Hershey Harrisburg and the Susquehanna River Valley

An American Industry and Commerce Travel Itinerary

Hershey Harrisburg and the Susquehanna River Valley

The Susquehanna River is 464 miles (747 km) long and is the longest river on the US East Coast. With its watershed, it is the 16th-largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United States without commercial boat traffic today. In the Canal Era, navigation improvements were made to enhance the river for barge shipping of bulk goods by water on the Pennsylvania Canal.

Harrisburg, the Capital of Pennsylvania, was inhabited by Native Americans as early as 3000 BC. Known as Peixtin, the area was an important trading post for Native American traders, as trails leading from the Delaware to the Ohio Rivers, and from the Potomac to the Upper Susquehanna intersected there.

 

 

Hershey is a year-round, world class travel destination with an amusement park, exclusive resorts and family attractions. In 1906, Milton Hershey opened Hershey Park as a place where his chocolate factory’s workers and their families could relax and be entertained. Surrounded by some of America’s most productive dairy farms, the world’s first modern chocolate factory and model town is a real community.

The AACA Museum in Hershey

You should know that Milton Hershey purchased a ticket to travel on Titanic, but was called back to the states early for a business emergency; the famed 2200 mile Appalachian Trail curves through the Hershey Harrisburg Region for 28 miles; Hershey Gardens is 23 acres of trees, flowers and other plants;

Broad Street Market in Harrisburg is the nation’s oldest continually operating market; in Hershey, the streets are lined with Hershey’s Kisses®! Chocolate Avenue’s street lamps are shaped like the famous candies; the Rockville Bridge in Harrisburg is the longest stone masonry arch railroad bridge in the world with 48 arches measuring 70 feet each spanning the Susquehanna River.

City Island is a 63-acre tourism and recreational destination containing archeological treasures of the Susquehannocks and Iroquois tribes which established seasonal settlements here. The island was a stopping off-point for Union soldiers during the Civil War; they crossed over it by way of the Camelback Bridge to defend Harrisburg from the threat of invasion by the Confederate Army. Today, City Island is a tourist destination which is home to numerous businesses including the Harrisburg Senators Baseball Stadium, the City Islanders Soccer Stadium, the Pride of the Susquehanna, Island Breezes Gift Shop, Susquehanna Outfitters, H20 Miniature Golf, City Island Arcade/Batting Cages, City Island Railroad, and the City Island Stables.

Millersburg Borough nestled along the Susquehanna River, is quaint community radiating out from a Victorian Market Square Park featuring a Gazebo dating back to 1891. Millersburg evolved along with the introduction new forms of transportation; travel back to the 17^th century and visit the Wiconisco Canal in MYO Park and a restored 1898 passenger rail station on West Center Street. The National Historic Register's Millersburg Ferry System traces its roots to 1817.

Shopping Strawberry Square, located in the heart of downtown Harrisburg, offers an array of service retail, upscale fashion shops, jewelers and other specialty stores. At its food court, you’ll find national and international cuisine offered by a dozen eateries. The Harrisburg Mall is an enclosed regional shopping center located three miles southeast of the city and Colonial Park Mall, located four miles east of downtown, is a single-level, enclosed regional mall. Tanger Outlets in Hershey offer great values.

Local Culture and Heritage

Susquehanna Art Museum is the cultural anchor for the Central Pennsylvania community, providing innovative, relevant and engaging exhibitions and experiences for members and visitors of all ages that excite, inspire, and stimulate life-long learning.

Union Canal Tunnel Park was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1970 and received its recognition as a National Landmark in 1994. Open dawn to dusk for hiking, bird watching, picnics, and recreation.

The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC) is the premier facility for historical research on U.S. Army history and is dedicated to "Telling the Army story...one Soldier at a time." The expansive campus includes the Visitor and Education Center, the U.S. Army War College Library, the U.S. Army Military History Institute, and the Army Heritage Trail. Open to the public, key features of the USAHEC include interpretive and interactive exhibits, the research library and archive.

Army Heritage Trail the mile-long outdoor Army Heritage Trail allows visitors to experience history in a new way, through interactive and full-scale military exhibits. Exhibits include a Cobra helicopter, Civil War encampment cabins, WWI trench system and more highlighting the different eras of American military history. The trail is open from dawn to dusk.

 

he National Civil War Museum seeks to tell the whole story of this most troubled chapter in American history, focusing on the issues, the people and the lives that were affected. The causes and ramifications of this conflict that divided a Nation are investigated; both Northern and Southern viewpoints are presented; and military as well as civilian perspectives are highlighted.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania presents the State’s heritage from the Earth's beginnings to the present. Archaeological artifacts, decorative arts, fine art galleries and industrial and technological innovations are on exhibit. The Civil War exhibit includes the 1870 painting "The Battle of Gettysburg: Pickett's Charge". Curiosity Connection is a hands-on learning environment for children. Other features: a Planetarium, Mammal Hall, Dino Lab and a restored Marshall's Creek Mastodon Skeleton.

Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War has twelve exhibit galleries featuring artifacts, interactive displays and several films that will further immerse you in the Battle of Gettysburg and the larger context of American history and understanding its relevance in our lives today.

The Amish Village provides an authentic experience, beginning with a guided tour of an Amish farmhouse. Explore a 12-acre village, complete with a one-room schoolhouse, local crafts and treats, blacksmith barn, animals and more.

The Pennsylvania Capitol is a National Historic Landmark and Palace of Art. The dome is a 1/3 replica of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and the grand staircase inside the main rotunda was inspired by the opera house in Paris.

Pride of the Susquehanna River Boat is one of the last remaining authentic paddle-wheel riverboats in America. Since her construction and launch in 1988, "The Pride" has carried almost a million passengers who have enjoyed themed cruises and River School Educational Trips.

 Food Wine and Ale

Turkey Hill, located in nearby Lancaster County, features interactive exhibits allowing you to learn about dairy culture, how the company's ice cream and iced tea flavors are selected and created, as well as a chance to create your own virtual ice cream flavor; free tastings!

The Millworks is a local & sustainable restaurant, bar with an outdoor biergarten, art galleries with 23 artist studios, & a live music venue located in the heart of Harrisburg’s Midtown District including the Broad Street Market; Susquehanna Museum of Art; and Midtown Scholar Bookstore.

 

The Wineries and Breweries of the Hershey Harrisburg Region invite guests to go beyond just tasting the wines. Learn more about the process and walk away with a deeper appreciation of wine making and Pennsylvania’s agricultural heritage. Experience the rich tastes of each winery’s blends, ciders and specialty collections. The region is also home to many small batch brewers who are following their dreams and creating trendy, welcoming spaces for beer-lovers to appreciate their favorite brews.

Outdoors and Wellness

The Susquehanna River, lush vineyards and the Appalachian Trail create a setting fit for any adventure and a chance to relax and recharge in the fresh outdoor air. The Hershey Harrisburg Region offers luxurious spa experiences that range from refreshing facials to complete mind and body treatment packages not to mention Hershey’s Signature Chocolate Treatments. And if Golf is your version of therapy and relaxation, we will arrange for game at one of our beautiful local public courses.

 

American River Trails

American River Trails Traveling along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to Little Rock Arkansas Memphis Tennessee Kansas City Missouri Alton Illinois Dubuque Iowa and Alexandria Minnesota

Little Rock and the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum Little Rock is a cultural, economic, government, and transportation center within Arkansas and the South located on the south bank of the Arkansas River in Central Arkansas. Fourche Creek and Rock Creek run through the city, and flow into the river.

Little Rock is an Intermodal River Port with a large Industrial Business Complex

Memphis Tennessee and the Mississippi River Museum Memphis is a city with a rich and eclectic history: Home of the Blues, Birthplace of Rock ’n’ Roll, BBQ Pork Capital of the World; it began with the Native Americans who settled on the Fourth Chickasaw Bluff, then onto Hernando De Soto, the Civil War, yellow fever, the blues and rock ‘n’ roll music.

A Display of Fine Art history-making Music and a Celebration of American Heritage and Culture

Mud Island River Park by day, take the monorail, which boasts some of the city’s best views, over to the Mississippi River Museum, where you can check out genuine Civil War garb and gunboat reproductions. By night, catch a live performance at the Amphitheater with the Memphis skyline as your backdrop and the rolling river at your back. The Mississippi River Museum traces the evolution of transportation on the river from the earliest canoes through the golden age of steamboats and modern diesel towboats efficient transportation and the economic impact of river transportation played a vital role in the development of trade routes and the growth of river cities.

Kansas City was founded in the 1830s as a Missouri River port at its confluence with the Kansas River. The City Market, bordering the Missouri River, contains one of the country's largest and longest lasting public farmers' markets in the nation with several unique shops and restaurants.

An Inland Port on the Missouri River KC is the 2^nd Largest Rail and 3^rd Trucking Hub in America

The Arabia Steamboat Museum is a time capsule of life on the American frontier in the mid-nineteenth century and an opportunity to experience the everyday objects that made life possible for pioneers in the 1800s.  It contains the largest single collection of pre-Civil War artifacts in the world.

The Arabia Steamboat Museum has been a popular Kansas City attraction for over 20 years

Alton Illinois and the National Great Rivers Museum Alton is located 25 Miles north of St. Louis amid the confluence of three navigable rivers, the Mississippi, the Illinois and the Missouri, as a river trading and industrial town. The Great Rivers Region is accessible from six interstates, an international airport and an Amtrak station.

River Trails where Great Rivers Converge with Great Moments in History at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center

Grafton’s riverfront was packed with manufacturing companies, mills, quarries, loading docks, and riverboat traffic in the 1800s. Today, it is a tourist destination with its specialty shops and wineries.

Architecture Trails many blocks of housing in Alton were built in the Victorian Queen Anne style during the prosperous period in the river city's history at the top of the hill in the commercial area, several stone churches and city hall.

The National Great Rivers Museum and Melvin Price Locks & Dam feature the importance of the river system to America’s economy from her grand history and cultural significance, to her ecological importance and role as a transportation corridor.

The Mississippi River, over 2,200 miles long, is the second longest river in the United States and the third largest river basin in the world, exceeded in size only by the Amazon and Congo basins. The central portion of the river is known as the Middle Mississippi, a 300-mile reach from Saverton, MO, to Cairo, IL. Further defining the Middle Mississippi are the confluences of three major tributaries, the Illinois, the Missouri and the Ohio Rivers.
The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 marked the opening of the West, and river settlements began to grow. In 1817, the first steamboat arrived in St. Louis and the population soared. Steamboat arrivals had increased more than a thousand-fold by 1858, turning the river into a superhighway.
The Corps of Engineers continually examines the biological impact of the navigational structures on the river’s ecosystem, balancing navigational needs with those of the environment.

The National Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque is located along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. It serves as the main commercial, industrial, educational, and cultural center for the Tri-State Area. One of the few cities in Iowa with hills, it is also a tourist destination featuring unique architecture and river views.

A Center for Culture with Five Institutions of Higher Learning

Downtown Dubuque is the center of the city's transportation and commercial sectors, and functions as the hub to the various outlying districts and neighborhoods. An area of special note is the Port of Dubuque which has seen a massive amount of new investment and new construction.

Alexandria Minnesota and the Legacy of the Lakes Museum

The Village of Alexandria was settled in 1858. The form of the name alludes to Alexandria, Egypt, a center of learning and civilization. W.E. Hicks was pivotal to the early development of the town. He purchased the townsite in 1868 and established a mill, hotel, newspaper, and store. He donated property for a courthouse, jail, and two churches: Methodist and Congregational.

The Legacy of the Lakes Museum, originally known as the Minnesota Lakes Maritime Museum, promotes lake traditions and legacies as well as preserve Minnesota history.

Minnesota is home to skilled watercraft builders since Native Americans first fashioned birch bark canoes hundreds of years ago. The museum boasts the most complete collection of Minnesota-made boats from Larson to our own Alexandria Boat Works.

The Delaware River Valley

The Delaware rises in two branches and flows 419 miles – 674 Km – into Delaware Bay. Its watershed drains an area of 14,119 square miles - 36,570 km² - in the five Atlantic Coast States of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.

Tributaries and Creeks there are 216 tributaries and 14,057 miles of streams and creeks in a watershed that is home to 4 million people and drinking water to 17 million. The Delaware River basin sustains fishing, transportation, power, cooling, recreation, and other industrial and residential purposes. With no dams or impediments on the river's main stem, the Delaware is one of the few remaining large free-flowing rivers in the United States.

The Hudson and the Delaware were originally called the North and South Rivers

History the river was first visited in 1609 by Henry Hudson and the Dutch East India Company resulting in Dutch and Swedish settlements along the lower section of river. The River was renamed Delaware in 1664, after Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and the Virginia colony's first royal governor. With the removal of the Lenape Indians, the name has been spread to municipalities and counties in the American Midwest and Canada were the tribes resettled.

Development the Delaware River played a key factor in the economic and social development of the Mid-Atlantic region. In the 17^th century it provided the conduit for colonial Dutch and Swedish settlement followed by the Quakers in Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley.

Canals Philadelphia’s importance as a commercial center led to improvements on the upper river; the Pennsylvania Canal running from Easton to Bristol, opened in 1830; the Delaware & Raritan Canal ran on the New Jersey side of the river while the Morris and the Delaware & Hudson Canals provided connections to the Hudson River. The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal linked the Delaware with Chesapeake Bay.

Recreation the Delaware Gap National Recreation Area resulted from the failure of a controversial plan to build a dam to control water levels for flood control and hydroelectric power generation. In 1978, environmental opposition led to a takeover by the National Park Service; surrounding communities developed recreational facilities and worked to preserve the remaining historical structures.

The Lehigh and Delaware River Valley are ideal anchor locations to visit New York City, the Hudson Valley, Philadelphia and South Central Pennsylvania.