Thursday, August 16, 2012

Date Ideas in Central PA

Aaron and I have been together for over a year. And we have had plenty of dates in that time.  We are often up for a quiet evening, watching Netflix (Warehouse 13-anyone else completely addicted?) & making dinner together.  We go out to dinner maybe once a week and will go for a walk downtown if it's nice.  Since we (and by we, I am mostly referring to my side of the relationship) are not rolling in the dough, we try to plan cost effective dates & save up for one or two big ones each summer.  

The past two weekends, we have sensed that summer is almost over.  We have had a good balance this summer of going out and staying in, but there are still several summer bucket list items to knock off.  

I surprised Aaron two weekends ago with a trip to the local Railroad Museum of PA.  It's about 20 minutes away, through beautiful towns and farmland.  We had been to the actual railroad and ridden on the Wine & Cheese Train last summer but had never gone to the museum. Although I'm not a train buff, Aaron is.  The boy loves trains.  So I knew this would be a fun surprise date for him.  He totally guessed that's where we were going when we left the apartment but he was so excited! They have restored engines, areas to learn about trains, and an exhibit of how trains were used during the Civil War.  And the winning price...$9.00 per ticket.  I have a AAA discount so that is factored in.  It was a great price to see so much stuff.  Aaron could have definitely been happy there the whole day.  


This past weekend was also a really fun one for us.  For a year, we have wanted to go to the Shoe House. And no, that is not my pet name for DSW or Payless.  Off of Route 30, every time I drive to Aaron's, I see this shoe house. It's literally a huge house shaped like a shoe.  The story goes that Mahlon Haines, a famous shoe salesman from our area, built the house as a form of advertising many years ago.  It has changed hands multiple times but remains a fun little attraction for tourists from near and far.  

We took a tour of the house for $4.50 (per person) and I'd say that's a pretty cheap date.  The house is bigger inside than you'd imagine.  There are several bedrooms, bathrooms, and an adorable kitchen.  There's even a Shoe Dog House. 


We ended the evening visiting Samuel Lewis State Park.  Sunday was such a beautiful day and we were so lucky to spend it outside.  Aaron's parents met us at the park, where we parked ourselves at the top of a hill with the most spectacular view of the Susquehanna Valley.  It was truly stunning.  His parents brought pizza and wings for dinner and it was the most beautiful day. And because of his parents' generosity, completely free to us! 


So there you have it- three pretty cheap ways to have a great time in Central PA. We loved each thing we did and love that we can explore things within a few miles of home. 

Where are your favorite local places to visit?




3 comments:

  1. Warehouse 13 is awesome!!! My X and his family got me into it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. AHH! The Shoe House.... We have family in York and when we were little we knew we were getting close because we passed the "Old Lady who lived in the Shoe"'s house!

    I've always wondered if you could tour it! So cool!

    You two are super cute! xoxo

    ReplyDelete