Near Depot

Eisenhower National Historic Site in Gettysburg was the home of General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower from his military retirement until his death, and was for a time the President's retreat. It is today a museum house in a preserved state.

The Thought Lot is an art museum in Shippensburg, with mainly contemporary art, and an art education program. Shippensburg also has SHAPE, the Shippensburg Arts Programming Education, which as might be expected is an arts education center.

Gettysburg National Military Park is just an hour's drive east of the Depot and is one of the most well-known and most important battlegrounds of the Civil War. Within the park is the Battlefield of Gettysburg, the site of the largest number of casualties in the war and where Confederate General Lee was defeated in his quest for another northern invasion. This is also where President Abraham Lincoln gave his legendary Gettysburg Address, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery. Tours (guided and unguided) of the park are available, as well as a Civil War museum at the visitors center featuring tens of thousands of artifacts and exhibits on the war, and many other historic sites including David Wills House, where Lincoln stayed the night before his speech, and George Spangler Farm which was used as a field hospital.

The Appalachian Trail Museum is located in a 200 year old grist mill in the Pine Grove Furnace State Park and is dedicated to telling the story of the trail since its creation. Exhibits are about the trail's founders and many early hikers, including thousands of pictures and a replica shelter built by a famous hiker. This is the country's only museum about hiking!

Farther Afield

The US Army Heritage Museum in Carlisle, collects and shares the history of the army through artifacts, exhibits, and research. Exhibits include the "soldier experience" where visitors can virtually parachute into Normandy or use the digital shooting range, view hundreds of images from the Civil War, and learn about the 5 Star General of the Army Omar N. Bradley.

The National Civil War Museum strives to tell the "entire" story of the Civil War from both sides through thousands of artifacts and exhibits. Items include uniforms, weapons, personal objects carried by soldiers, manuscripts and documents, items that belonged to President Lincoln, General Lee, Major General McClellan, and "Stonewall" Jackson.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania displays the history of Pennsylvania from its early prehistoric eras to Native American civilizations, European colonizations, Revolutionary and Civil Wars, to the industrial age. Millions of artifacts relating to paleontology, archaeology, geology, ecology and fine arts and culture are on exhibit. Additionally, the museum also runs a planetarium.

The Pennsylvania National Fire Museum is located in a 1899 Victorian era fire house in Harrisburg and features the history of firefighting from the early pre-Civil War days to modern times. Exhibits include early hand- or horse-drawn carriages through more recent firefighting vehicles, various tools and equipment, photographs, and more memorabilia.

The Cumberland County Historical Society maintains 16 galleries covering over 200 years of the county's history and artifacts. Past exhibits have included early fabric used in the area, and the building of antique plank bottom chairs. The society also includes a library and thousands of manuscripts and area records, and puts on walking tours and workshops for the community.

Eastern Museum of Motor Racing showcases vintage racecars and exhibits and memorabilia of racing throughout history, with a focus on the east's superb legacy. The museum, located in York Springs, is on a 40-acre facility which also includes a renovated racetrack featuring several events every year, and one of the best motorcar research libraries in the country.

The Oakes Museum is a 10,000 square foot space dedicated to African and North American natural history. The collection houses over 40,000 objects such as fossils, eggs, insects, mammals, birds, fish, and shells and a sensory room where visitors can pick up and touch various rocks and fossils.

Hershey, Pennsylvania, hometown of the chocolate and candy company, is just on the other side of Harrisburg, and features not only the chocolate factory, but also a museum and theme park, often with the scent of chocolate in the air.