Explore what Pennsylvania has to offer with the Roadtrip-a-Matic!

This post brought to you by PA Tourism. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love living in Northwestern Pennsylvania! Of course, I like to complain about the cold winters and the hot summers but for the most part this area is one of the greatest ones to live in. Along with many natural and historic sites to visit, play at and trek to — we are also fortunate enough to have Presque Isle State Park less than an hour drive away. Even though I’m a  PA native and have lived here for most of my life, there are still so many pa-roadtrips we want to take and places that I have yet to visit!

We often will use the visitpa.com website to plan weekend daytrips. The Roadtrip-a-Matic is an especially helpful vacation planning tool, even if we’re only planning to be away for a day.

Using the Roadtrip-a-Matic, our family can plot out our entire trip from home to destination and any stops we want to make on the way, including where we’ll eat, scenic roads to take and other hidden gems we may have otherwise missed out on.

Last year, I used this very tool to help my husband and I plan a daytrip to Benezette, PA to see the Elk at the Elk Country Visitor’s Center. We had never heard of or been to this location before but we made it with no problems. It was one of the best family roadtrips we’ve taken to date!

This year, I am already thinking about where our family will head off to this summer! My husband and I both love the rich history that Pennsylvania has to offer so we try to visit places that will help teach the kids about our state’s past.

We both dream of taking a roadtrip to the historic battlefields located in Gettysburg, PA. The Civil Trails and Beyond Roadtrip, Follow Me To 1863, would be the perfect trip for us. I visited Gettysburg with my Dad & Mom as a kid and I think that both of our children would enjoy this part of our state’s history. 

What I absolutely love about the Roadtrip-a-Matic is that it give you a day by day intinerary that includes suggested stops for the day, where to eat, where to stay and even a sidebar that gives you “Worthy Detours” if you have extra time. We’ll be able to print out the maps that we need along with the entire itinerary, including links to visitor centers. This is great to have on hand while you’re on the road!

The Follow Me To 1863 Roadtrip has 16 main stops on the list with The National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg as the starting point and ending up on day four at the Louise Tanger Arboretum in Lancaster to visit the home of our 15th president, James Buchanan. I am in awe of how much history is packed into this four day, three night trip!

The daily plan gives you a brief history about each stop along with points of interest you don’t want to miss, the best spot for a gorgeous view or just a piece of general advice about the location. This is invaluable to someone like me who wants to be sure they see everything and has never been to that spot before!

source: Gettysburg Military Park. Provided By: Commonwealth Media Services

I know that the Gettysburg roadtrip is on my vacation wishlist but in all likelyhood, it won’t happen this year since it’s on theother side of the state! I’m okay with that though, there are a ton of other roadtrips that are closer to home. One that has caught my eye as a good possibility is The Country Life Along I-79 trip. This one is practically in our back yard and I would love to visit Phipps Conservatory to see the botanical gardens and butterflies!

Big Times In Small Towns is a roadtrip that truly IS our backyard, The Meadville Market House is a great spot to spend an afternoon browsing handmade items {and the homemade cinnamon rolls are to die for!}. They even have a small diner with super reasonable prices.

I could probably name off each one of the over 40 roadtrips that are listed on the Roadtrip-a-Matic with reasons why our family would love to go! There is a trip for every season, ocassion and interest!