This week continues our series of fun, interesting and scenic areas around Bloomsburg to explore this spring that will spice up your free time without breaking your budget.
The birds are chirping, trees are blooming, the pollen's flying, and fun activities are opening for the year or expanding their hours, so it's time to get away from end of the semester coursework and enjoy yourself!
Knoebels Grove
www.knoebels.com
A great place to kick out the last of your winter blues is Knoebels Grove, America's largest free-admission amusement park and home of two nationally acclaimed wooden coasters, the Phoenix and Twister.
Knoebels also has the tallest Ferris wheel in Pennsylvania, a carousel and haunted house that were both voted best in the country by Amusement Today, and a plethora of restaurants and food stands that have won the park the Golden Ticket Award for best amusement park food 11 years in a row. When the weather heats up this summer, be sure to check out the park's pool and water slides, and its two water rides, the Flume and Sklooosh!
Knoebels' opening day is April 24, and it is located 14 miles outside of Bloomsburg, south on Route 487.
Lehigh Valley Grand Prix
www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com
If you're looking for a more hands-on thrill than a roller coaster can offer and don't mind a longer drive, Allentown's indoor go-kart track is the place for you. With speeds up to 45mph and an average race length of three miles, Lehigh Valley Grand Prix's gas-powered karts are sure to get your adrenaline flowing. Bring some friends to race against, and compare your times on the overhead scoreboards.
Allentown is an hour and a half drive southeast of Bloomsburg.
Selinsgrove Speedway
www.selinsgrovespeedway.com
If you're more interested in watching races than driving a go-kart, check out the Selinsgrove Speedway. The Speedway's half-mile dirt track hosts Sprint Car, Late Model, Pro Stock, and Road-Runner races every Saturday night, and Go-kart and Micro Sprint races Friday nights on its one-fifth mile infield track. The Speedway has a full concession stand, and features special races throughout the year.
Selinsgrove is 30 miles southwest on Route 11.
Point Drive-In
www.pointdrive-in.com
We've all seen the old films where guys took their girlfriends to see a movie at the drive-in, but did you know that you could have this experience just 20 minutes from campus? The Point Drive-In outside of Danville harkens back to the "good old days," only with today's hit movies and better sound quality, thanks to the theater's use of radio stations to bring the movie's sound through your car stereo. Plus, their concession stand is first rate and offers a better selection than your typical theater.
One of only 400 drive-in theaters left in the country and just 125 with multiple screens, the Point is a great place to go with a group of friends or that certain someone.
It's located along Route 11, about 14 miles from Bloomsburg.
Penn's Cave
www.pennscave.com
If enjoying nature is more up your alley, be sure to make the drive to Penn's Cave, which calls itself "America's only all-water cavern and wildlife park." The limestone caves, formed by dripping water over millennia, are natural art forms, with glittering stalagmites and stalactites sculpted into beautiful forms, including one that looks like the Statue of Liberty. Outside the caves is a 1,500-acre nature preserve, and visitors can also see an assortment of exotic animals on tours.
The cave is in Centre Hall, near State College, and is about an hour and a half west on I-80.
Check back next week when we scope out the area's best state parks where you can picnic, hike, camp, and see some awesome scenery this spring!
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article! Log in to Comment
You must be logged in to comment on an article. Not already a member? Register now