Jim Thorpe, PA - biking, hiking, etc. It's also a very pretty town with history (Molly McGuires, coal industry, etc. My understanding is the rich folks lived there, so it's prettier than a lot of towns in the coal region.)
Delaware Water Gap - national recreation area.
Easton, PA - I know the Crayola Factory is there (good for kids) and a cute downtown.
Bus goes to all these places, but it takes longer than two hours via bus I think. If you are driving, it's better.
Upstate, New Paltz/Rosendale/Kingston are all easy to get to.
Rosendale might be the best option for a day trip if you want to go carless as you can rent bikes near the bus stop and be within biking distance to the rail trail and walking bridge over Rondout. I think there is some hiking also along Joppenburg mountain. The town also has a small downtown with some decent dining options. Check out what town fairs/festivals are coming up. (I want to go to the pickle festival in November.)
New Paltz has the old Dutch section and I think does some kind of events. It's a college town and the Shawangunks are nearby where you can try your hand at rock climbing or regular old hiking. Lake Minnewaska (state park?) has rugged trails as well as more manicured carriage trails from when there was a mountain hotel by the lake (a la Mohunk, also nearby).
Kingston has the Roundout section where the creek meets the Hudson, which used to be an industrial area of town but has since been revitalized (not before chunks of it were lost to urban renewal in the 60s/70s). I know the town does stuff there, so look that up to see if anything is coming up. We spent a lovely July 4th at Rondout a couple years ago with live music and fireworks. Kingston also has the stockade district (old Dutch part of town) and there might be some festivals they do there.
Poughkeepsie has the walking bridge across the Hudson and is a quick train ride away.
Topic: Day Trips (Read 2246 times)