The Fall Festival in Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe is by far one of the most beautiful places in Pennsylvania.
The beautiful mountainous landscapes, the gorges along the Lehigh Gorge Trail and the streetscapes are truly sights you’d have to see to understand. In the fall, it’s even more beautiful and is a popular destination as a result.
If you’re planning on traveling to the area during the fall season, here are a couple of tips that you may find helpful as you plan to go.
PARKING IS LIMITED:
Depending on when you arrive to Jim Thorpe, parking will be limited. When we got there, we got there a little after 3pm and even so close to closing time for the Fall Festival, the lots were still packed. We ended up having to park ontop of a hill, which made for a very tiring walk back to the car once we were done enjoying the festivities. There are shuttles available for those of you planning to go, but many of those parking spots were limited as well. Which brings me to the next point…
GO EARLY:
If you’re planning on visiting the festival, the best time to get there is a little before it starts or right after. The later you wait, the more you risk not being able to find good parking and not being able to fully enjoy all the festival has to offer before it closes.
BRING YOUR COMFORTABLE WALKING SHOES:
This probably goes without saying, but the day you go to Jim Thorpe, you definitely want to wear comfortable walking shoes. There are sections of Jim Thorpe that are pretty hilly, so you want to wear shoes they have a lot of support. You also will probably want to enjoy the nearby entrance to the trail to see the fall foliage in the fall, so I’d wear something you can walk in for hours without pain.
(Related Post – A Photo Story: Viewing the Fall Foliage at the Lehigh Gorge Trail in Jim Thorpe)
IT GETS PRETTY CROWDED:
We didn’t realize before going just how packed Jim Thorpe gets for the fall festival. While to some it may seem like just a resort town for people who enjoy snowboarding, it’s also really popular during the fall season and there were crowds to prove it. Just about everywhere was crowded with people enjoying the sights, taking photographs of each other in front of the train, browsing the stores, and enjoying the live music being played at the festival. The sidewalks were packed with people and so were the establishments. It just goes to show you how popular the event is and how many visitors it attracts every year.
STAY THE NIGHT:
Something we did not do, but may consider one of these days is we did not stay the night. If you’re someone who lives a couple of hours away from Jim Thorpe, if you can afford it, I’d recommend getting a room. It’s not a must for you to enjoy the festival, but when we went, we would’ve loved more time getting to experience what the town had to offer.
(Related Post – The Best Places to Visit in the Fall in Pennsylvania)
Have you ever been to Jim Thorpe’s Fall Festival?
