An Actually Fun Road Trip from New Jersey to Ohio (and back)

When I went to visit my sister in Cleveland this spring, I decided to turn the eight hour road trip into an actually fun and enjoyable adventure across state lines.

On the departure day, I woke up extremely early, so early that the roads of central Jersey were dark and spooky. I hoped that no deer would venture to cross my path. They obliged, and by 8am I’d made it to my sister’s former home in Harrisburg and picked up some bagels to bring to them as a treat and breakfast for me.

By lunchtime, I was in Pittsburgh and stopped for lunch at Mediterra Cafe. The patio is laptop and dog friendly, and the day was beautiful, so I spent a couple hours having lunch and catching up on work.

Getting up so early really helped, because by about 5pm I was in Cleveland for a fun weekend with my sister. I wrote about my Cleveland favorites in another post.

After that, it was the return road trip that really stood out. I decided to take the long way for maximum sightseeing purposes. I booked a hotel to spend the night in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

On the way, I stopped and had some yummy coffee and breakfast tacos from Drip Coffeehouse + Kitchen. And snuck in some work calls on my pesky laptop again. Afterwards Bailey and I walked through Historic Brookville and saw the Jefferson County Courthouse.

We made it to our hotel in Williamsport around 5. The Genetti Hotel is a dog-friendly hotel that’s technically owned by Best Western, but they put in all the care and heart of an independently run hotel. Look at this note they left in the room:

Bailey is not usually allowed to be a bed dog, but sometimes she gets a special treat at hotels. Shhh!

Hot Yoga Williamsport was right across the street, so I dropped off the bags and ran right over for class. It was a heated studio and really nice class taught by a wonderful teacher named Jenelle (@the_body_aligned).

Next up, it was time for some tourism, so I took a walk through the town and onto Millionaire’s Row, a strip of old victorian mansions that used to be occupied by the wealthiest Pennsylvanians. Today some of them are a bit run down, but many are still beautiful and impressive to see.

It was almost dinner time, so my next stop was the Bullfrog Brewery, which was back closer to my hotel. It was easy to walk around the town since nothing was too far away, but far enough to get some steps in after being on the road all day.

At the brewery, I had a tasty apricot beer and a giant plate of nachos (with a small side salad for balance!) and followed it up with a homemade root beer. It was a perfect dinner stop in my book.

After dinner, I headed back to Bailey and we settled in for the night. It would be another early morning.

I knew I had a long drive ahead of me, but I’d always wanted to visit Ricketts Glen State Park. Bailey and I packed into the car super early and got to start hiking just after sunrise. The sky was cloudy and a little drizzly, but that meant uncrowded trails and rushing waterfalls.

The Glen Falls Loop trail passes 21 waterfalls (21!!) and is considered to be the best waterfall hike in the eastern US. I didn’t keep count, but trust that there were so many amazing waterfalls.

There’s a 7 mile version of the hike and a shorter 3ish mile loop that still passes the same number of waterfalls. I decided to take the shorter route, since I still had quite a bit of driving to do that day. Bailey loves hiking, but she agreed to get back in the car.

I hadn’t found any breakfast places on the way, so I ate a few sad soggy leftover nachos and then we finished the rest of our 3.5 hour drive home to NJ.

If you have the time, I definitely recommend taking the long way to make your road trip maximally fun!

Harrisburg Favorites

My sister and brother-in-law (still feels shocking to say!) moved to Cleveland this summer. Before they left, they went on their honeymoon to South Africa and I stayed at their house in Harrisburg as cat-sitter extraordinaire. Harrisburg doesn’t seem like the most exciting of places to visit – at least I didn’t think so when I found out they were moving there back in 2020 – but it’s one that grew on me. I’m a bit sad that this was probably one of my last visits, and it was a nice place to catch my breath between coming back from Puerto Rico and leaving for Costa Rica.

Here are a few things I enjoyed that week, followed by my all-time favorites:

Hawk Rock Overlook

This was a perfect hike! Just look at those views. It’s just over a mile and a half and pretty steep on the uphill climb. Bailey loved pulling me up and down the trail on her leash.

Mary’s Health and Fitness

My sister rewarded my house and cat sitting duties with a weeklong pass to her favorite gym, Mary’s Health & Fitness. It was a pretty sweet deal on my end, so I woke up early every day to get to the group workouts. The trainers are fun and creative, and all the workouts fly by and make you feel good.

Wildwood Way and Canal Town Path

This was a really nice after work walk with a dog. On the 3 mile trail, Bailey and I saw rabbits, turtles, and even a frog. It was a hot week in June, but the trail was mostly shaded.

Midtown Cinema

I only wish that I found this gem earlier in my trips to Harrisburg. It’s an independent movie theatre where they show indie and some mainstream movies. There was a cool-looking bar outside with live music. They serve all the classic movie snacks, including popcorn and not-so-classic ice cream!

White Cliffs of Conoy

The White Cliffs of Conoy is actually an industrial wasteland formed from the deposits of an 1800’s limestone quarry. To be 100% honest, this one wasn’t one of my favorites, but I was excited to finally see it. It’s definitely unique, but the cliffs themselves are pretty small and the trail to them is paved, so if you’re expecting a hike like I was, this is not it.

Civil War Museum

This is a really nice and well-maintained museum. I learned a lot from spending the afternoon here. I would certainly recommend it for history buffs and anyone looking to pass some time exploring the U.S.’s past.

It was International Donut Day during my visit, so of course I had to visit Duck donuts for a free donut!

All-Time Favorites

• Fall and Spring Fest at Grey Apple Market

• Pine View Dairy for ice cream (you bet I made a special stop)

• Tröegs Brewing for beer and pretzels

• City Island for mini golf

• Bullfrog Valley Pond walking/jogging trail in Hummelstown

• Hershey Park! I’ll cherish a special memory of going there for the Christmas decorations and lights show a couple years ago

• The Millworks (probably my favorite restaurant plus an art gallery)

• Day trips to Lancaster

• JhettSet Closet consignment shop

• Yoga at Evergrain Brewing Company

• Tubing at Sickman’s Mill (technically not in Harrisburg but not too far away)

• Walking along the Susquehanna River to watch the riverboats and see groundhogs

I’m sure there are others I’m forgetting that my sister will remind me of, but that’s the list for now. Harrisburg, it was nice getting to know you!