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Category: Outdoors Life

  • History, hikes, and cider: Spend a weekend in Gettysburg | Field Trip

    History, hikes, and cider: Spend a weekend in Gettysburg | Field Trip

    From July 1 to 3, 1863, the Confederate and Union armies faced off in the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. The South’s defeat at Gettysburg became a turning point in the conflict, and an entire tourism economy has grown around the town’s significance.

    This Field Trip gives that history its due, but Gettysburg isn’t a one-trick pony. Expect battlefield landmarks and ranger talks alongside viral doughnuts, lake swims, craft cider, and Syrian food; all about 140 miles west of Philadelphia.

    Start the car.

    Fuel: Devil’s Den Doughnuts

    It’s worth timing your trip to arrive in Gettysburg for Fritter Friday, the weekly tradition that has turned Devil’s Den Doughnuts into a viral sensation. Lately, the little bakeshop on the outskirts of downtown Gettysburg has been running a berry version cloaked in a magenta glaze. If it’s sold out by the time you arrive, don’t worry. The bakery is still packed with chocolate-iced, cinnamon-sugared, and honey-drenched options; plus over-the-top cold brews to wash them down.

    📍 16 Deatrick Dr., Gettysburg, Pa. 17325

    Stay: Union Hotel

    From its beginnings as an 18th-century stop for westbound travelers to today’s best boutique stay in downtown Gettysburg, the Union Hotel has history in abundance. Its four-story brick facade, striped awnings, and gold marquee give it the look of a classic Main Street landmark. Inside, the 12 suites offer kitchenettes, full-size sofas, and beds wrapped in Brooklinen sheets.

    📍 27 Chambersburg St., Gettysburg, Pa. 17325

    Learn: Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center

    No surprise the 1863 Civil War battle of Gettysburg is the area’s main tourism driver. Even visitors who are typically snoozy on history need to do the circuit when they come here, and that starts at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center. Doing this first sets the context for the entire historical gravitas of Gettysburg and its pivotal role in the war, and a standard admission ticket includes the museum galleries, filled with battlefield artifacts; the iconic 360-degree Cyclorama painting of Pickett’s Charge; and A New Birth of Freedom, the introductory film. You can add on the bus tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield, but it’s unnecessary since that site will be covered separately in this itinerary.

    📍 1195 Baltimore Pike, Ste. 100, Gettysburg, Pa. 17325

    Reset: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

    About 20 minutes north of Gettysburg, Pine Grove Furnace State Park offers a welcome change of pace once the weight of Civil War history starts to settle in. Nearly 700 acres of forest feature more than a dozen hiking trails, including a stretch of the Appalachian Trail, along with mountain biking, bird-watching, swimming at Fuller Lake (lifeguards in season), and kayaking on Laurel Lake.

    📍 1100 Pine Grove Rd., Gardners, Pa. 17324

    Drink: Ploughman Cider

    The Three Springs Fruit Farm apples you love at the Headhouse Square Farmers Market? Farmer Ben Wenk’s generational orchards grow them right outside Gettysburg in the Adams County countryside. While his Jonagolds and Nittanys make great fresh eating, many of the more arcane heirlooms get fermented into Wenk’s liquid spinoff, Ploughman Cider. He tends a cozy taproom right in downtown Gettysburg, where you can try the whole cider portfolio, along with seasonals and limited-edition runs that might not even make it to the city. Hillbilly Banana blends Stayman Winesaps with our native “tropical” fruit, the pawpaw.

    📍 14 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg, Pa. 17325

    Dine: Jamilie Syrian Kitchen

    Syrian cooking in Gettysburg? Yes, please. Jamilie Syrian Kitchen, with its exposed brick walls, hand-painted plates, and full cocktail menu, is open all day, making it an ideal spot for the early dinner you need in order to get to your nighttime plans. The extensive menu ranges from hot and cold mezze — including tangy muhammara and za’atar-and-cheese flatbreads — to kebabs, hearty entrees, and excellent pistachio ice cream.

    📍 28 Carlisle St., Gettysburg, Pa. 17325

    Visit: Gettysburg National Military Park

    Aim to reach Gettysburg National Military Park around 6 p.m., when the lowering light lends the battlefield an especially powerful atmosphere. Access to the park is free, and there are both free and paid apps to download that correspond with the self-guided Auto Route, which follows the battle’s timeline from McPherson Ridge to the National Cemetery as it covers 24 miles. If you’re visiting on a forthcoming Saturday, plan your drive to end at Pitzer Woods Amphitheater for the free Campfire with a Ranger program at 8:30 p.m. The hourlong talks blend military history with local lore, all beside a crackling campfire.

    📍 Auto Tour begins at Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Ste. 100, Gettysburg, Pa. 17325

  • How surfing came to the Jersey Shore

    How surfing came to the Jersey Shore

    Long Beach Island recently hosted the 18th annual Coquina Jam at Brant Beach, an all-women surfing event that raises funds for the David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation and the Jetty Rock Foundation. With summer in full swing, there are many opportunities to catch waves down the shore: for example, on Aug. 22, people ages 5 to 60 can compete at Ocean City’s 7th street at the Eastern Surfing Association competition. Kids and adults alike can book a lesson up and down the shore.

    Surfing might be a part of the shore experience today, but it was not always a staple of the East Coast. In fact, surfing was once seen as the domain of the countercultural West Coast. But during the 1960s, fanatics brought their boards to New Jersey in the hope of disassociating surfing with its rebellious and countercultural image—and instead promote it as a purposeful pursuit and competitive sport. Positioning surfing as no different than playing basketball, baseball, and football helped entrench it in New Jersey seaside life, while also reinforcing ideas about conformity and respectability.

    Surfing’s image has evolved greatly over the years, with its roots tracing back to Hawaii. Since about the 12th century, Hawaiians of all classes and genders took to the waves. They steered large, finless, wooden boards known as alaia and olo boards.

    However, by the late 19th century, an influx of American Christian missionaries into the islands pushed the “lustful” sport to the margins, casting it as incompatible with the aims of settlers and businesses. Nevertheless, Hawaiians continued to find ways to surf, and soon white settlers began to appropriate Indigenous beach culture for their own purposes.

    In the early 20th century, tourism-minded opportunists including Alexander Ford Hume, Tom Blake, and writer Jack London promoted surfing to draw white American settlers and vacationers to the pristine warm waters of Hawaii. In his book chapter “A Royal Sport,” published in 1907 and 1911, London remarked, “I was chiefly conscious of ecstatic bliss at having caught the wave.” Local surfing legends Duke Kahanamoku and George Freeth then spread surfing to the mainland United States. Freeth brought lifeguarding and beach culture to Southern California, while Kahanamoku traveled the globe, showcasing his Olympic-level swimming and extraordinary surfing skills.

    In 1912, after the Stockholm Olympics where he won the gold in the 100-meter freestyle event, Kahanamoku visited Atlantic City, exposing the shore resort to “the sport of kings” for the first time. In the early 1930s, Tom Blake, an innovator who manufactured surfboards for U.S surfers in the first half of the 20th century, introduced his 13-foot wooden longboards to Ocean City. But despite these early exposures, surfing did not catch on in the Garden State until the 1960s.

    Movies and music were instrumental to surfing fever at the Jersey Shore. Viewers were drawn to Gidget’s (1959) Cliff Robertson as “the Big Kahuna,” a youthful nonconforming rebel who valued the hedonism of the beach and consistent access to surf over responsibilities. Young people were captivated by the carefree lifestyle found in the Beach Party (1963) franchise. These movies were fictional but spoke to growing white affluence and greater access to leisure in real-life postwar America. Teenagers flocked to local theaters to watch the globe-trotting adventures of surfers Robert August and Mike Hynson in 1966’s The Endless Summer.

    Some New Jersey teenagers embraced the fad, perhaps hoping to foster the freedom and youthful expression associated with surfing in their own waters.

    Soon, surf shops popped up and down the coast, sponsoring new surf teams and providing locals with access to equipment. Ron Jon Surf Shop was founded in Ship Bottom in 1961, while Surfer Supplies in Ocean City, and Heritage Surf Shop in Sea Isle both opened in 1962. The New Jersey Hobie team was hosted by the Manatee Surf Shop, founded in Belmar in the early 1960s.

    Yet as surfing proliferated along the shore, initial community reactions were sour. Young surfers were seen as troublesome, an unpredictable hazard on crowded beaches. Police, concerned parents, and hotel owners all spoke out against surfers, viewing them as vandals with unkempt, long hair, huge unwieldy surfboards, and worst of all, they used profanity and disobeyed authority figures. The presence of surfers threatened to disrupt the peace of beachside resort towns, places for respectable families who followed the rules.

    In 1966, for example, authorities in Bradley Beach curtailed surfers’ access to the Kent Avenue Beach, with Police Chief Harvey Gaunt reporting that surfing was a safety hazard. He claimed that surfers “set fires in trash barrels, illegally exchanged beach badges, are often injured, are often poor swimmers, leave their boards where bathers may walk into them, use foul language, create a danger when they carry their boards, and use the beach instead of a toilet.” The litany of charges revealed an almost visceral disgust at people who surfed, evoking an ongoing moral panic about juvenile delinquency and the erosion of middle-class norms.

    Made By History sponsors. FOR USE ON MADE BY HISTORY STORIES ONLY.Inquirer Staff

    To overcome such associations and convince the broader community that surfing deserved a place down the shore, surfers organized, hoping to show how surfing might channel young people’s energy and coexist with other popular shore activities and sports. They formed surfing associations and clubs.

    In 1963, Cecil Lear, a schoolteacher from Belmar, along with eight other members, founded the Jersey Surfing Association (JSA), aiming to garner respect for surfing as a growing American sport. In his fight to establish designated surfing beaches in New Jersey, the schoolteacher touted the positive health benefits of surfing: it provided quality exercise, and what’s more, morning surfing sessions could promote earlier bedtimes—keeping young surfers out of late-night trouble. The association hosted successful competitions during the 1960s, such as the Greater Point Pleasant Jaycee Contest and the Jersey State Open State Surfing Championships in Belmar.

    In 1965, John “Bull” Carey, a real estate developer and former lifeguard and surfer, and Don Pileggi, Ocean City’s Recreational Director, founded the Ocean City Surfing Association (OCSA). They instituted a yearlong tournament schedule that operated around school breaks.

    The summer season featured contests every Tuesday, where bronze, silver, and gold medals were awarded, culminating in early September with a final event, the Ocean City Open Surfing Championship. During the school year, a contest was held each school break: the Turkey Trot over Thanksgiving, the Polar Bear over winter break, and the Spring Fling over spring break.

    By the middle of the decade, the surfing association was strengthening relationships with the city and local businesses. For example, in preparing for the Polar Bear Championship on Dec. 28, 1966, the OCSA worked closely with the city, the Port-O-Call Hotel, and Bob Harbaugh’s oceanside restaurant, providing free hot showers and changing rooms for frozen contestants, drum fires along the contest beaches at 14th and 15th streets, hot coffee and soup on standby, and a catered lunch for the winners.

    Treating surfing as a competitive sport and potential money-maker for local businesses helped reposition surfing as a purposeful pursuit, not just teenage trouble.

    However, this reframing also solidified a surfing demographic that was solidly middle class, mostly white, and mostly male—thereby marginalizing people of other identities who wished to surf. In this small way, surfing culture reinforced a history of segregation at the Jersey Shore, fortifying the beach and the ocean as mostly white spaces. Events like the Coquina Jam, an all-women surfing competition, may be eroding such boundaries today—but due to the history of how surfing came to the Jersey Shore, there is still a long way to go.

    Thomas DiGiovanni is a graduate student at Rutgers-Camden interested in the intersections of race and class within sporting cultures, with a concentration on surfing history.

    Made by History takes readers beyond the headlines with articles written and edited by professional historians. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of The Inquirer.

  • 🏝️ Exploring our islands | Outdoorsy Newsletter

    Step outside, take a deep breath, and enjoy the fresh air this week, friends. In today’s edition:

    • A view from above: Fly up the Delaware on a tour of the river’s most intriguing islands.
    • Chicken fight: A retired nurse has helped dozens of towns legalize backyard birds.
    • Your outdoorsy experience: A moment of peace among the butterflies.

    ☀️ Your weekend weather outlook: Mainly sunny skies during the days and deliciously cooler nights in the sixties.

    — Paola Pérez and Alyssa Passeggio (outdoorsy@inquirer.com)

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

    A ride up the Delaware

    There is a string of more than 100 islands where visitors might find birds nesting, unusual plants, and old military forts.

    The 330 miles of Delaware River from Wilmington, Del., to New York state are home to shoals, sandbars, or hundreds of acres of uninhabited islands.

    Some were playgrounds for the wealthy. Others are owned by industrial giants. There are even tales of pirates.

    Our latest interactive will take you for a ride over the islands of the Delaware.

    News worth knowing

    🦋 Your outdoorsy experience

    My colleague Lizzy Ravitch wants to put us on to a natural respite that seems to be hiding in plain sight:

    In Whitemarsh Township, just minutes away from bustling suburban shopping centers in any direction, a stretch of road runs past the Erdenheim Farm, and nestled among it is the Dixon Meadow Preserve & Boardwalk.

    That’s where I have found myself on quite a few occasions, including the recent sultry Sunday after the Fourth, with my husband and two young kids. The morning promised too much heat for a long walk or hike, but at the preserve, with less than a mile of walking trail to tread, we didn’t have to worry about that.

    It may not seem like an escape into nature, given that cars passing by on Flourtown Road are in view from most of the area. Yet somehow, while walking the paved path and a raised boardwalk, one can feel as if a bubble has been created around the preserved space. It’s surprisingly quiet — well, except for the birdsong and occasional quack from a marsh-dwelling duck.

    The 14-acre preserve is home to native plants, and it’s frequented by a variety of colorful birds — and binocular-toting birders. Monarch butterflies also hang out there this time of year, and they were our favorite friends to see on that recent Sunday.

    After about 30 minutes of wandering, covered in sweat, we headed back home. We didn’t get in many steps, but that wasn’t the point. On a weekend when air conditioning and shade were the responsible choice, it had been nice to spend a moment among the butterflies.

    Beautiful! Thank you, Lizzy.

    📧 What are you enjoying out there? This is your spot to shine. Send your special stories and moments in an email — with a picture, if you have one. You may see it featured here.

    Fighting for Jersey’s backyard chickens

    🎤 Now we’re passing the microphone to South Jersey reporter Sarah Nicell.

    Any Collingswood resident over the last 18 years can remember the fight to legalize backyard chickens. Or the second attempt. Or the third.

    Gwenne Baile, 77, knows the efforts well. A Haddon Township resident and the unofficial “Chicken Lady of South Jersey,” Baile initially became interested when she saw Martha Stewart showing off her chickens on TV. After retiring in 2009 from a long career as an ob-gyn nurse, Baile decided she needed a hobby.

    “I started looking into it,” Baile said, “but it was illegal here.”

    Since then, Baile said, she has played some part in changing the ordinances in 35 municipalities across South Jersey, including in her hometown. She keeps a list of places with pro-chicken zoning rules, including the 19 municipalities in Camden County that allow them. Baile now has five hens, taken in as fosters, including those injured by predators or forced from owners whose municipalities do not allow coops. — Sarah Nicell

    Keep reading on the push for residential hens.

    Paola’s picks

    🐺 A win: There’s hope for the future of the most endangered species on the planet.

    🌡️ A song: “I feel like summer.”

    🐉 An activity: Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival at Franklin Square.

    🐻 A read: “I watched a bear eat from a bear-proof trash can.”

    An oceanic view

    Breathe in…and breathe out. Paola took this at Decatur Street beach in Cape May.Paola Pérez

    There’s something about bodies of water…

    👋🏽 Happy trails.

    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.

  • Strathmere’s free beaches may soon require a beach tag

    Strathmere’s free beaches may soon require a beach tag

    The beaches of tiny, quirky Strathmere may be in their last tag-free season.

    The Upper Township Committee, the governmental body that includes Strathmere and its mainland counterpart, is considering beach tags that would cost as much as $45 for the season, said administrator James Van Zlike.

    Strathmere’s possible move to a paid beach will leave only Atlantic City, Wildwood, North Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest as free oceanfront beaches in Atlantic and Cape May Counties.

    “We didn’t want to do it,” Van Zlike said. He said beach patrol personnel costs alone were over $500,000 per season, and the township was responsible for $2.1 million for the current beach replenishment project. “Beaches are expensive to run and maintain and operate.”

    Proposed pricing for the tags would be $10 daily, $20 weekly, and a seasonal tag of $45 with a pre-season discounted rate of $30, he said, which would generate about $320,000. Veterans and active duty military would be exempt.

    The beach patrol’s headquarters had to be demolished in March after bad weather and beach erosion left it in a precarious state. The township has yet to rebuild it.

    Although ending the free beach status is anathema to many, Mayor Curtis T. Corson Jr., said at the July committee meeting that it came down to beaches or parking, both of which are currently free in Strathmere.

    The township determined it would be more cost effective to hire two roaming beach tag checkers than to retrofit the town’s narrow streets for parking meters, and create a parking enforcement bureaucracy.

    “We don’t have parking meters, we don’t have a parking authority, we don’t have any of that,” the mayor said at the July 13 meeting. “We would actually, because of the narrow streets, lose parking spots.”

    Neighboring Sea Isle’s beach tags max out at $30 for the season, but Corson noted the city takes in $1.7 million in parking meter fees.

    “We take in zero for parking fees,” he said.

    Reaction was mostly negative on Facebook groups, with many questioning why any of the beaches in New Jersey required a beach tag. “Terrible idea,” said one poster. “Residents already pay high taxes.”

    Corson said state law would not allow them to give a discounted price to residents of Upper Township.

    A beach tag ordinance will likely be introduced at an August meeting, Van Zlike said. The township last considered instituting beach tags in 2021.

  • Taylor Swift rumors aside, Westerly is Rhode Island’s perfect coastal getaway | Field Trip

    Taylor Swift rumors aside, Westerly is Rhode Island’s perfect coastal getaway | Field Trip

    Maybe you’ve heard: Some singer and a tight end got married earlier this month.

    The Swift-Kelce wedding (allegedly?) took place at Madison Square Garden, a venue with all the whimsy and romance of a Forman Mills. For a while, though, there was plenty of speculation the celebration would happen in idyllic Westerly, R.I., where Taylor Swift owns a beachfront mansion.

    This patchwork of villages, coves, and carousel-dotted shoreline borders Block Island Sound and somehow manages to feel quiet despite its celebrity cachet. It’s a little Gilded Age, a little Jaws’ Amity Island, and a whole lot of money if you’re staying at the area’s marquee hotels.

    This itinerary takes you to both — just not to sleep — along with lighthouses, diners, and beaches. It’s pushing Field Trip’s self-imposed five-hour driving limit from Philly, but it’s worth the haul. Better yet, pair it with our Newport or Mystic itineraries for a longer New England getaway. Start the car.

    Fuel: The Cooked Goose

    A devastating fire in 2025 nearly cooked the Cooked Goose for good. Thankfully, by March the beloved Watch Hill breakfast spot had reopened, with owners Andrew Nathan and Jennifer Gibson once again serving mortadella egg-and-cheese sandwiches, buttermilk biscuits and gravy, and cinnamon roll pancakes in a powder-blue dining room lined with local art.

    Go, Bird.

    📍 92 Watch Hill Rd., Westerly, R.I. 02891

    Stay: Shelter Harbor Inn

    If money is no object, stay at Ocean House or Weekapaug Inn. The rest of us should look at Shelter Harbor Inn. Built in 1800 and renovated in 2019, the 22-room property feels more like a refined country estate than a beach hotel, with exposed rafters, fireplaces, mature gardens, and a peaceful setting that’s still less than 10 minutes from the shoreline. Summer rooms can still dip into the low $200s, leaving enough in the budget for a treatment at the on-site spa.

    📍 10 Wagner Rd., Westerly, R.I. 02891

    Visit: Westerly Museum of American Impressionism

    Housed in a low-slung, cerulean-blue building along the river, the Westerly Museum of American Impressionism is a must-visit for art hounds. The private collection features works from the 1880s to the 1920s by John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, and other impressionists displayed in naturally lit galleries. Wilson Henry Irvine’s A Summer Afternoon seems an appropriate place to start.

    📍 79 Watch Hill Rd., Westerly, R.I. 02891

    Play: Atlantic Beach

    Atlantic Beach stretches like a long hammock between the residential neighborhoods of Weekapaug and Misquamicut, with one main street, Atlantic Avenue, running through. The gentle surf of the sound rolls up to the golden-tan sand, and if you’re visiting with kids, circa-1921 Atlantic Beach Park gives vintage amusement vibes with its carousel and arcade. The park also operates Windjammer Surf Bar, serving lobster rolls (mayo or butter), coconut shrimp, and banana splits right on the beach.

    📍 321 Atlantic Ave., Westerly, R.I. 02891

    See: Watch Hill Lighthouse

    Watch Hill is a pretty good name for a place to put a lighthouse. There’s been a beacon on this finger of land pointing toward the maritime nexus of Rhode Island, New York, and Connecticut since before the Revolution, with the current Watch Hill Lighthouse standing since 1856. While you can’t climb the gray granite tower, the breakwater-bordered grounds offer lovely views of Block Island Sound, and there’s a small, free museum packed with history about the lighthouse, shipwrecks, and storms.

    📍 14 Lighthouse Rd., Westerly, R.I. 02891

    Drink: Ocean House

    From the Civil War until 2003, Ocean House watched over Block Island Sound from its blufftop perch. After decades of decline, the iconic resort was painstakingly demolished and rebuilt board for board into the elegant butter-yellow landmark that stands today. Even if you’re not staying overnight, stop by the Verandah Raw Bar for oysters and cocktails overlooking the water.

    📍 1 Bluff Ave., Westerly, R.I. 02891

    Dine: Weekapaug Inn

    Every Sunday through Aug. 23, Weekapaug Inn transforms its sweeping waterfront lawn into the Coastal Grille Series. Guests and locals gather in Adirondack chairs overlooking Quonochontaug Pond while feasting on buffet favorites like clam chowder, tomato-and-peach panzanella, brisket sliders, smoked baby back ribs, s’mores tarts, and cupcakes inspired by Rhode Island’s beloved Del’s Lemonade. Advance reservations are required.

    📍 25 Spray Rock Rd., Westerly, R.I. 02891

  • It’s peak tick season | Outdoorsy Newsletter

    Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: We should avoid long or intense outdoor activities today. Wildfire smoke in our region is making it hard and unhealthy to do so.

    As we prepare to venture back outside safely again, here’s what we’re getting up to:

    😶‍🌫️ Your weekend weather outlook: Hot and smoky. Good air quality is not expected to return till Saturday, and it’s expected to rain then, too. Sunday should be mostly sunny.

    — Paola Pérez (outdoorsy@inquirer.com)

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

    Mind the uptick

    I’m sorry for the mildly horrifying photo.

    But given that the Northeast is usually hit hardest by ticks — and it’s peak tick season — it’s important to recognize these pesky creatures so we can avoid them at all costs.

    Here are some quick anti-tick reminders:

    🌾 Cut tall grasses.

    🧦 If you must go into dense vegetation, wear long pants and closed shoes.

    🔍 Perform routine checks for ticks on yourself and pets.

    Get the rundown on all things ticks.

    News worth knowing

    🌳 Your outdoorsy experience

    My colleague Michaelle Bond and I recently got to talking about our shared enjoyment of kayaking. Here’s what she told me about the activity:

    I love kayaking. And every year, I make at least one trip to the Pine Barrens to paddle on one of the rivers there. I’ve gone in the spring to see the foliage waking up, the summer when everything’s green and lush, and the fall to see the leaves putting on their colorful show. I rent a kayak from the folks at Pinelands Adventures, who drop me off in the river in the morning and pick me up when I reach the end of the route. I spend a few hours on the water, alternating between floating gently and working to navigate obstacles and tight turns. I enjoy the tranquility and relative silence – just the wind in the trees and chirping birds – before getting in my car and heading back home to Philly.

    Sounds like total bliss. Thanks for sharing.

    📥 Now it’s your turn: Tell me about what you like to do outdoors. We love pictures if you have them. You may see your memories and stories featured in this spot.

    Showgirls of a shrinking industry

    🎤 Now we’re passing the microphone to Jason Nark.

    TOWANDA, Pa. — Her full name was Cashells Jry Shakira-Red-ET — Shakira to keep it simple — and like her namesake, the big red and white Holstein had 6-foot hips that didn’t lie as she hoofed down Main Street.

    Shakira is a showgirl accustomed to winning, one of the few cows that allowed judges to place a floral crown on her head at the Bradford County dairy cow beauty pageant in Towanda on June 20, about 100 years after their last one.

    “The most beautiful dairy cow in Bradford County, folks,” said Duane Naugle, Bradford County’s community planner and the day’s emcee.

    Bradford County, population 59,600, sits about 175 miles northwest of Philadelphia in North Central Pennsylvania. County officials said they found an old, black-and-white photo of a similar beauty pageant from 1926 in the county courthouse recently.

    The purpose of that contest a century ago, organizers said, was to highlight the county’s bustling dairy industry. — Jason Nark

    It’s all in Nark’s full feature story. Keep reading on how the pageant’s meaning has changed over the years.

    Paola’s picks

    👏🏽 A legend: This 91-year-old hiker taking on the Appalachian Trail (again!).

    🥵 A doozy: How Philly-area kitchen professionals keep cool in sizzling hot kitchens.

    🎣 An activity: Free, family-friendly fishing with Friends at Pier 68 on Saturday.

    🌲 A read: The transformation of Centralia, Pennsylvania’s burning ghost town. Nark wrote about it back in 2017.

    😎 A song: “Keeping versed and on my feet (If you steal my sunshine).”

    A sparkling view

    Breathe in…and out. I shot this at the South Garden’s Central Marble Fountain near the Fairmount Park Water Works in Philadelphia.Paola Pérez

    Near the tail end of a recent hike, I took a beat here to enjoy a mango gelati. It was divine.

    👋🏽 Take care, Outdoorsy friends.

    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.

  • Sea Isle and Strathmere make the perfect Jersey Shore weekend | Field Trip

    Sea Isle and Strathmere make the perfect Jersey Shore weekend | Field Trip

    Painted on the tank of a powder-blue water tower, an anthropomorphic sun (wearing sunglasses, no less) greets drivers as they cross the bay onto the island. Next to the sun, the confident sans serif capitals of the town motto come into focus the closer you get to the beach: SMILE YOU’RE IN SEA ISLE.

    Sure, it could use a comma, but at least they got the right “you’re.” No one’s debating grammar when six miles of beautiful beaches unspool from Townsend’s Inlet to Corson’s Inlet.

    Technically, this is Ludlam Island, but nobody calls it that. People say they’re headed to Sea Isle, and fewer still say they’re going to Strathmere, the quiet enclave at the island’s northern tip. Together, they offer a pleasing one-two punch of barefoot luxury and blue-collar Shore shenanigans, perhaps best embodied by Shoobie emeritus Jason Kelce.

    Time the traffic right and you can get there from Philly in about an hour and a half. Start the car.

    Fuel: Sidney’s Coffee and Eats

    After landing in Sea Isle, hang a left and point the car north toward Strathmere for breakfast. This quick drive really gives you a sense of how wispy the northern end of this island is, revealing just how narrow the island becomes, at points barely wide enough for Commonwealth Avenue. Here you’ll find Sidney’s Coffee and Eats, a beach-block bungalow slinging Liege-style waffles, protein smoothies, and egg-and-cheese croissants. After breakfast, take your cappuccino down to the beach and get those toes in the sand.

    📍 705 Commonwealth Ave., Strathmere, N.J. 08248

    Stay: Colonnade Inn

    Unlike many Shore towns, Sea Isle has only a handful of hotels, while Strathmere has none. Most visitors rent houses or stay in nearby campgrounds before commuting onto the island. Fortunately, the Colonnade Inn, a circa-1883 Victorian that sits in the center of town, just a block and half from the beach, still has availability in July and August for its cute cream-and-turquoise rooms — some for less than $300 a night.

    📍 4600 Landis Ave., Sea Isle City, N.J. 08243

    Jason Kelce with the cofounders of Hank Sauce: Matt Pittaluga (from left), Brian “Hank” Ruxton, and Josh Jaspan. Hank Sauce was founded in 2011 and is based in Sea Isle City. Kelce announced a partnership with the local brand and his family’s Winnie Capital.Courtesy of Hank Sauce

    Sweat: Hank Sauce

    You might recognize the square-edged bottles of Hank Sauce from the shelves of your local Acme or ShopRite, but the brand was created by a trio of friends right here in Sea Isle. Jason Kelce joined as an investor last year. Their casual restaurant serves Buffalo chicken cheesesteaks topped with blue cheese crumbles and baked wings glazed in your favorite Hank’s sauce. The tangy, herb-packed Cilanktro remains a standout. Order lunch to-go and head straight for the beach.

    📍 8605 Landis Ave., Sea Isle City, N.J. 08243

    Relax: Townsend’s Inlet Waterfront Park

    A few blocks from Hank’s, Sea Isle comes to a rounded point where the ocean meets the bay at Townsend’s Inlet Waterfront Park. At low tide, the ocean beach fans outward into a broad stretch of sand that feels surprisingly secluded. If you can’t find a spot on the street, there’s a lot at 94th Street and Roberts Avenue. And remember: Sea Isle requires beach tags, so have $10 on hand.

    📍 Beach access at 93rd Street and Pleasure Avenue, Sea Isle City, N.J. 08243

    The scallop entree is shown at the Deauville Inn, in Strathmere, N.J. Friday, July 3, 2020JOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer

    Dine: Deauville Inn

    Near Strathmere’s northern tip, where the bridge crosses into Ocean City, the Deauville Inn has been welcoming travelers since 1881, when it was known as the Whelen Hotel. The establishment has been through a lot — nor’easters, ownership changes, neighborhood disputes — but remains a historic fixture of the island. (Just count the people wearing Deauville Inn hoodies on a chilly night.) Bought and renovated by Tim Fox in 2019, the waterfront restaurant, under chef T.J. Ricciardi, serves lobster rolls, broiled Cape May scallops, and Friday- and Saturday-night prime rib in “lady of the inn” and “innkeeper” cuts. Don’t forget to grab one of those hoodies on the way out.

    📍 201 W. Willard Rd., Strathmere, N.J. 08248

    Sunset: Strathmere Point

    So far this summer, the sunsets have been particularly showy, with epic displays of hot-pink, tangerine, and lavender. Certainly, you can catch sundown from Deauville Inn, but if you wrap up dinner before dark, it’s worth walking a few blocks to the beach at the island’s north point — a huge expanse of sand shaped like a dolphin’s dorsal fin pushing into the water. Walking out there feels somewhat otherworldly, as the surf of the inlet reshapes the sands. Take a seat and enjoy the show.

    📍 Beach access at Commonwealth and Seaview Avenues, Strathmere, N.J. 08248

    Jason Kelce takes a selfie with fans at his sixth annual Ocean Drive fundraiser for the Eagles Autism Foundation.Courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles

    Drink: Ocean Drive

    Just weeks ago, Kylie and Jason Kelce’s annual celebrity-bartending benefit at Ocean Drive raised $1.26 million for the Eagles Autism Foundation. While this juggernaut event brings peak crowds to the O.D., the bar and restaurant is no stranger to packing people in from day-load to no-shower happy hour to late-night dancing. Catch a local act like Secret Service or Fat Mezz, order a Sea Isle Iced Tea, and watch the hours melt away like a rocket pop on the beach.

    📍 3915 Landis Ave., Sea Isle City, N.J. 08243

  • 🌊 Where flood risks rise | Outdoorsy Newsletter

    How are we doing, Outdoorsy friends?

    The atmosphere has been quite in flux, with dangerous steaminess and sogginess over the July Fourth weekend. Just over the bridge, Camden experienced what local officials called the worst flooding they have ever seen in the city.

    On the heels of yet another flood watch for parts of our region, we’re taking a look at the Philadelphia area’s most flood-prone waterways.

    Plus:

    • Rowing abroad: A team of local breast cancer survivors are taking their oars across seas.
    • It’s getting hotter: Climate change is pushing summers in July to new heights.
    • Your outdoorsy experience: We missed a good farmers market! A reader tells us about her favorite.

    ☂️ Saturday showers are possible, but we should be otherwise dry, though our soils need more moisture.

    — Paola Pérez (outdoorsy@inquirer.com)

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

    Flood zones

    Flooding is a perennial threat in the Philadelphia region, so we set out to pinpoint where they happen most often, and therefore are most likely to happen.

    According to an Inquirer analysis, the top two in the last 20 years are:

    🌊 The East Branch Brandywine Creek below Downingtown, which registered 33 major and moderate floods.

    🌊 The Delaware River at Burlington, which saw seven major and 19 moderate floods.

    Explore our map to see more of our area’s most flood-prone waterways, and learn how funding plays a role in monitoring and operating the tools that track this information.

    News worth knowing

    🌳 Your outdoorsy experience

    We recently talked about the area’s best farmers markets. Clare Cosenza wrote in to tell us about one that we missed:

    In your list of best farmers markets, I didn’t see any Bucks County markets represented. I would like to introduce you to one that many consider a gem.

    It’s Wrightstown Farmer’s Market, located at the Middletown Grange Fairgrounds in Wrightstown. Supported by the Bucks County Foodshed Alliance, these dedicated volunteers organize not only vendors but music entertainment, activities for the kids, and donations for local food banks.

    Thanks, Clare!

    📥 I want to hear from the rest of you: What are you doing outside this summer? Is there a fun trail we should check out? Do you have a favorite swimming spot? Tell me about it. You may see your memories and stories featured here. (Pictures, if you have them, are always welcome.)

    Rowing ‘like an athlete’

    🎤 Now we’re passing the microphone to sports editor Isabella DiAmore.

    It was Valentine’s Day 2022 when Shannan McConnell found a rash near her neck that felt like a lump. Then, everything went awry. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and quickly began her treatment.

    There wasn’t much time to process what was happening to her, she says.

    McConnell is no longer in active treatment, and even though her doctors have told her, “you’re cancer free — you can put this behind you,” she can’t. Many cancer survivors can’t, she says. However, for the past three years, McConnell has found an outlet that has given her strength and community. It’s paddling in a boat with a group of women.

    WeCanRow-Philadelphia is a rowing program through Whitemarsh Boat Club for breast cancer survivors. The Philly chapter is supported through the Survivor Rowing Network, which has more than 30 participating programs around the nation. It came to Philly in 2018 and currently has 46 members. — Isabella DiAmore

    Go, WeCanRow! They’re traveling to the United Kingdom for a competition this weekend. Keep reading their story here.

    Paola’s picks

    🥵 A song: “Too Hot” by Kool & The Gang.

    💡 A set of tips: Know the symptoms and treatment for dehydration and heat exhaustion.

    📱 A text service: The Shore Line is a fun bite-size dispatch from down the Shore.

    👟 An inspiration: This Philly man’s record-setting run across Pennsylvania.

    🫐 An activity: Blueberry Festival at Linvilla Orchards (Saturday, $11), and visit Calder Gardens (Philly residents get free admission through July).

    A flowing view

    Breathe in…and breathe out. I caught this small pond at the Ironworks at Pencoyd Landing.Paola Pérez

    👋🏽 Stay safe out there, and I’ll catch up with you again soon.

    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.

  • A summer weekend in Bethlehem | Field Trip

    A summer weekend in Bethlehem | Field Trip

    O little town of Bethlehem, how we see thee as just a place to visit during the holidays.

    It’s true that the former steel city, tucked between Allentown and Easton along the Lehigh River, leans into — and has built a whole tourism industry around — its Christmas-themed name and roots, but there’s much more to Bethlehem than carols and holly.

    The forest and river beckon in summer, and the city’s position along the Delaware and Lehigh Trail, which parallels the Lehigh Canal, puts visitors within easy access of both.

    There’s an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, a grand historic hotel, a blueberry festival, even a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And if you really, really need a dose of holiday spirit, Christmas in July is right around the corner.

    Start the car.

    Stay: Hotel Bethlehem

    Bethlehem’s main street (literally, Main Street) twists up from the Lehigh River and stretches like taffy into a long straightaway lined with shops and cafes. At the foot of this drag is Hotel Bethlehem, built atop the 1741 foundation of the First House of Bethlehem and later the 1823 Golden Eagle Hotel. It has operated as Hotel Bethlehem — through periods of both glamour and neglect — for more than a century. Today, its crimson neon sign glows above the brick facade, while its rooms blend industrial touches with classic historic design. Across the street, a collection of modern suites houses the hotel’s spa. The property has been named the nation’s best historic hotel by USA Today, for five years running.

    📍 437 Main St., Bethlehem, Pa. 18018

    Eat: Cafe the Lodge

    Cross the river to the South Side Historic District for breakfast — think vanilla-cinnamon French toast or loaded home fries bowls — or lunch, with options like a Cuban sandwich or cheddar-jalapeño burger. Cafe the Lodge is more than a charming cafe with a courtyard garden and art gallery. Since opening in 2012, it has provided transitional employment and housing opportunities for adults living with mental health diagnoses.

    📍 427 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem, Pa. 18015

    See: Moravian Church Settlements

    Long before the Protestant Reformation, the Moravians were establishing a religious movement in Central Europe. Fast-forward a few centuries, and the Moravian church established an American foothold in Bethlehem whose well-preserved 18th-century buildings, cemetery, and museum now form part of the only transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site in the U.S. (sister settlements in Ireland, Denmark, and Germany comprise the collective). The Moravian Church Settlements tour explores this fascinating history, whether you’re interested in religion or simply great storytelling.

    📍 66 W. Church St., Bethlehem, Pa. 18018

    Celebrate: Bethlehem Blueberry Festival

    You gotta love a small-town summer fruit festival, and Bethlehem goes all in on blueberries every July. The 39th annual Bethlehem Blueberry Festival returns to Burnside Plantation the weekend of July 18 with blueberry pie, ice cream, coffee cake, lemonade, doughnuts, strudel, and just about every other indigo-colored treat imaginable. There are also live musicians, blacksmithing demonstrations, baby-goat snuggling and, naturally, a pie-eating contest. Resist the urge to yell, “Violet, you’re turning violet, Violet.”

    📍 1461 Schoenersville Rd., Bethlehem, Pa. 18018

    Move: Historic Bethlehem River Tours

    There’s no need to decide between a paddle down the Lehigh River or bike along the Delaware and Lehigh Trail with Historic Bethlehem River Tours. Their Glendon Dam Discovery package, which launches from the Nagy’s Landing trailhead just east of downtown, pairs a peaceful two-mile downstream paddle with a six-mile bike ride to the dam’s overlook. It’s beginner-friendly and unguided, meaning you can go at your own pace, with HBRT providing all the equipment (and a shuttle back if you’re feeling lazy).

    📍 Wilson Avenue trailhead, Bethlehem, Pa. 18020

    Dine: Bolete

    Named after a wild mushroom, Bolete isn’t just one of Bethlehem’s best restaurants. It’s one of Pennsylvania’s best restaurants. Chef-owner Lee Chizmar serves an exactingly prepared, terroir-driven menu in a stone-walled former country inn dressed with maximalist wallpaper and antique lighting. Depending on the season, you might find smoked pork chop with cherries and shiitakes, or foie gras paired with funnel cake, blueberries, and Valley Milkhouse fromage blanc.

    📍 1740 Seidersville Rd., Bethlehem, Pa. 18015

    Indulge: The Bethlehem Dairy Store

    If a town has a historic ice cream stand, and it’s summer, you should proceed immediately there for dessert. Bethlehem’s is the Bethlehem Dairy Store, a low-slung diner with neon sundaes and hot dogs in the windows that’s giving Nifty Fiftys. But “The Cup,” as locals call it, far predates Nifty, opening way back in 1927. Hand-dipped ice cream, soft serve, frozen yogurt, and sherbet comprise the roster of frosty treats, coming in flavors like dulce de leche, lemon cookie crunch, chocolate raspberry truffle, and mint Oreo.

    📍 1430 Linden St., Bethlehem, Pa. 18018

  • Waterfalls, wineries, and Ithaca: A Finger Lakes weekend getaway | Field Trip

    Waterfalls, wineries, and Ithaca: A Finger Lakes weekend getaway | Field Trip

    Eleven long, skinny bodies of water comprise New York’s Finger Lakes, a wine region and resort destination for two centuries. Collectively they cover a wide swath of northern New York, with the easternmost and westernmost lakes over 90 miles apart.

    Since it takes more than four hours to get here from Philly, this itinerary focuses on just one finger, Cayuga Lake, at the southern end of which sits the Ivy League town of Ithaca, home to Cornell University. The trip also detours to Seneca Lake next door for some exciting natural wines.

    Expect waterfalls, eagle-spotting, ice cream, and plenty of outdoors. Start the car.

    Stay: Inn at Gothic Eves

    Check into the Inn at Gothic Eves (10 out of 10, no notes on the dramatic name), located 15 minutes from downtown Ithaca on the western shore of Cayuga Lake. Divided between two buildings linked by a two-acre landscaped patio, the resort’s eight suites take their names from the lakes they sit between — Cayuga and Seneca — and various grape varietals and wine regions. There’s a cozy spa with rock-walled treatment rooms and two hot tubs, nightly s’mores by the firepit, and epic breakfasts with house-made jams and locally sourced bacon.

    📍 112 E. Main St., Trumansburg, N.Y. 14886

    Hike: Cascadilla Gorge Trail

    The barrier between downtown Ithaca and nature is barely there. The head of the Cascadilla Gorge Trail begins right off a residential neighborhood, tucked between a church and dentist’s office. This 1.3-mile trail, stewarded by Cornell since 1909, connects downtown with the university’s Botanical Gardens and travels through ancient bedrock ravines and past six waterfalls.

    📍 Cascadilla Gorge Trail, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850

    Snack: Mama Said Hand Pies

    On Press Bay Alley, a pedestrian micro-mall built from a row of former storage units, Mama Said Hand Pies (another 10 out of 10 name) folds fillings like spiced peaches and Oaxaca cheese with mushrooms into flaky half-moon pastries. Drop in for a snack, and, if you’re lucky, some live music. As if you need another reason to like the place, a member of a recent bluegrass quintet can be seen on Mama’s Instagram performing in a Phillies shirt.

    📍 118 W. Green St., Ithaca, N.Y. 14850

    Sip: Osmote

    About 30 minutes west of Ithaca, near the shores of Seneca Lake, a simple wooden pavilion overlooks the water. This is where Osmote hosts picturesque tastings of its low-intervention wines. Four pours cost just $20 and may include bottles like the fizzy Cayuga White pét-nat or Marquette, whose tasting notes include “crunchy blackberry” and “cherry Pop-Tart.” The wines are made with locally sourced grapes while Osmote’s own vineyards, planted in 2024, mature.

    📍 3879 Marcia Ln., Burdett, N.Y. 14818

    Paddle: Paddle-N-More

    On summer Saturday nights, about an hour before sunset, single and tandem kayaks launch from Myers Park, on the east shore of Cayuga Lake. Join the two-hour guided eco-themed trip by Paddle-N-More, a popular outfitter with locations all around the lake. They provide the gear and the expertise, you provide the manpower (not that much) to cruise along the lakeshore, spotting bald eagles and herons.

    📍 1 Lansing Park Rd., Lansing, N.Y. 14882

    Dine: Moosewood Restaurant

    A national pioneer of vegetarian cooking and the local-organic movement, Moosewood Restaurant opened in 1972 and, impressively, continues to this day. While the restaurant is no longer worker-owned — Danica Wilcox, daughter of one of the founding members, took over in 2022 — the ethos that earned Moosewood three James Beard Awards and inspired a shelf full of cookbooks remains intact. Order the New York cheeseboard, oyster mushroom scampi, and, for dessert, the famous fudge brownie that Wilcox’s mother once baked for the restaurant.

    📍 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca, N.Y. 14850

    Indulge: Cayuga Lake Creamery

    Conveniently situated in the same building as Moosewood, Cayuga Lake Creamery is how you should end an Ithaca evening. This location opened in 2020 — the flagship, dating to 2004, is further up the lake in Interlake — and gives Cornell’s famous Dairy Bar a run for its money. Twenty to 30 house-made flavors rotate through the case, including tiramisu, Seneca Salt Caramel, and dark cherry sorbet dosed with Finger Lakes merlot.

    📍 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca, N.Y. 14850