Esther Furnace Covered Bridge at Knoebels Amusement Resort's Lake Glory Campground

Knoebels Amusement Resort is one of our absolute favorite places to end up at. Visiting it is so much fun and we usually stay at their onsite campground with our tent. On a recent visit we camped at the Lake Glory Campground, which is owned and operated by Knoebels Amusement Resort, which is about ten minutes away from this beautiful campground. It is adjoined by one of the many covered bridges in the area, the Esther Furnace Covered Bridge.

This covered bridge is 95 feet long and dates back to 1905. It is in a beautifully wooded spot and crosses the North Branch of Roaring Creek. It utilizes the Queenpost method of Construction. 

This is one of many beautiful covered bridges within Columbia and Montour Counties, and you can really take in its beauty if you are camping at the Lake Glory Campground of Knoebels Amusement Resort. 

Tidioute Overlook Revisited: Terrific Views of the Allegheny River in Allegheny National Forest

The Tidioute Overlook gives beautiful sweeping views of the Allegheny River Valley from a forested perch high above the river. The location itself is within a beautiful forest and there are two primary vantage points. The first gives a view of the Allegheny River Valley wilderness, with a look over a beautifully forested island. The other side gives a view of the small borough of Tidioute. This is located at a sharp bend within the Allegheny River and it is pretty cool to see. This is located on the far western edge of Allegheny National Forest, and even though the other side of the river is not a part of this, it is still beautifully forested. 

The Allegheny National Forest's Tidioute Overlook provides a tremendous vista of the Allegheny River and its gorge, with one side showing a view of Courson Island, part of the Allegheny River Islands Wilderness Area, and the other showing the small village of Tidioute. A short hike takes you to both overlooks and a nice picnic area is provided. This portion of the river is designated as "Wild and Scenic" and it certainly shows. 

The walk through the woods is scenic and just a few hundred feet long. There is a parking area that is perfect to stop at if you happen to be cruising through the scenic lands around here. 

A view of Tidioute. The overlook of the borough of Tidioute shows a place that was once a sawmill and oil boom town. The town is still intact and it has some beautiful old buildings, but at one point this boomtown was the birthplace of Standard Oil, Rockefeller's oil company that would eventually be broken up as a monopoly. The borough was also home to one of the region's perennial industries, knife making. Tidioute Cutlery began in the borough, and was moved in 1911 to Olean, NY, a place located up the Allegheny River and not terribly far from this location. There are still a few knife makers around the region, namely in Titusville. Union Cutlery itself would go on to have an illustrious history, namely with their KA-Bar branded knives, which started becoming standard issue in the military in World War II. They still operate from the small town of Olean, NY to this day. All of this history began right here in Tidioute.

This is a beautiful and peaceful spot to check out. For more info on this spot, check out our previous article on it, right here. 

 

Boathouse Row in Philadelphia: World Famous Scenic Views & Community Gathering Place

 Boathouse Row - Philadelphia

Boathouse Row is an internationally famous place in Philadelphia. With sweeping views of the boathouses across the Schuykill River, with views of the Art Museum and Center City Philadelphia when looking in the other direction, this is a tremendous scenic overlook. This is a world renowned destination in rowing sports and an awesome place to just take in the cityscape. Tranquil city park and public areas like this are what really make the cities in our country great. They are the kinds of places where everyone is welcome. Where the arbitrary things that divide the people in our country are thrown out the window and everyone can go to and have a great time. These places are more than just a cool thing to see, they are an integral part of the fabric that keeps our communities together. There is a special kind of energy that comes from places like this. Boathouse Row is part of a sprawling area of public works areas that reach for miles, with run direction leading in green space up and down the Schuylkill River, up into Fairmount Park and towards Center City, by the waterworks, Art Museum, and Ben Franklin Parkway.