Jonestown offers several distinct reasons for an active stay: George H. Kaufman Park, with playground and sports facilities; a trail featuring historic buildings; and activities on Swatara Creek. To plan your day, it helps to choose a focus first: exercise in the park, explore local history on foot, or enjoy an activity on the water. This lets you shape your time around what you’d like to experience while you’re there.

Get Active at George H. Kaufman Park

George H. Kaufman Park has a large playground built by hundreds of volunteers. It also has three baseball fields, two tennis courts, a basketball court, a sand volleyball court and a long hiking trail. This mix appeals to a range of interests, with ball and racquet sports alongside a play area and trail. If you’re looking for different ways to get active in one place, the park brings these options together.

The park is open from sunrise to sunset, so plan your visit within those hours. As you plan, you can decide whether the sports fields, playground or hiking trail will be the focus of your stay.

On Foot, by Bike and on the Water

You can walk, bike and run on the Rail Trail. Kayaking and tubing are also possible on Swatara Creek. There are activities on land and water to choose from; which one shapes your day depends on the kind of exercise you want to plan.

In the wider region, the Swatara Creek Water Trail follows 42 miles of Swatara Creek. It runs from Jonestown in Lebanon County to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission access point in Middletown, in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.

In the wider region, normal summer water flow allows most muscle-powered recreational boats to use the Swatara Creek Water Trail; water conditions can vary. If you’re planning a water activity, check conditions in advance. The summer information refers to normal water flow and to most of these boats.

Local and Railroad History

The Jonestown Tour includes a hiking trail with numerous historic buildings, some dating to the 18th century. The tour combines a walk with a look at local history. The date refers to some of the buildings, not the entire collection.

Sand Siding offers a different historical perspective. It was a historic stop on the former Lebanon & Tremont Railroad and is now in the 3,520-acre Swatara State Park, along the Swatara Rail Trail. While historic buildings are the focus of the Jonestown Tour, Sand Siding points to the area’s former railroad role. The two historical connections therefore differ in focus: architectural history on the one hand, railroad history on the other.

To choose what to do, you can first distinguish between park activities, getting active on the Rail Trail, activities on the creek and historical interests. Information about the park, tour and water trail can help you choose a focus for the day without combining the different activities into a single suggested route.

Discover more destinations: Annville, Palmyra, Campbelltown, Lebanon, Myerstown, Sand Hill

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