisco, director of marketing at the Kirby Center. Referring to the gleaming wood entrance doors, he added, “People call the doors the Golden Gate to Wilkes-Barre."

With nearly 2,000 seats in its main floor and balcony, Prisco said the F.M. Kirby Center celebrates a variety of the arts, including comedies, bands, Broadway productions, philharmonic orchestras and educational programs.

For more information: kirbycenter.org or 570-826-1100

A Place For Kids Of All Ages

EVERHART MUSEUM, 1901 MULBERRY ST., SCRANTON

Dr. Isaiah Fawkes Everhart, a Scranton physician and Civil War veteran, planned the museum that bears his name.

Founded in 1908, the Everhart Museum is one of the oldest museums in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the only natural history, science, and art museum in the region.

It’s come a long way from its basic taxidermy collection, fossil gallery, and rocks and minerals displays, to the worldclass art displays it now offers.

Permanent collections include the Fossil Gallery, the Rocks and Minerals Gallery, the Bird Gallery, the Regional Art Galleries, the Fine Art Gallery, and the Dorflinger Glass Gallery. Additionally, the museum offers a fresh look at special temporary exhibitions that change regularly. This summer, visitors will want to check out the photographs and tools at the Wild Bee’s exhibition.

For more information: everhart-museum.org or 570-3467186

A Quirky Unusual Place

HOUDINI MUSEUM, 1901 MULBERRY ST., SCRANTON

Name a famous magician. When Penny Wilkes, coordinator of the Houdini Museum, asks audiences to do that, the first name they usually shout out is Houdini, 97 years after the famous escape artist’s death.

The Houdini Museum features memorabilia, artifacts, mannequins and films of Houdini. The Houdini Tour website says the tour includes “the rarest film footage of Harry Houdini not shown anywhere else.”

“It’s a wholesome event appropriate for any age, any culture,” Wilkes said. Included in the tour is a magic show featuring Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brooks.

“The tour ends with a magic show where a rabbit and two adorable ducks magically appear. They think it’s their show,” Wilkes said with a laugh, adding, “We levitate an audience member in the air. It’s an amazing afternoon.”

For more information: www.houdini.org or 570-342-5555

A MEMORIAL OR MONUMENT THE ZEBULON - BUTLER HOUSE, 313 S. RIVER ST., WILKES - BARRE

The Wilkes-Barre Preservation Society began hosting Victorian-themed tours of downtown mansions in 2003. The event helped them to realize that people are curious about local history and it started them on a journey that would result in the restoration of the Zebulon-Butler House Museum. The oldest home in the city, it was built in 1793 around parts of a 1773 log cabin.

The Butlers were social, political and military leaders in 1800s Wilkes-Barre. Four generations of the family lived in the house, from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. In 2017, the Preservation Society saved it from demolition and restored it to a Federal period house.

“What I love is that people come away knowing why streets were named for people,” said Tony Brooks, director of the Preservation Society and curator of the Butler House.

The Preservation Society also helps people with historical and genealogical research. The Zebulon Butler Museum is open by appointment.

For more information: wbpreservation.org/ or 570-7933631

Things To Know

How it began: Philadelphia was founded in 1682 by William Penn. Before then, it was inhabited by the Lenape people. Philadelphia was the site of the First and Second Continental Congresses and was chosen as the temporary capital of the United States after the Revolution.

Incorporated as a City: 1854

Population: 1.6 million

Mayor: James Kenney

Distance from Harrisburg: 110 miles