Run! Don't walk! Be prepared to laugh your head off. Dorothy is FANTASTIC. So much rich history &…read moreso much fun to be had. She is amazing with kids as well. Truly, so funny. Also, yes it's long. Which is a DELIGHT. It's so kind of Dorothy. Be prepared for 3.5 hours or so; she has so much to cover! I think she's probably only scratching the surface.

This was awful. We booked on a whim because we were making the trip to go to the nearby aquarium…read more We should have known better when we had to go down an suspect alley and park behind a house. We had to wait outside the 'Abracadabra' door which was a horrible seating arrangement. It had standing, dirty water everywhere and everyone outside was getting eating alive by gnats and mosquitoes. The host finally came out but never said who she was or even her name. She must have been having an off day because she was not received well. It was awkward. The building itself was someone's home. The downstairs was the showroom and two beyond cluttered 'museum' rooms. The ceiling had severe water damage. The showroom smelled awful. There were gnats overwhelming the bathrooms. In the "prop room" the ceiling was cracked and in need of maintenance. Molding was falling off the walls. There was even garbage, plates and drinks left out from some kind of celebration. At it's prime I'm certain the collection and rooms looked prestigious but years later, no upkeep and cleaning just left it sad. The show started with the magician giving a blurb about herself starting with she was raised by an abusive alcoholic father. You could tell this was more about Dorothy than Houdini. The monologue was done via microphone that was tied around her neck and blared out of a speaker that had a loud, annoying feedback that no one tried to correct. This shifted into an old DVD that's displayed on blurry television. The audio/visual were terrible. At some point they forgot to update the equipment. For the price that you pay for admission, you would feel they would upgrade the devices. We learned about Houdini and the way Dorothy engaged with the audience was just weird and she would giggle when it got creepy, awkward. There also was an old man sitting in the back of the room, just staring at everyone and not talking. You'd think, the person would be introduced but we didn't learn about him until an hour later. The history was painful and it was almost a look but don't touch and listen to me dialogue. Dorothy told the kids not to jump off bridges but they could eat swords. She told another kid that he was going to be locked in a mill crate like Houdini. The cake topper was the child she yelled at for touching something. The child started wailing and rushed to hide behind her mother. A child sneezed in one room and she snarled they better not have given her Covid. I mean her, when there were other people in the room, but really - who says that! Let alone to a child. The long drawn out history finally gave way to another video displayed poorly to the audience while the magician got ready. Before starting the video she asked if any one knew how Houdini died and she said the creepy old man in the back did. He stood up and just shrieked loudly for 20 seconds. Dorothy, creepy guy and another associate found this hilarious. The audience was confused. The video displayed the magician doing escape artist tricks and the jinx bullet trick. Very different from the basic magic that was about to happen. None the less performed to very loud 70's instrumental music. It almost felt like being at a child's birthday. Except we did the same trick over and over. We changed gears but it was basic. The magic was fun but the slight of hand was so obvious it took away the magic. It seemed like the touch was gone. I wouldn't recommend.

Very interesting tour of this formidable fortress-like old jail. History of the place quite grim,…read moretreatment of people just horrible, especially the Irish back in the day. But history is important, and they gave a good history of the cruel overlords of the coal mining industry, and the resistance put forward by the Molly Maguires, who fought for fair wages, treatment and justice. Jail operational until 1975. Worth a visit. Correction: Jail operational until 1995.

I still cannot believe that this was an active jail until 1995 and they shut down the dungeon…read more(solitary confinement) in the 1970s. The conditions were truly not extremely modern to any standard of today and I guess this is what was expected when the jail was built over several decades earlier. The opening video which seems like a high school AV club production did explain about the Molly Maguires and the hangings at this jail. We then toured the cells, dungeon, and had free reign to check out the Warden's quarters and kitchen. Didn't take long and you could be in and out in less than an hour or so. Very interesting history. There is one bathroom for public use. The kitchen is supposedly the next major restoration project going to be started. A lot of the displays and signage needs some TLC, too. If you're in law enforcement or into this kind of history, I'd recommend it. They also have a gift shop. $13 each for us today, 8/7/2026.

Last night I went to the #HotelofHorror in Saylorsburg PA. I got the combo ticket and it was so…read moreworth it. The lines move fast and the staff here are amazing!! This is the best haunt I've been to this year. The hotel is very creepy, the sets are scary, and the actors really give their all. They are open tonight, halloween night, and next weekend so go get your scare on!!! http://www.hotelofhorror.com

I am an avid Halloween Haunt enthusiat. Every year my Buddy and I select a place to enjoy the sets,…read morethe scares and have a blast. This year we selected Hotel of Horror in PA. The YouTube videos looked great and tickets were purchased. After our pre-haunt meal we arrived. The place was lit up nicely, creepy music playing. The actor who gave the instructions was on point, he was creepy, funny and into the festivities that awaited us. So this is by no means a bad review, however, there was just not enough actors to deliver scares. The sets were fantastic, using all the standard fare that all the great places use. That being said, again, just not enough actors within the haunt. We walked through several scenes without seeing an actor. For the price of the tickets (which are on par with much larger places like Penhurst Asylum and East State Penitentiary) Hotel of Horror just does not stack up with the big boys. Would we return? Probably not, for the money, would most likely return to one of the big boys!!!

I cannot express enough how much I loved this museum! We spent about an hour inside looking at the…read moreexhibits and reading the booklet of information about most pieces. They truly have a gorgeous collect! AND they have beautiful grounds to walk around and enjoy a peaceful lake.

Took a wonderful three hour hike through the wildlife sanctuary that is part of the 600 acre…read moreestate. The museum apparently operates part time given the limited resources of the not-for-profit and the volunteer staff. There is ample parking, a pair of clean bio-safe restrooms, and some seating next to the lake. The museum itself was closed so we could only look through the huge display window at some of the glass pieces. The hike took us past the amphitheater where there is a large cement platform/stage for the performers. The hillside above the stage is cut back (carved into the hill) to provide "stadium" seating. We were told there is an annual concert/ fund raiser. Looks like a fantastic spot fir a concert! Our group then spent the next three hours on several of the properties' trails, winding through old growth forest, pine stands, and fern covered hills.

Our favorite activity during the Fall Foliage Festival! The house and its contents are gorgeous and…read moreseemingly untouched. A must see if you are in the area.

Built in 1861, this Victorian Italianate architecture-style home was constructed over a span of two…read moreyears at a total cost of $14,000 dollars. The Asa Packer Mansion listed as a National Historic Landmark was the home of philanthropist, railroad magnate, and founder of Lehigh University, Asa Packer, from Oct. 16, 1861, to Oct. 29, 1912. Located in Jim Thorpe, this building is recognized by a red-ribbed tin roof and a central cupola proudly atop Packer Hill with the commanding stunning views of the surrounding Pocono Mountains, where my partner, his aunt and I came for a tour today. Tickets were easily available and reasonably priced for the 1pm tour, which covered the entirety of the first and second floors. Our tour guide was a young lady (she mentioned she is a senior in high school) who obviously loves her job and is personally interested in the history of the mansion and family. From the furniture, woodwork, and stained glass to the artwork, she spoke about the history or significance. The mansion is not a restoration where pictures and video are prohibited inside. An amazing walk back in time, for which we can recommend this place.

Worth the drive. We tried 3 times to see the Big Boy. Happy we got to see it here. So much history,…read moreso worth the lesson and knowledge. Great and friendly staff btw. Made my son's birthday perfect!

I grew up in the area and last visited Steamtown when I was a child. I've since moved away, but was…read morevisiting family in the area and my wife and I decided to re-visit Steamtown, which was a great choice. The site is really quite well done and is thorough and organized. We learned quite a bit here and we really enjoyed getting a full picture of how the industry developed and thrived in the Scranton area. Steamtown is a gem and I'm very glad that we decided to re-visit it after all these years!

The Bloomsburg Children's Museum is a unique and fun place to take your kids to. There are many…read morechildren's museums and for all of them you can say "fun and educational". But parents know, it feels like once you've seen one, you've seen them all. Bloomsburg manages to be different by capturing a small town rustic feel. The museum is set up like a small Pennsylvania town where kids can tour through and learn how the town functions as well its history, and the backgrounds of the different immigrant cultures that helped build it. If you are in town to visit Knoebels, the museum is an excellent pre-game stop. The amusement park doesn't open until noon, but the museum opens at 10:00am, so its a productive way to spend time while waiting. Admission is free for the military, but don't forget to hit up one of the donation boxes.

Friendly staff. An eclectic variety of educational and interactive exhibits for various age groups…read more A nice little gift/souvenir shop.

My kids loved this place. I was really impressed, too. The museum spreads 3 floors and it's highly…read moreinteractive. We went during the Halloween period and they had exploding pumpkins, witches brew, and all sorts of fun themed Halloween science experiments. This is such a great rainy day activity. My kids just had the best time and didn't want to leave. One negative thing, and I'm not docking a star, but the food is awful. It felt so ironic that we were in the health and living section. Then, checked out their restaurant where the food couldn't have been much more unhealthy. It was also majorly overpriced. But my kids were starving so we let them eat the terribly unhealthy food options. Overall, this is a great spot. Kids will love all the interactive displays and even adults will like it. I'm glad we checked it out!

This place has been on my radar for a while, and I'm genuinely kicking myself for not coming…read moresooner. We visited on a Friday afternoon during the school year and it was the perfect day for it, not crowded at all, staff was warm and attentive everywhere you turned, and there was just so much to explore across two floors. As a homeschool mom, I am always on the lookout for places where kids are learning without even realizing it and this delivered completely. My little ones were engaged the entire time, bouncing between exhibits and coming back to do things on repeat. The water table on the second floor was a huge hit (dam building = instant obsession), the crawl-through body exhibit had them giggling the whole way through, and the immersive hall with the giant projector and the orchestra activity where they put their faces into the performers? They talked about that the whole ride home. We timed our visit to catch the 3 o'clock otter feeding and training, definitely worth planning around. Maybe 30 people gathered and it was totally manageable and really sweet to watch. What surprised me most was how engaged I was as an adult. I was genuinely learning things alongside my kids, which is not always the case at these types of places. It felt appropriate and interesting for every age in our group. A few things to know before you go: follow the directions on their website for the specific parking garage , it's about a 5-minute walk and was only $5 for us. Strollers and wagons are totally doable with elevators throughout. They also have a café if you want to make a full day of it, and rotating special exhibits (always check the website ahead of time so you know what's on and whether it fits your crew). We stayed about two and a half hours and left happy. Already thinking about when we're coming back.

An eclectic collection of coal mining machinery like drills and battery locomotives, exhibits on…read morethe origin and daily life of the immigrant miners, enormous silk weaving machines, pictures and stories from the 1902 anthracite strike, a mockup saloon where the boys drank after work, kitchen of a coal miner's house, original altar from a RC church in Berwick PA, a special exhibit on the international correspondence schools of Scranton (now called Penn Foster), a reproduction of a doctor's office complete with the special chair and scary tools, and even bread ovens (heated with coal of course). Is that eclectic enough for you? Coal is just a diamond that has to try harder, right? The Anthracite Heritage Museum is basically a snapshot of life in and around Scranton Pennsylvania a century ago. I think this place will bore most children halfway to tears. The exhibits are marked with some text, but it's a rather amateur design, sometimes I just didn't know what I was looking at, or why it was there at all. So the museum could try a little harder too. $7 admission is out of proportion to the content. On the plus side, the gift shop sells little bags of coal that are perfect for Xmas stockings. Heh heh, I ain't kidding either! Really this is local history which is not my thing, but I can't downgrade to two stars just because of that.

As a history professor and a member of a family of mining buffs (yeah we're weird) I have pretty…read morehigh standards when it comes to museums, and I very much enjoyed this one. The coal mine tour (offered only between 10am and 3pm) takes tourists down into the mine. You ride down the slope in a trip car, and then walk through the mine, seeing equipment and three coal seams while the tourguide explains the process of anthracite mining and answers questions. I didn't learn anything new but I would imagine that for people who have never been down a mine before it would really be an eye-opening experience. The museum itself, located on the hill above the mine tour, is EXCELLENT. Although you can tell that the curators didn't have a lot of money to curate with, they have some terrific artifacts, including all of the heavy equipment involved in silk weaving (I've never seen that anywhere else), 19th-century medical tools, and many pieces of mining equipment. I also saw a very fine temporary exhibit about the 1902 strike in the anthracite fields and learned a ton; it was one of the best, most comprehensive exhibits on labor issues that I have seen anywhere. There were some activities for children interspersed throughout the museum. Our 11-year-old was particularly affected by pictures of boys his own age working as breaker-boys, and by a pair of hobnailed boots worn by another child with his same first name, who died at of meningitis at the age of 11.