March 2024
I love an old small town. Throw in some industrial history, beautiful old homes and a classic hotel with a lot of its own history and I'm sold. Oh, and if it also has an old small diner, I'm in love. This describes Wellsboro. Did I mention they also still have gas-powered streetlights?! Wellsboro is a thriving town, but it's also like stepping back into another era. It's probably most well-known for the nearby Pine Creek Gorge which is billed as the "Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania." It's no Grand Canyon. While we did walk through the gorge, we spent more time walking through the town which is the real attraction.

One of the reasons I was most excited to visit Wellsboro was the Wellsboro Diner

Dunham's has been the local department store for almost 120 years

The Penn Wells Hotel is a landmark in Wellsboro

They don't build banks like this anymore

This burglar alarm is a quaint yet cool old piece of technology

At the music park, you can stop by and play a variety of outdoor instruments.

At the music park, you can stop by and play a variety of outdoor instruments.

The Wynken, Blynken & Nod statue pays homage to the 135 year old Dutch Lullaby

Tioga County Courthouse in Wellsboro

Tioga County Courthouse in Wellsboro

The Wynken, Blynken & Nod statue pays homage to the 135 year old Dutch Lullaby

Wellsboro's Main Street is like stepping back in time

Every old town needs a clock on the street

The Penn Wells Hotel is a landmark in Wellsboro

The Arcadia Theatre looks like it came from another era because it did

The Wellsboro Diner is one of the coolest diners I've seen anywhere

The menu at The Steakhouse has a proper explanation for people who want their steak well done

The Penn Wells Hotel's sign stands watch over Wellsboro

The Arcadia Theatre looks like it came from another era because it did

We stayed at the Penn Wells Lodge

Headed out of town on PA route 660

Away from town and into farm country

I caught a few shots of a bald eagle over Pine Creek Gorge

I caught a few shots of a bald eagle over Pine Creek Gorge

Looking out over Pine Creek Gorge which is sometimes advertised as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania

Looking out over Pine Creek Gorge which is sometimes advertised as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania

Looking out over Pine Creek Gorge which is sometimes advertised as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania

Looking out over Pine Creek Gorge which is sometimes advertised as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania

Looking across to the rock structures on the far side of the gorge

The viewing area at the gorge is really nice

Driving down to the bottom of the gorge

The Darling Run train station at the bottom Pine Creek Gorge where a rail line used to exist

The Darling Run train station at the bottom Pine Creek Gorge where a rail line used to exist

Getting an up close view of Pine Creek

The former rail line through Pine Creek Gorge is now a hiking trail along Pine Creek

The former rail line through Pine Creek Gorge is now a hiking trail along Pine Creek

Heading back into Wellsboro. The gaslamps lining Main Street look so cool.

Dinner at The Steakhouse was delicious

Dinner at The Steakhouse was delicious

You know a hotel is old when it advertises an auto entrance

The post office in Wellsboro is a piece of history too

The post office in Wellsboro is a piece of history too

Main Street in Wellsboro

Wellsboro made a name for itself by branding Pine Creek Gorge as the PA Grand Canyon

This elm tree in front of the former Tioga County jail is over 150 years old

This is the Tioga County sheriff’s residence. It was also once the county jail.

The old Tioga County Courthouse

The new Tioga County Courthouse is right next door to the old one

Wellsboro is named after Mary Wells. No one is sure what she looked like though. This statue is based on images of her mother.

Henry W Williams house

Robinson house

First Presbyterian Church

Chester Place is now the Wellsboro Library

The front door of this house was a gift from President Abraham Lincoln. Odd gift, but people are still talking about it.

The front door of this house was a gift from President Abraham Lincoln. Odd gift, but people are still talking about it.

Jesse Robinson Manor

The Wynken, Blynken & Nod statue pays homage to the 135 year old Dutch Lullaby

The Wynken, Blynken & Nod statue pays homage to the 135 year old Dutch Lullaby

My grandmother used to tell me about Wynken, Blynken & Nod. So, it seemed fitting to get a photo of my mother with them.

St Paul’s Episcopal Church

Bingham Estate

The streetlights in Wellsboro are still gaslamps. It's such a neat feature of the town.

The inside of the Wellsboro Diner is exactly what you'd expect a tiny dining car diner in a small town to be

The inside of the Wellsboro Diner is exactly what you'd expect a tiny dining car diner in a small town to be

The inside of the Wellsboro Diner is exactly what you'd expect a tiny dining car diner in a small town to be

I think the diner's little manual soup display is really cute

You don't often see fried banana peppers on a menu. When I do, I order them!

Equal parts meringue and coconut cream. It's an old diner thing.

I don't know what kind of birds live in this house!

The Sherwood house was the home of a congressman and is now the Sherwood Hotel

Tioga Central Train Station

I think this old sign on the Penn Wells Hotel is really great.

The streetlights in Wellsboro are still gaslamps. It's such a neat feature of the town.

Soldiers & Sailors Monument

This war memorial is dedicated to veterans of all wars

The architecture of the buildings on Main Street is fun

Beck's Bistro had great food and I like the way they made this space look modern but still show off that they're in an old building

As the sun goes down in Wellsboro, the neon starts to come on

Wynken, Blynken & Nod in all seasons. These are hung behind the front desk of the Penn Wells Lodge.

The streetlights in Wellsboro are still gaslamps. It's such a neat feature of the town.

There was probably a day when the diner was open 24 hours. Today it's only breakfast and lunch.

The Penn Wells Hotel's sign stands watch over Wellsboro

This American flag in the Penn Wells lobby is made of glass balls manufactured right in Wellsboro.

Even though the hotel was closed for the season, we got to see the Penn Wells Hotel's stately lobby

This American flag in the Penn Wells lobby is made of glass balls manufactured right in Wellsboro.

We didn't try sneaking up the stairs to see where they lead

Again, this place is like stepping back in time

Many of the glass ornaments that your grandparents hung on their Christmas trees and you may still have, were manufactured in Wellsboro, PA

Many of the glass ornaments that your grandparents hung on their Christmas trees and you may still have, were manufactured in Wellsboro, PA

They found a lot of history when digging up the Penn Wells parking lot

The Penn Wells Hotel has a really cool history dispay in their lobby

Besides Christmas ornaments, many lightbulbs were manufactured in Wellsboro too

Many of the glass ornaments that your grandparents hung on their Christmas trees and you may still have, were manufactured in Wellsboro, PA

The hotel has a lot of history of its own too

The hotel has a lot of history of its own too

Even though the hotel was closed for the season, we got to see the Penn Wells Hotel's stately lobby

The Shattuck house is now home to the Main Street Creamery. We had to check it out since we're suckers for local ice cream shops.

The design of the United Methodist Church stands out even on a grey day

We woke up on our last day to fog coming down the mountain

The Luzerne County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre is quite a building

Wilkes-Barre's massive Market Street Bridge was buillt in the 1920s

This train station is also in Wilkes-Barre

We made a stop at Mohegan Sun casino in WIlkes-Barre on the way home. No real flaming cauldron like the one in Connecticut though

It was Easter when we were there. So, my tirimisu was more festive than usual.