Scranton (Summer)

Deep down, Scranton’s heart is black. Scranton and its sister city Wilkes-Barre sit on the "Northern Field," one of the world’s largest deposits of a rare, glittering, rock-like fuel: anthracite coal. As Vice President Joe Biden points out, Scranton is a workingman’s town, authentic diners included. The iron smelters and coal mines drew waves of immigrants; work-a-day lives in this mountain town are best experienced in the thrilling Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour, where visitors plummet backwards 300 feet in a coal car to an underground city of mine caves. For those who prefer their coal as a power source, Steamtown National Historic Site ...

Deep down, Scranton’s heart is black. Scranton and its sister city Wilkes-Barre sit on the "Northern Field," one of the world’s largest deposits of a rare, glittering, rock-like fuel: anthracite coal. As Vice President Joe Biden points out, Scranton is a workingman’s town, authentic diners included. The iron smelters and coal mines drew waves of immigrants; work-a-day lives in this mountain town are best experienced in the thrilling Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour, where visitors plummet backwards 300 feet in a coal car to an underground city of mine caves. For those who prefer their coal as a power source, Steamtown National Historic Site features one of the largest collections of period locomotives in the United States, plus a working roundhouse, locomotive shop, restoration shop and trolley museum. Scranton and Wilkes-Barre boast a few casinos, a racing track, and more than 20 wineries. If you’re a fan of the TV show “The Office,” you’ll find a tour of local Office hot-spots nearly every month of the year, including Scranton landmark, Cooper’s Seafood.

About the Expert

Joanne Miller is the author of several Moon guidebooks, including Pennsylvania Handbook, Chesapeake Bay Handbook, and Maryland/Delaware Handbook.