Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes

Category: Outdoors Life

  • Leaf peeping, murder mysteries, and mountain charm in Jim Thorpe | Field Trip

    Leaf peeping, murder mysteries, and mountain charm in Jim Thorpe | Field Trip

    When you think of fall in the mountains, the quintessential image that probably comes to mind is of Jim Thorpe. Even if you’ve never set foot in this petite Pennsylvania town — wrapped like an amphitheater in a vertical forest that changes color by the day — photos of it have become the calling card of the Poconos, luring day-trippers and weekenders long before ski season begins.

    Named for the multi-sport athlete and the first Native American to win Olympic gold, the town flares out on either side of the Lehigh River in checkerboards of boutiques, breweries and Victorian manors. There’s plenty to do within its small footprint, and the rest of the Poconos waits right at its doorstep.

    The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway is known for its Autumn Leaf train excursion.

    Ride: Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway

    Imagine gliding through a kaleidoscope of gold, russet and amber leaves. That’s why the ticket booth for the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway opens early — 7 a.m. on weekends, 9 a.m. on weekdays — for its wildly popular Autumn Leaf train excursion. Tickets are sold only in person, the day of, so plan ahead. The 45-minute round trip offers stunning views best seen (and photographed) from the open-air carriages.

    📍1 Susquehanna St., Jim Thorpe, Pa. 18229

    Stay: Harry Packer Mansion

    A five-minute walk from the station, the Harry Packer Mansion counts quirky arched dormers, a copper-topped bell tower, and a grand sandstone veranda among its many eccentricities. Built in 1874 by railroad tycoon Asa Packer as a wedding gift for his son, Harry, the mansion (and adjacent carriage house) features eight rooms with ornate woodwork and vintage décor. Check in on the second or fourth weekend of each month for an immersive murder mystery, where costumed characters bring the mansion to life.

    📍19 Packer Hill Ave., Jim Thorpe, Pa. 18229

    Race: Pocono Raceway

    About 20 minutes east of Jim Thorpe sits Pocono Raceway, the legendary 2.5-mile track that’s hosted NASCAR races since 1971. For an adrenaline rush, hop into a Dodge Charger Hellcat for a ride-along with a professional driver around the “Tricky Triangle,” hitting 60 mph in just over three seconds.

    📍1234 Long Pond Rd., Long Pond, Pa. 18334

    Eat: Pocono Organics Café

    A raceway and organic farm might seem like unlikely neighbors, but the Poconos are full of surprises. One of the largest regenerative agricultural projects in North America, Pocono Organics has a can’t-miss café with an epic grass-fed cheeseburger, a beet salad dressed with tahini, harissa and pistachios, and house-baked pastries worth saving for the morning drive home.

    📍1015 Long Pond Rd., Blakeslee, Pa. 18610

    Shop: Downtown Jim Thorpe

    Back in town, stroll down Broadway, the main drag lined with boutiques that feel far more cosmopolitan than you’d expect in a mountain village. Browse plus-size consignment at BawdyPlus, bespoke stationery at Somersault, indie paperbacks at Sellers Books & Art, and 18th-century curiosities at Antiques on Broadway.

    📍77 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, Pa. 18229 (BawdyPlus);📍65 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, Pa. 18229 (Sellers Books & Art);📍52 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229 (Antiques on Broadway)

    Drink: Bright Path Brewing

    Cross the bridge over the Lehigh River to the east side of town for pre-dinner drinks at Bright Path Brewing, a relaxed taproom with forest-green walls and pipe-legged tables. Bright Path has been brewing German-accented beers since 2022; the smoked Maibock may be meant for spring (“Mai” = May), but its subtle smokiness pairs perfectly with crisp autumn air.

    📍1215 North St., Jim Thorpe, Pa. 18229

    Dine: Café Arielle at the Stabin Museum

    End the evening with art and ambiance. Step into The Stabin Museum, where artist Victor Stabin’s genre-bending naturalist paintings line the walls, before dining at the adjacent Café Arielle. Red-curried salmon and roasted duck with blueberry gastrique fill the tables of this stone-and-wood hideaway, glowing like a lantern in the mountain night.

    📍268 W. Broadway, Jim Thorpe, Pa. 18229

  • ✂️ Fall garden to-do list | Outdoorsy Newsletter

    ✂️ Fall garden to-do list | Outdoorsy Newsletter

    Sweater weather is here. I know I’m not the only one who is thrilled to get into cozy mode and crunch more leaves under my shoes.

    • Prep for winter: Let’s go over your autumn garden to-do list before the growing season ends.
    • Squeezed from many sides: A South Jersey soybean farmer shares how rising costs and tariffs are making his job harder.
    • Your outdoorsy experience: Readers share their favorite fall foliage views — and tips on where to find pawpaws around the Philly region.

    🥶 Bundle up: The region is about to experience its chilliest spell in a while.

    — Paola Pérez (outdoorsy@inquirer.com)

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    Fall tasks

    Virginia “Ginny” Smith tends to black-eyed susans in her East Falls garden for the annual fall cleanup.

    Winter is less than two months out. As colder conditions creep over the region, your garden will have to cope with the chill.

    Beyond removing leaves and branches, here are a couple other things to consider to keep your garden healthy:

    🪴 Protect plants from frost: Use old blankets or bubble wrap to insulate containers and pots and keep root systems warm.

    🚰 Not just plants: Freezing temps can also hurt your watering hoses. Remember to unhook and drain them to avoid damage.

    ✂️ Tool care is key: Give your shovels and other tools a proper clean before putting them away, and see if your snips and shears are due for a sharpening. (A local sharpener could help with that.)

    🌱 Paola’s pro-tip: Gardening is a year-round effort, so this is the time of year when I like to reflect on what went right, and what I could improve on next year. Keeping a journal to document these developments can be fun.

    Get more tips to help keep your garden healthy now and throughout the winter.

    News worth knowing

    Feeling the squeeze

    🎤 Now we’re passing the microphone to environmental reporter Frank Kummer.

    Like many farmers, Patrick Giberson feels squeezed from many sides these days.

    His family’s soybean and corn farm in Pemberton, Burlington County, has been flanked by a wave of development — new warehouses, shopping centers, and a Walmart.

    Meanwhile, a Chinese soybean boycott continues in response to U.S.-imposed tariffs. Equipment is expensive. And weather remains, as always, unpredictable.

    Yet Giberson, 57, a fourth-generation farmer, says he’s determined to adapt and endure. The family’s 800-acre farm, owned by his parents, Jo and Pat Giberson, features a restored 18th-century farmhouse and designated wildlife preserve. — Frank Kummer

    Keep reading to hear about the variety of issues impacting this fourth-generation soybean farmer and others like him.

    A foliage view

    Outdoorsy readers submitted these awesome autumnal sights.

    As the trees continue to transform, Outdoorsy readers sent in these stunning shots of fall foliage across our region.

    Shoutout to Dorothy Stiles, who provided the gorgeous picture taken at Valley Forge National Historical Park (left), and to Joseph and Maria Hill, who captured the Blazing Maple showing off its bright colors (right). They told me they first planted it in their backyard five years ago in Media, Pa.: “We took it home from Home Depot in the back seat of my wife’s Mini Cooper Convertible and now it’s 40-50 feet tall!”

    Thank you for sharing.

    I’d love to see more of your autumn photography. Feel free to send them here.

    P.S. This Saturday, Oct. 25 and next Saturday, Nov. 1, fall foliage tree tours are taking place at the Andalusia Historic House, Gardens & Arboretum. Get more details here.

    🌳 Your foraging tales

    Outdoorsy reader Jeff Laughead pictured with a pawpaw.

    Last week, I asked you for tips on finding pawpaws in and around Philly, and you delivered.

    Dan Scholnick recommended going by the Cobbs Creek Environmental Center in West Philly. He also raved about the “outrageously good” fruit along S. Saint Bernard Street by a community garden, with this great tip to boot: “I’ve learned that the best ones are the ones you find on the ground having already fallen off the tree.”

    And Jeff Laughead, pictured above, suggested we check out Ferncliff Wildflower Preserve out in Lancaster County, which he said has a great pawpaw grove: “A bit of an uphill hike to get there, but totally worth it!”

    For yummy fruits, it’s always worth going the extra mile.

    👋🏽 Take care out there, friends. Until next time.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

  • Cherry Hill’s new PGA Tour Superstore is set to open. Here is a look inside.

    Cherry Hill’s new PGA Tour Superstore is set to open. Here is a look inside.

    Clearing a golf ball past the 250-yard mark into the sunlit fairway of California’s Titleist Performance Institute is getting easier for a whole lot of people in the region.

    All they have to do is stop by the virtual golf simulators at Cherry Hill’s PGA Tour Superstore. The Georgia-based chain is opening store No. 80 in South Jersey. It already has an outlet in the Metroplex Mall in Plymouth Meeting, and is looking to expand to Ocean Township, N.J., soon.

    The company has undergone a significant growth spurt in the last six years with new brick-and-mortar locations and a 200% jump in e-commerce, a company spokesperson said.

    The sprawling 40,000-square-foot superstore in Cherry Hill will open at 9 a.m. Saturday with $30,000 worth of giveaways, including a full set of iron golf clubs to the first two customers.

    It will house dozens of aisles of the latest golf clubs, balls, apparel, and other gear, among six practice and play hitting bays, virtual golf simulation stations, and an expert club fitting area. Store sales manager Lexi Humbert, a golfer of 16 years, said she added 10 yards to her drive after a new club head suggestion.

    Store general manager Lisa-Jo Donnelly reacts as she sinks a putt on the practice green at the PGA Superstore.

    The real draw is the golf simulation bay, where customers can cycle through world-famous golf courses projected onto a screen, and drive balls nearly 100 mph into them, receiving analytics on each swing.

    The putting green is lined with the most popular putters from classics like Taylor Made Spiders and Scotty Cameron Phantoms to the fresh lineup of L.A.B. brand putters. Golfers can explore clubs and then test them out in the golf simulation bays, or get hands-on fittings with the experts. Regripping and repair services are available, too.

    Golf, historically associated with wealthier, white men, is a growing sport — especially “off-course golf.” It was made popular by TopGolf — a trend PGA Tour Superstore hopes to capitalize on with recurring Saturday events, inviting youth groups (like First Tee) in for lessons, and providing a social space for those looking to get some swings in outside of the green.

    “The average golfer is now down to their early 40s‚” said the store’s general manager, Lisa-Jo Donnelly. The goal is to create a space that will become part of the Cherry Hill golfing community, within a region that is home to 70 courses and a local high school team that likes bringing home trophies, she said.

    The store has an expansive women’s and juniors’ sections. Humbert, who said she has been to golf stores all over the country, said the selections will be refreshing for many, as stores tend to skimp on women’s and junior equipment.

    “When I go to other stores, I already know that I’m not going to have nearly the selection that I need. I always get frustrated,” Humbert said. “The biggest thing for me is for those just wanting to get into golf and see a PGA shirt at other places for $150, whereas here you can go into the back of the store and find something for $20 to $30.”

    Store sales manager Lexi Humbert reacts after a great drive on a virtual golf simulation at the PGA Superstore.

    Saturday’s opening day is likely to lure hundreds to the store for giveaways, but they may have to contend with the dozens of people who will camp out for days to be first.

    “These opening giveaways are so popular that we had, for quite a few openings, the same person in the front of the line. He was traveling around the country and getting there first,” Donnelly said.

    The store will provide campers with pizza on Friday night and coffee and Krispy Kreme doughnuts on Saturday. The new PGA Tour Superstore CEO, Troy Rice, and Cherry Hill Mayor David Fleisher will also be in attendance Saturday, alongside members of the township council.

    📅 Opening Oct. 25, at 9 a.m.📍2232 N.J. Route 70, Suite C, Cherry Hill Township, N.J. 08002, 🕒 Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 🌐 pgatoursuperstore.com