Harrisburg and Paradise

Today our travels took us in the opposite direction to Pennsylvania Dutch Country.  Our main destination was Harrisburg, the capitol of the state of Pennsylvania.  On the way we made a pit stop in Paradise, PA.  Located here in this small town is the National Christmas Center.  This place has every possible Christmas decoration you could ever desire for your home, in addition to a museum dedicated to this holiday.

We also found a quaint little gift shop right outside of town aptly named "Almost Paradise".

After our little excursion here, we headed on to Harrisburg.  Our first stop here was the National Civil War Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.  This museum opened in 2001 and is the #1 stop for any Civil War buffs out there.  It chronicles the full history of the war, including what led to the war, as well as the post-war aftermath.  I'd highly recommend it for anyone with an appreciation for American history.

A mile and a half down the road from here is the Capitol Building of the state of Pennsylvania.  Unfortunately, no tours are given on weekends, but during the week you can get a tour of the building.

To complete our trip to Harrisburg, we walked down to the State Museum of Pennsylvania.  This building contains various exhibitions related to things that have happened in Pennsylvania, from pre-historic times to pre-European settlements to the Revolutionary War to the Civil War to Industrialization to today.  It chronicles famous Pennsylvanians and their contributions to the state and to the world at large.