Central Pennsylvania tourism offers incredible experiences beyond the well-known cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. In this episode of Credit Union Conversations, host Mark Ritter welcomes back Steve Young of MBFS to explore the region's hidden treasures. From the historic Gettysburg Battlefield to the sweet delights of Hershey, Pennsylvania, they discuss why this area deserves recognition as one of America's untapped vacation destinations. The conversation covers Lancaster County attractions, including the renowned Sight and Sound Theater, charming Lititz, and authentic Amish experiences. They also highlight Carlisle Car Shows, Knoebels Amusement Park, and local favorites such as Caledonia State Park, making a compelling case for the best family vacation spots in central Pennsylvania that offer exceptional value and memorable experiences.

What you will learn from this episode:                                                                                                        

✅ Discover why Central Pennsylvania tourism offers exceptional value compared to major theme parks, with destinations like Knoebels Amusement Park providing free admission, affordable food, and beautiful natural settings.

✅ Explore the rich history and modern attractions of Gettysburg Battlefield, Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Lancaster County attractions, including world-class entertainment at the Giant Center in Hershey, authentic Amish experiences, and the charming town of Lititz, Pennsylvania.

✅ Learn about unique Central Pennsylvania experiences from Carlisle Car Shows that draw collectors nationwide to Pennsylvania State Parks like Caledonia State Park, plus hidden culinary gems, including Northeast Pennsylvania pizza and local Pennsylvania wineries.

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TIMESTAMPS:  

00:00 Mark welcomes Steve Young from MBFS to discuss hidden tourist gems between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia

02:20 Steve shares how the Gettysburg Battlefield took on deeper meaning for him through a leadership class exploring Civil War communication and strategy

03:39 Discussion of Hershey, Pennsylvania, featuring Chocolate World, Giant Center Hershey concerts, outlet shopping, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra performances

05:24 Exploring Lancaster County attractions, including Lititz, Pennsylvania, Sight And Sound Theater, Amish Country, and accessibility from major metropolitan areas

08:23 Steve Young discusses his yellow Corvette and how Carlisle Car Shows draw collectors nationwide

10:25 Discussion of the benefits of Knoebels Amusement Park over other amusement parks and the Caledonia State Park

KEY TAKEAWAYS:  

✅ Central Pennsylvania tourism offers exceptional value with attractions like Knoebels Amusement Park providing free admission and parking. At the same time, Lancaster County sits within two hours of New York, Washington, and Philadelphia, making it an ideal, affordable family destination.

✅ The region features diverse experiences from historic Gettysburg Battlefield and Pennsylvania wineries to world-class entertainment at the Giant Center in Hershey, including concerts and sporting events in a state-of-the-art venue.

✅ Hidden treasures include Northeast Pennsylvania pizza, fresh Amish Country baked goods, and scenic Pennsylvania State Parks like Caledonia State Park.

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Steve Young - LinkedIn

RESOURCES MENTIONED: 

Mark Ritter - Website

Mark Ritter - LinkedIn

SEO KEYWORDS: 

Credit Union Conversations, Mark Ritter, MBFS, Credit Unions, QSO, Central Pennsylvania tourism, Gettysburg Battlefield, Hershey, Pennsylvania, Lancaster County attractions, Carlisle Car Shows, Knoebels Amusement Park, best family vacation spots in central Pennsylvania, Giant Center Hershey, Lititz, Pennsylvania, Caledonia State Par

[00:00:15] Steve Young: Good, mark. How about yourself?

[00:00:28] Uh, football season's not going like we thought for my Nittany lions. Same. But, uh, we're, we're getting a new coach and I, and I'm happy about that, so I think you are too.

[00:00:40] Mark Ritter: It's a lot overdue, but, uh, I think, I think we're gonna come out the for the better and, and wrestling is coming up soon where we could put another championship in the, in the belt.

[00:00:51] Steve Young: yes.

[00:01:14] Steve Young: Okay.

[00:01:42] Okay. All right, let's roll. So this is a restricted, uh, tourism ad for Central Pennsylvania. We hope you pick it up. I am not a civil war buff, but one of my favorite places to go is Gettysburg. Hmm. I love the [00:02:00] scenery. I love going downtown. I have friends there. I love walking around the college. It's a beautiful area.

[00:02:21] Steve Young: Well, we, I, you know, being a native of Chambersburg, I mean, Gettysburg's just been down the road from, from us, and, you know. As a kid, I, I, you know, I, I took it for granted and I, I did, I, I'm thinking it's, it's a field.

[00:03:07] I mean, this was all, you know, by courier and. And there were a lot of brave people that, that, that lost their lives. And, um, and then of course Chambersburg was, was collateral damage after the fact when they, they ransom the town and burned it down. But, uh, yeah, I mean, my wife and I were just over there like two weeks ago and, and we like to go, same thing.

[00:03:36] Mark Ritter: Moving a little bit north. What about Hershey? Uh, you know, I, I'm a, I I love to go. Hershey to me has some of the best events, concerts, sports, all of that in Pennsylvania. Oh yeah. Uh, the arena's fabulous.

[00:03:56] Steve Young: Uh, the, the outlets are there. Um, if, if you, if my [00:04:00] wife were on this call, she would tell you Chocolate world is her happy place.

[00:04:17] Steve Young: When we lived in York Haven. We had three exchange students when, when our daughter was in, um, junior high school and all three of the girls, two, two of 'em were from Japan, one was from South Korea, and we took them all to Hershey and. We bought our, our first girl we bought, her name was Keon, and we bought her, well, we took her to Chocolate World.

[00:04:57] And, and again, the, the shops, um, [00:05:00] places to eat. Um, I've gone to many concerts, many, many sporting events at the Giant Center. Uh, as a matter of fact, my wife surprised me. Uh, she was at a silent auction for, uh, the Salvation Army and got us front row tickets to Trans Siberian Orchestra. Uh, we've, we've seen them at the Giant Center a number of times, and it never gets old.

[00:05:24] Mark Ritter: Now, I think one of the most underrated vacations in the country would be to plop yourself down in Lancaster County and enjoy a week in Lancaster County. Absolutely to experience. And, and even it's really be gone beyond, uh, the Amish, which is still a big component, but also the sight and sound theater is just fabulous to go visit and spend a day at, uh, along with just, you know, uh, uh, and people we're not on video, but [00:06:00] people could know that we like ourselves some baked goods.

[00:06:09] Steve Young: Well, um, I, I like to hit up a lot of the antique shops. Uh, that's, that's a, that's a passion of mine. I enjoy that. Is that, you know, as my wife says, you know, you're, you're just looking for junk, but, you know, one man's junk's, another man's treasure.

[00:06:32] Mark Ritter: Lititz. I, I think if, if, if my house got bombed out, my wife would move us to Lititz.

[00:06:44] Um, we've, we've gone, our, our neighbors, you know, uh, six or eight of us have gone on a trip there. And, um, it, it's, it's a great day. It is just a great way to spend a day, you know, walking the streets and having a good time.

[00:07:11] So a huge section of the country can enjoy it at, at very, a beautiful, uh, section and scenery and things to do, and fun activities at a really reasonable price and easy to get to. Mm-hmm.

[00:07:37] Mark Ritter: Yep. 83.

[00:07:47] Mark Ritter: Yeah, they're great.

[00:07:56] Mark Ritter: You know, and, and, and, and switching gears a little bit, [00:08:00] literally. So, I am a person who cannot fix anything on my car. Same. I buy a car and cannot fix it. You know, get now you, you have a really nice car. So tell people a little bit about the Carlisle car shows that happen throughout the year.

[00:08:26] Yeah. I own a 2014, uh, stingray that I've had about four years now, and it's that it's been a dream of mine. And, and you talk about having a great wife. My, my wife actually found it online. It was at a Ford dealership, uh, in, uh, the Poconos. So at the time I had a, um. A Camaro convertible, and I wasn't sure if I'd fit in a cord way.

[00:09:16] There and a lot of accessories are expensive, but it's, it's incredible the number of people that, that draws every year from, from all over. Um, when I, when I worked at Mellon Bank back in the day, in the, in the eighties, I was a branch manager really close to the fairgrounds where that's held. And we used to have to have armed guards come in because of the amount of cash that we would, we would carry.

[00:10:01] Mark Ritter: Oh. But yes, that is quite a, quite a place of business and a huge part of our, uh, local economy is the Carlisle car shows.

[00:10:17] Mark Ritter: Now I am a native of Northeast Pennsylvania and lived in central Pennsylvania. I have one singular place that I consider my favorite place in Pennsylvania, and that is can Noble's Mills can Noble's amusement park in e Leesburg, Pennsylvania.

[00:11:07] Steve Young: Yeah. It's, it's a, it's a hidden gem. It's beautiful. And I, I totally agree with you. The food is, is wonderful. The people were wonderful.

[00:11:17] Steve Young: Oh yeah. You're tucked into the woods, basically. And, and it's, it's, uh, yeah, and, and it, it's very inexpensive when you, when you compare it to something like a Hershey Parker or Disney.

[00:11:39] Mark Ritter: that. Now what are some of your favorite local places in central Pennsylvania that you enjoy going to?

[00:11:51] Mark Ritter: Oh, it's beautiful.

[00:12:19] Uh, it holds a special place in Minor League as well.

[00:12:34] Steve Young: Yes.

[00:12:44] The Lehigh Valley, uh, baseball stadium is fabulous. Mm-hmm. We have two arenas in Hershey and Allentown that are just phenomenal to go see hockey and you can see your a HL [00:13:00] hockey teams, which I could go to over the NHL games. So I just love that. And when, since I've moved back up here to Northeast Pennsylvania, one of the more underrated foods in our country is Northeast Pennsylvania Pizza.

[00:13:29] Steve Young: I, I never knew that I, I, I'm a huge pizza fan, so I, I'm gonna have to try that sometime, but I, I've not experienced it.

[00:13:42] Steve Young: Sometimes that's a hidden gem. They're the ones you need to find.

[00:13:53] Steve Young: Well, so let me know when you, you want me to come up for one of those pizzas? I'm, you've got, you've piqued my interest.

[00:14:01] So joining me today was Steve Young of MBFS. He's our relationship manager in Central Pennsylvania. And thank you for placating us a little bit today as we talk about some of the great places in Pennsylvania. Hopefully you consider coming and visit here and spend some time and spend a little bit of money and help us out.