In the vicinity of Mont Alto you will find many interesting things to do in addition to all the activities and history of Gettysburg, about 25 miles to the east on the other side of South Mountain. The entire area is rich with Civil War history and the city of Chambersburg just to the west of Mont Alto is not only the staging area for Lee’s Army in approaching Gettysburg, it is the only town north of the Mason-Dixon line to have been torched during the war. In addition to the battlefields described elsewhere, the landscape is dotted with historical markers noting events of the Civil War. A visit to http://www.phmc.state.pa.us with a click on “Historical markers” will allow you to search Adams County (to our east, containing Gettysburg) and Franklin County (where we will be) as well as Fulton County to our west, if you don’t get your fill of Civil War history at the battlefields themselves. And in Harrisburg, about sixty miles up I-81, is the National Civil War Museum.  www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org

At Caledonia State Park (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/caledonia.aspx), you will find the remnants of one of the many iron furnaces that have added the word “furnace” to place names throughout central Pennsylvania. The furnace at Caldonia was established by Thaddeus Stevens and burned by the Confederate Army on its way to Gettysburg. Pine Grove Furnace State Park (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/pinegrovefurnace.aspx) is the location of another of these furnaces and a trail of them leads to the east to Cornwall Furnace (http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bhsm/toh/cornwall/cornwalliron.asp?secid=14)  near Lebanon and Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site (http://www.nps.gov/hofu/) near Reading, among others.

For links to other state parks nearby, both in Pennsylvania and Maryland, see the listings for camping. The Appalachian Trail goes along the ridges of Michaux State Forest and you will find many crossings of the trail in driving the roads of the forest.

Within Caledonia State Park is the Totem Pole Playhouse, a summer stock theater that has presented plays to the region since 1952. http://www.totempoleplayhouse.org/. Further away near Carlisle is Allenberry Playhouse, another summer stock theater with a variety of light entertainment in a resort setting. http://www.allenberry.com/.

South of Mont Alto beyond Quincy on Route 997, you will find Snow Hill Nunnery or Cloister, an offshoot of the Ephrata Cloisters (http://www.ephratacloister.org/) in Lancaster County, a Sabatarian sect that settled near Lancaster in the mid-eighteenth century. (See http://www.cob-net.org/cloister.htm and read down the page for information.) And west of I-81 near the Tuscarora Ridge is the birthplace of James Buchanan, 15^th president of the United States and the only Pennsylvanian ever to occupy the White House.  http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/buchanansbirthplace.aspx

East of Mont Alto and north of US 30 lies a region of Pennsylvania renowned for its orchards and fruit. Biglerville, a small company town on Route 234, is home to the Mott and Musselman brands of apple products, and in the spring the area is fragrant and white with blooming apple and peach trees. The Apple Museum in Biglerville is worth a visit and you can take a train from Gettysburg to Biglerville. http://www.nationalapplemuseum.com/ Driving north on Cashtown Road (which connects to Route 234 later in Arendtsville) just a mile or two off US 30 will also take you by the historic Round Barn, which now belongs to the Knouse Fruitlands Corporation, parent company to Motts. This is only one, if one of the largest, of the many roadside fruit markets that dot the Pennsylvania roadsides during the summer. http://roundbarngettysburg.com/ These fruit stands not only sell fruit but often have excellent preserves and jellies with their own brand name. And many towns have farmers’ markets with regular weekly hours, some even year round.

Slightly out of our territory, but attractive, just east of Harrisburg, is the location of every kid’s dream, the home of chocolate, the town of Hershey, PA. An informational tour takes you on a ride through an educational Chocolate Land and the nearby amusement park, Hersheypark, sports state-of-the-art roller coasters and other rides.

The Chambersburg Council for the Arts lists a number of arts organizations in the area. http://www.innernet.net/councilforthearts/artorg.html

Museums: In Chambersburg, we find Wilson College’s museum of natural history, the Kittochtinny Historical Society and the Franklin County Heritage Museum. In Waynesboro, there are the Renfrew Museum and Park and the Waynesboro Historical Society. In Greencastle, you may visit the Allison-Antrim Museum www.greencastlemuseum.org In Mercersburg, there is the John McFadden Model Railroad Museum. http://www.johnmcfadden.org/ A good place to start looking for museums in the area is http://www.pamuseums.org/directories/hershey.htm

Golfers will find an abundance of golf courses within easy driving distance of Mont Alto. The closest, which you will probably pass on your way into Mont Alto on Route 997,  is the nationally rated Penn National http://www.penngolf.com/  In addition, Caledonia State Park has its own golf course and Mercersburg sports the Whitetail Golf Course. http://www.thegolfguide.info/courses/whitetail.htm At Greencastle, you may play the Greencastle Greens http://www.thegolfguide.info/courses/greencastle.htm and at Gettysburg The Links at Gettysburg http://www.thegolfguide.info/courses/linksGett.htm In addition, there are many others easily reached from Mont Alto.