We visited Pennsylvania on our previous 14-month U.S.A. road trip; however, we really wanted to go back. We really loved the Pennsylvania Amish country as well as Longwood Gardens. When we visited before (during the Fall), we didn’t have an opportunity to enjoy the fountains at Longwood Gardens because the fountains are operational primarily in the summer. So, here we go again!
But before we get to the fountains, we decided to stop a couple of nights in Punxsutawney, PA, also known as “Home of the Groundhog”.
Being from Texas, the winter weather predictions made by the infamous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil never really seemed relevant. But having seen the 1993 movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray, I thought it might be fun to see this famous weather forecaster for myself.
We headed straight to Gobbler’s Knob where Phil makes his prediction every year (for more than 120 years) on February 2nd, Groundhog Day.
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this year (2021). As the legend goes, that means six more weeks of winter weather lay ahead; no shadow indicates an early spring. Click here to learn just how good Phil is at his job!
We really dig Phil’s burrow where he and his wife Phyllis live! It’s a climate-controlled environment connected to the public library. As a retired librarian, I wondered what the job description is for the library staff at the Punxsutawney Memorial Library!
There are viewing windows from outside!
Fun Phil Facts:
Most groundhogs live about 6-8 years. Punxsy Phil gets a drink of magic elixir each year that gives him 7 more years – he is over 100!
Punxsy Phil’s favorite meal is dandelion leaves in early spring.
A baby groundhog is called a “kit”. Punxsy Phil has no known offspring.
Punxsy Phil weighs about 18 lbs. in the fall and is 22 inches long.
 |
| Punxsutawney Phil |
We were ready for a “phun-philled” time, so we drove around the town of Punxsutawney in search of groundhog statues, i.e., the Phantastic Phil’s! These are 6-foot-tall fiberglass statues of groundhogs, each artistically painted to represent life in Punxsutawney.
While exploring, we came across the Groundhog Winery, another favorite stop for us!
We left Punxsutawney to continue our Pennsylvania journey. Along the way we stopped for a quick pic of another Atlas Obscura find! This Koontz Coffee Pot in Bedford, PA was built in 1927. The increased number of automobiles during the Lincoln Highway era (1912-1940) led to the development of “programmatic” architecture as business owners took daring approaches to appeal to the new motoring public.
We made our next home in the lovely community of Lititz! Known for their delicious chocolate made at the Wilbur Chocolate Factory and tasty pretzels at the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, we knew Lititz was a perfect place to stay!
Feeling like we were still on our spring garden tour, we headed to the Hershey Gardens and was delighted to see so many beautiful blooms, especially roses! Hershey Gardens opened in 1937 at Milton Hershey’s request to “create a nice garden of roses”.
As we left Lititz, we stopped in the City of Lancaster to pick up some goodies at the historic Lancaster Central Market. It’s the oldest, continuously running public farmers’ market in the country!
Next month we return to a favorite destination during our stay in West Chester, PA.
