View more places in Pennsylvania
Scranton rose to prominence in the 19th century as a major iron and coal mining center, earning it the nickname the Electric City when it became one of the first cities in the United States to operate an electric-powered streetcar system in 1886. The city was officially incorporated in 1866 and quickly grew into a bustling industrial hub, with the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company dominating the local economy for decades. By the early 20th century, Scranton had become a center for silk textile manufacturing, second only to Paterson, New Jersey, in American silk production. The decline of coal mining and heavy industry in the mid-20th century reshaped the city, but Scranton’s rich immigrant heritage from Irish, Italian, Polish, and Welsh communities remains woven deeply into its cultural fabric. Today the city has reinvented itself as a regional center for healthcare, education, and logistics, while preserving its proud working-class roots and architectural legacy.
Scranton’s cultural identity is anchored in its strong sense of community and the enduring traditions of its ethnic neighborhoods, where annual festivals celebrate Italian, Irish, and Polish heritage with food, music, and parades. The Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple, a stunning Gothic Revival building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, hosts touring Broadway shows, concerts, and community events throughout the year. The city gained a unique pop-culture spotlight as the setting of the beloved television series The Office, drawing fans from across the country to visit recognizable landmarks featured in the show. The Everhart Museum in Nay Aug Park houses an impressive permanent collection of American folk art, natural history exhibits, and regional artifacts spanning more than a century. Scranton’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, one of the largest in the nation, draws over 100,000 spectators each March and reflects the city’s deep Irish-American roots.
Visitors can immerse themselves in Scranton’s industrial legacy with a ride on the Electric City Trolley Museum, where restored streetcars and interactive exhibits trace the history of urban electric railways that revolutionized American cities. A trip to the Steamtown National Historic Site offers the chance to explore a working railroad roundhouse, watch live steam demonstrations, and take a scenic excursion train ride through the Lackawanna Valley. Art lovers will appreciate a stroll through First Friday Scranton, a monthly gallery walk featuring local artists, live music, and open studios in the city’s vibrant downtown arts district. For a unique shopping and dining experience, the Marketplace at Steamtown anchors the downtown with local boutiques, restaurants, and seasonal events inside a beautifully renovated historic building. Families can spend an afternoon at Nay Aug Park, a sprawling green space offering swimming pools, walking trails, playgrounds, and the Everhart Museum all within the city limits.
The Lackawanna County Courthouse stands as one of Scranton’s most recognizable landmarks, an imposing Romanesque Revival stone structure with a soaring clock tower and ornate interior murals that dominate the downtown skyline. At the Scranton Iron Furnaces, four massive stone blast furnaces from the 19th century rise from the earth like ancient ruins, preserved as a dramatic outdoor industrial heritage site that tells the story of the city’s iron-making past. The Houdini Museum offers an intimate and entertaining look at the life of the legendary escape artist, with live magic performances, rare memorabilia, and guided tours led by a husband-and-wife team of professional magicians. Architecture enthusiasts should seek out the stately Victorian mansions in the Hill Section, where lumber barons and coal magnates once built their grand homes overlooking the Lackawanna Valley below.
The Lackawanna River Heritage Trail provides over 70 miles of multi-use paths connecting Scranton to surrounding communities, perfect for walking, jogging, cycling, and birdwatching along the scenic river corridor. McDade Park on the city’s west side features extensive picnic areas, ball fields, a large public swimming pool, and sweeping views of the valley from its elevated ridgeline setting. Just minutes from downtown, Montage Mountain Resorts transforms with the seasons, offering skiing and snowboarding on 26 trails during winter months and a full-scale water park with slides, a wave pool, and lazy river during the summer. Lake Scranton, surrounded by a gentle 3.5-mile walking trail through wooded terrain, provides a peaceful retreat for hikers, runners, and anglers seeking a quiet escape close to the city.
The Anthracite Heritage Museum in nearby McDade Park preserves the stories of the immigrant families who toiled in Northeastern Pennsylvania’s coal mines, with extensive exhibits on mining techniques, labor struggles, and community life in the anthracite region. PNC Field, home to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, offers affordable family entertainment with fireworks nights, promotional giveaways, and classic ballpark fare throughout the baseball season. The Coal Mine Tour at McDade Park takes visitors underground into a reconstructed anthracite mine for a firsthand look at the dark, cramped conditions miners endured daily a century ago. The Electric City Aquarium and Reptile Den brings hands-on marine education to the Steamtown Marketplace, featuring touch tanks, exotic reptiles, and aquatic exhibits that appeal to visitors of all ages.
Spring and fall offer the most pleasant weather for exploring Scranton’s outdoor attractions, with mild temperatures perfect for hiking the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail and visiting the Steamtown National Historic Site during its peak operating season. The month of March brings the excitement of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, one of the country’s largest, when the city fills with music, green-clad revelers, and family-friendly festivities. Summer months from June through August deliver warm days ideal for water park fun at Montage Mountain and evening baseball games at PNC Field beneath dramatic sunset skies. Autumn foliage transforms the surrounding Pocono foothills into a brilliant tapestry of red, orange, and gold, making October a spectacular time for scenic drives and outdoor photography around the city. Winter visitors can enjoy snow sports at Montage Mountain and the cozy warmth of downtown restaurants and brewpubs, though some outdoor historic sites operate on reduced schedules during the colder months.
Here are some of our favorite things to do near Scranton. Choose away!
Steamtown National Historic Site occupies approximately 62 acres in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, on the site of the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad yard. This National Park Service property preserves one of the most significant…