Jim Thorpe Winter Festival 2015

Ice carving in progress

The Winter festival at Jim Thorpe, PA was held on valentine’s day this year making it a lot fun and romantic. For the first time ever, Lehigh Gorge Railway scheduled winter fest trains at 3 different timings at 11 AM, 1 PM and 3 PM for 3 consecutive days (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) for a drive till Lehigh gorge state park 70 minutes round trip.  Prior booking is highly recommended by calling them and you can pay with your credit card. There is metered parking right in front of the station with a 2 hour limit. The closest parking for a whole day is available for $8 for cars and you have to pay by cash. This parking lot is located right behind the station and as you enter Jim Thorpe from US 209 N, you will see it to your right . There are restrooms available in train station and  no restrooms available on the train. The train is a heated, closed train for the whole journey. However as we boarded early the seats were still cold and glad we carried extra blankets for the kid .The seats were so cold that we laid our extra blankets on the seat and sat on it. There will be no snacks or drinks sold on train. The seats are first come first serve so it is a good idea to board as early as possible when they start boarding 30 minutes prior to departure. Make sure you take the seats to the right of the engine to get a beautiful view of the state park and river ( to the side of the parking lot).

http://www.lgsry.com/

 There were the pretty Ice carving demonstrations going on at the Rail station Gazebo round the clock and If I were correct, they were on sale and an auction would be held on Sunday evening for the same. We headed on the Broadway street towards the Opera house. The Wooden carving demonstrations and sale are held at the front of Mau chunk Opera house. We had a sumptuous lunch at Antonio’s pizzeria and Italian that provided nice vegetarian options and headed for the Free Juggling show of Algrout at the Opera house at 2 PM.  The show had lot of fun stuff for kids, juggling, magic and lasted an hour held indoors (inside the opera house).

 

The Broad way is lined with tiny stores that were beautifully decorated for the season and valentine’s. We had yummy snacks and Hot chocolate at Alice’s Pantry house. It features a half a dozen flavors in Hot chocolate, Gluten free and vegan friendly snack options like Brownies, homemade bars, and a valentine special  chocolate dipped strawberries that mimicked a rose with a green stem which was the yummiest one I ever had (unlike the frozen and dripping ones, this is obviously fresh and rich chocolate).They were able to provide milk and hot water for our little one. They also have a variety of ice creams and our must go every time we visit Jim Thorpe. The restaurant upstairs were offering free wine tasting event that day. We also made a  stop at 5-10 store to buy some additional socks as it turned out a very cold day than we dressed for. They also sell Jim Thorpe post cards and additional petty items.

It was pretty much a great way to spend the day. Everything is within walking distance that it would be a best idea to park and walk. The parking lot to my understanding is free after 5 pm. Don’t forget to dress up warm. Best to have stroller handy. It is better to carry cash as most of the stores have a minimum amount purchase in order to pay with a credit card.