At the southern end of the Lycoming Creek Bikeway, an old railroad bridge crosses the creek on West 3rd Street. This specific waypoint shows how Williamsport can be explored through a range of themes: lumber history, historic architecture, museums, sports, and trails along the water each offer a distinct focus for your trip.
Trails along the water and through the city
The Susquehanna River Walk is an approximately 4-mile paved loop for walking and biking along the levee system. It runs through Williamsport, South Williamsport, and Loyalsock Township. This makes the trail suitable for two types of activity: you can explore the loop on foot or by bike. At Commerce Park Drive, the River Walk connects to the Loyalsock Bikeway.
The Lycoming Creek Bikeway offers a different landmark: its southern end is on West 3rd Street by the old railroad bridge over the creek. The Timber Trail, meanwhile, shares the region’s lumber history through interpretive signs and a sculpture; benches are also provided along the trail. The trails differ not only in their routes, but also in the themes they bring into focus along the way.
Museum and Victorian architecture
The Thomas T. Taber Museum documents the region’s history, from settlement by Indigenous peoples to industry and everyday life in the 20th century. Its exhibits offer several ways to explore this broad span of time, including a gallery on the history of Indigenous peoples, a gallery of fine and decorative arts, and the Shempp Model Railroad Exhibit, with more than 300 toy trains. Period rooms also depict life from the 18th through the 20th centuries.
At Millionaire’s Row, visitors can take a tour of the Victorian homes of former lumber barons. The Millionaire’s Row Historic District is a National Register historic district with buildings dating from 1855 onward that are representative of Victorian architecture. Together, these themes offer a look at the history of the area’s buildings and the influence of the lumber barons; the tour focuses specifically on the homes.
Sports history and a river excursion
Historic Bowman Field is another of Williamsport’s historic sites: the ballpark opened in 1926 and is home to the Williamsport Crosscutters. It adds a look at local sports history to the cultural and historical offerings, without requiring you to plan your trip around a specific game date.
Another way to get out on the water is aboard the modern paddlewheel riverboat Hiawatha, which offers river excursions from May through October. If this trip is an important part of your plans, schedule your visit during this period and check the dates in advance. This way, you can account for the seasonal limitation when choosing your travel dates.
Choose the focus of your trip
For planning, it helps to first decide which experience matters most: the museum and architecture lead to the history-related attractions, the River Walk and bikeways to walking and cycling routes, and the Hiawatha adds a seasonal river excursion. You can also take these differences into account when looking for a hotel in Williamsport and plan your travel dates around the experience that matters most to you.
For the broader travel overview: Pennsylvania.
