Thrill Seekers Guide

Adventure Runs & Races

Through the mud and over obstacles, adventure runs and races make the tedium of jogging and sprinting much more exciting.  For those in search of competition or an uncommon blast of athletic fun, sign up as a team or go solo in one or all of the many adventure runs going on throughout the summer.

Harrisburg Mudmash – June 16-17
1500 Roberts Valley Road, Harrisburg
ymcarun.com/info-mudmash

The Color Run – June 17
GIANT Center, Hershey
thecolorrun.com/locations/hershey-pa/

Glow in the Park – June 24
245 Championship Way, City Island, Harrisburg
glowintheparkrun.com/harrisburg2017/

Chocolate Tour – August 5
665 Brook Drive, Hershey
thechocolatetour.com

The Glo Run – August 12
Carlisle
theglorun.com/harrisburg

Pennsylvania Warrior Dash 2017 – August 26
500 Long Pond Road, Long Pond
eventsprout.com/event/2017_warrior_dash_pennsylvania

The A.T.

Running from Maine all the way to Georgia, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail stands as one the most famous hike-ways in America.  Those of us in Pa. are fortunate this amazing trail tracks its way into our own backyard, and a popular leg of the A.T., as it’s known to hikers, starts in Boiling Springs.  Lace up the hiking boots, shoulder a backpack and grab a walking stick – the great outdoors are always open.

Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Mid-Atlantic Regional Office
4 E. First St., Boiling Springs
(717) 258-5771, appalachiantrail.org

Call of the Darkness
An eons-old march back through time, long before mankind, can be experienced by entering the true darkness of one of several caves in Central Pa.  With stalactites and stalagmites at every winding passageway and water-carved rock room, caves provide hours of wonderment – not to mention the welcomed cool air on a humid summer day.

Crystal Cave
933 Crystal Cave Road, Kutztown
(610) 683-6765, crystalcavepa.com

Franklin County Grotto
karst.org/fcg/

Indian Echo Caverns
368 Middletown Road, Hummelstown
(717) 566-8131, indianechocaverns.com

Penn’s Cave
222 Penn’s Cave Road, Centre Hall
(814) 364-1664, pennscave.com

York Grotto
yorkgrotto.org

Cliffhanger

The sport of chalked hand holds, ropes, upper-body strength, groin-hugging harnesses and fearlessness brings together  exercise and more than a few adrenaline surges.  Rock climbing – indoor or outdoor – provides everything an adventure seeker could want.  There are real risks involved with the sport though, so be sure of your climbing skills before venturing away from the indoor rock walls.

Chickies Rock
399 Furnace Road, Marietta
scpclimbers.org

Climbnasium
339A N. Locust Point Road, Mechanicsburg
(717) 795-9580, climbnasium.net

Governor Stable Boulders (private property)
Conoy Township Park, Elizabethtown
scpclimbers.org

Michaux State Forest
scpclimbers.org

Flight Thrills

The discomfort of an economy-class seat, the indignity of airport security, the steep price tag and the chance of getting tossed from your seat like we all saw on that viral video, a commercial flight is not exactly the most appealing option for fun and excitement.  However, plenty of small airports offer the thrill of flight with excursions that include aerial tours and helicopters rides.

Cargill Aeronautical
Academy & Service Center
Capital City Airport
200 Airport Road, New Cumberland
(717) 447-0445,
cargillaeronautical.com

Cumberland Valley Aviation
228 Petersburg Road, Carlisle
(717) 580-5282,
cumberlandvalleyaviation.com

Dutch Country Helicopters
500 Airport Road, Lititz
(717) 735-2208, flydch.com

Golden Age Air Museum
Grimes Airfield
371 Airport Road, Bethel
(717) 933-9566, goldenageair.org

Harrisburg Pilots
517 Airport Drive, Middletown
(717) 421-7816,
harrisburgpilots.com

Reigle Aviation
1805 S. Forge Road, Palmyra
(717) 838-5519, reigleairport.com

Smoketown Airport
311 Airport Drive, Smoketown
smoketownairport.com, (717) 394-6476

Ghost Hunting

From the thousands of novels, films and shows about hauntings, to the endless personal accounts of sightings, to the stories heard from a friend of a friend and to the tales told over a campfire, ghosts are everywhere.  Whether you believe or not, immersing yourself in a tour guided by costumed storytellers is an eerily entertaining way to get the hairs on your arms to stand straight.

After Dark Investigations
Gettysburg
(717) 200-1089,
afterdarkinvestigations.com

Bube’s Brewery
102 N. Market St., Mount Joy
(717) 653-2056, bubesbrewery.com

Farnsworth House Ghost Walks and Mourning Theater
401 Baltimore St., Gettysburg
(717) 334-8838, farnsworthhouseinn.com

Gettysburg Ghost Tours
47 Steinwehr Ave., Gettysburg
(717) 338-1818, gettysburgghosttours.com

Ghostly Images of Gettysburg
778 Baltimore St., Gettysburg
(717) 334-1156, gettysburgbattlefieldtours.com

Ghost Tour of Lancaster City
Penn Square, Lancaster
(717) 687-6687, ghosttour.com/lancaster

Mark Nesbitt’s  Ghosts of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tours
271 Baltimore St., Gettysburg, (717) 337-0445, ghostsofgettysburg.com

Mason Dixon Paranormal Society Ghost Tours
9 Steinwehr Ave., Gettysburg, (717) 752-0362, masondixonghosttours.com

Miss Betty’s Ghosts and Tales of Gettysburg Tours
Gettysburg, (443) 789-9602, missbettysghostsingettysburg.com

Spooky York Dark Downtown History Tour
downtownyorkpa.com

Paintball

The pops of compressed-air-propelled rounds of paint-filled balls traveling at around 260 feet per second mingle with the hollow thuds of misses and the sharp neon-colored stings of hits on several fields of simulated battle throughout the region.  Few other pastimes elicit such surges of adrenaline than playing paintball.  Don a goggled face mask, load a hopper with plenty of rounds of paint and grab a marker – it just might be the most fun you’ve ever had.

Ambush Outdoor Adventure Park
91 Hill Top Drive, Conestoga
(717) 989-4519, ambush-paintball.com

Hershey Outfitters
100 Hotel Road, Hershey
(717) 520-5837, thehotelhershey.com/recreation/hershey-outfitters

Linglestown Paintball
1150 Wenrich Road, Linglestown
(717) 541-8323, linglestownpaintball.com

Roundtop Mountain Resort
925 Roundtop Road, Lewisberry
(717) 432-9631, skiroundtop.com

Wanna-Play Paintball
11 Franklin Church Road, Dillsburg
(717) 432-7997, wannaplaypaintball.com

Roller Coasters

With more than 25 roller coasters within driving distance, the g-force surges of downhill plummets, hairpin turns and more than a few loops are plentiful here in Central Pa.  Atop tracks or hanging below, click in and hold on because these rides are worth waiting in the long lines.    

Dorney Park
3830 Dorney Park Road, Allentown
(610) 395-3724, dorneypark.com

Dutch Wonderland
2249 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster
(866) 386-2839, dutchwonderland.com

Hersheypark
100 W. Hersheypark Drive, Hershey
(717) 534-3900, hersheypark.com

Knoebels Amusement Resort
391 Knoebels Blvd., Elysburg
(800) 487-4386, knoebels.com

Sky Diving

There are few activities more exhilarating than flying high above the earth among the clouds in an airplane.  The expanse of the scenery below set against the euphoric limitlessness of flight provides an experience like no other.  So, how do you top that?  Opening the door of the plane, mid-flight, and hurtling yourself out into free fall with a parachute strapped to your back, of course.  The rush of hurtling toward the earth at 120 mph is enough to make even the most daring adventurers tremble with the aftershocks of adrenaline.

Chambersburg Skydiving Center
3506 Airport Road, Chambersburg
(800) 526-3497, skydivingcenter.net

Maytown Sport Parachute Club
188 Airport Drive, Marietta
(717) 653-0422, skydivemspc.com

Zip Lining

Clip in and hang on as tree branches whizz by in this fast-paced, tree-to-tree ride through the forest.  Heights, speed, nature and adventure – what more could thrill seekers ask for?

Hershey Outfitters
100 Hotel Road, Hershey
(717) 520-5837, thehotelhershey.com/recreation/hershey-outfitters

Refreshing Mountain Retreat & Adventure Center
455 Camp Road, Stevens
(717) 802-8173, refreshingmountain.com

Roundtop Mountain Resort
925 Roundtop Road, Lewisberry
(717) 432-9631, skiroundtop.com

South Mountain Adventures
201 Cushion Peak Road, Reinholds
(610) 670-2267, smymca.org/south-mountain-adventures/