If you’ve stumbled upon Jim Thorpe content on the internet lately, you know it’s a quaint town in Pennsylvania bustling with tourists. I’m all for cute towns, but not so much for crowds. So, we decided to take a day trip during November in hopes of a less crowded experience. Let’s break it all down.
Parking is a big consideration when visiting Jim Thorpe, and another reason we decided to go in November on a Monday. We were able to find parking at the main municipal lot next to the train station. We arrived a little before noontime, and there were already lots of cars there, but if you kept driving down to the left there were eventually a good amount of open spots. Parking is not free, but significantly cheaper on a weekday, $8 a day Monday through Friday verses $25 a day for Saturday, Sunday, or holidays.
The town is sometimes referred to as “Switzerland of America.” As someone who has been to Switzerland a few times, I tend to disagree. While there’s a couple quaint little old fashioned streets, it doesn’t give the same vibe as Switzerland and some of the buildings just feel more old timey original town America centuries ago vs the neat architecture in Switzerland. However, with the combo of the mountains nearby, and being a in valley, that’s how the town gets away with the nickname.
Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway
One of the main attractions is the Leigh Gorge Railway. The railroad appears to be open daily, and offers a handful of different tours throughout the year. In the Fall you can take the Autumn Leaf tours, and starting at the end of November you can hop aboard their Holiday Trains. Since we were there mid November, on a Monday, we took the Autumn Leaf tour which is around 45 minutes long. While most leaves had already changed and fallen by the time we were in town, it was still a fun ride and the staff narrate stories along the way to keep you entertained.
Dining
There’s a handful of casual restaurants, pubs, and cafes available for an easy lunch in town. If you’re looking for something quick or to go for your train ride, stop by the King Coal Cafe, which is a parked train dining car steps away from the ticket booth.
We opted for the Broadway Grille + Underground for our quick lunch after our 12pm train ride. It was a bustling spot on a Monday afternoon, and we noticed many people from our train car stopping in as well.
Shopping
One of the main reasons I came to town was to check out the shops! I love a locally owned small business so it’s always a treat to stroll down streets and see what unique stores and gifts you can find. We did notice that there were a handful of stores not open on Monday. If you have your heart set on visiting everything, or particular shops, plan ahead and review their opening hours and days.
Most of the shops you’ll want to check out are on two conveniently located streets. Just steps away from the municipal parking lot and train station, you’ll find Broadway and Race Street. I recommend starting with Broadway, walking up it and then coming down back to town on Race Street. Check out this handy map of the historic downtown to see where everything is located.
A bookstore is always one place I can’t pass by. Jim Thorpe has a few, one traditional bookstore Sellers Books & Arts, a used bookstore called Trappe Alley LTD, and a new place called Smutea that’d dedicated to romance which is located next to Kelly Suites on the first floor.
What’s a cute historic town with a Christmas shop? Well, don’t worry, Jim Thorpe has got you covered. We had fun walking the various rooms of the Jingle Bells Christmas Shoppe, and it certainly got me in the mood for the holiday season just around the corner. I loved seeing all the unique ornaments and decorations that I hadn’t seen elsewhere, and even went away with a gift for my mom for Christmas, as well as a cute mouse ornament for my own tree.
The Silly Goose
If there’s one place that put Jim Thorpe on my radar, it is hands down The Silly Goose store owned by Nate. Nate and his creative marketing videos on TikTok quickly became a sensation and were all over my FYP. Had I known about Jim Thorpe before seeing Nate and The Silly Goose online? Nope! Did it inspire me to want to visit? Absolutely! The store is small, but packs a lot of laughs and unique gifts. From cute sweatshirts featuring a goose, to greeting cards like no other, if you have a sense of humor, you’re bound to find something unique here.
Attractions
We were only in town for an afternoon, so we didn’t hit all the attractions and sights, but there’s a number of activities you can check out while in town.
- Trolley Ride
- Ghost Tours
- Asa Packer Mansion Museum
- Murder Mystery weekends at The Harry Packer Mansion Inn
- Old Jail Museum
Overview
Fall is a great time to visit Jim Thorpe. You can definitely visit in just a day if you’re wanting to ride the train and get some shopping in. However, if you want to do the trolley, a ghost tour, and visit some of the museums as well, it may make sense to stay in town for the night so you can have 2 days to spread everything out. It’s also worth noting it gets pretty chilly early/mid November so bring those hats and gloves along to keep you toasty as you take in the sights.
Overall, we had a great day visiting the town. Crowds were to a minimum and the only really busy thing was the railway. Otherwise, we had some stores to ourselves and were able to wander around without crowds getting in the way. A nice peaceful fall getaway!
One final thing to note, the vast majority of the town, as in shops and restaurants, aren’t very handicapped accessible. So wheelchair users will unfortunately want to do some research ahead of time to plan out their day. Some places do have a button you can push outside if you need assistance, but not sure what kind of assistance is provided. Hopefully more places will look to add accommodations in time.
