Around Town: Day-tripping, and a bright future for NEPA

Where do I start?

The last week was chock full of fun happenings and activities, making me truly appreciate all of the fabulous destinations we have in Northeastern Pennsylvania and beyond.

While I’m often out and about, I did opt for two different jaunts last weekend that were outside of the norm for me.

The first was a visit to Jim Thorpe on Saturday night. It was a rainy day without sun, so I wasn’t planning on doing anything special, but when Oscar suggested visiting the charming town, I obliged. I’m so glad I did.

We ended up at the Broadway Grille & Pub (Broadway Inn’s restaurant) which is all sorts of quaint and historic, just as the description tells. It’s hip, charming atmosphere consists of cast-iron balconies, craft beer and creative cocktails, and live music, which was playing “underground” on the night in question. How fun!

I ended up with the Bourbon Honey Glazed Chicken, which was to die for, and couldn’t help but devour a scrumptious dessert before we embarked on a stroll up the main strip.

We stopped at Notch Eight Craft House in our travels, and let me just say: that place deserve its own column because there is not enough space for all that can be said about it.

There’s a huge focus on local since the beer and liquors are all made in Pennsylvania. I eyed many small food plates (tacos come to memory) coming out of the kitchen.

The metal bar and exposed brick make the experience interesting with an industrial vibe that I just loved. Definitely a fun, welcoming place to stop next time you’re visiting Jim Thorpe.

Then last Sunday, we decided to visit Francis Slocum State Park, which is so close to home, but yet we never make the time to visit.

How happy I was to take in the beautiful weather on a short hike overlooking the water.

As the weather gets nicer and nicer, I’m hoping for many more hiking days at the park.

And of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the huge success of Junior Achievement’s JA Inspire event where 2,000 high school students visited Mohegan Pennsylvania in Plains Township on Tuesday to interact and learn from 60+ businesses in a variety of career spaces.

A career exploration event, JA Inspire was engaging for students and adults alike, as I noticed practically no phone scrolling or distractions. Kids were totally focused on the businesses they visited and the groups they participated in (finance, entrepreneurship and career readiness discussions).

As many said, the future of Northeastern Pennsylvania is bright.

These kids were happy to be there, wanted to learn more, and most importantly got a sense of what their future could hold.

I served on the committee for the event and am fortunate enough to be the vice-chair of JA’s board of directors. We’re continuing to try and do great things for our area youth.

I’m grateful to my friend Ruth Corcoran for chairing this event and handling so much of the organizing and communications. She, along with JA staff of Susan Magnotta, Brandy Lewis and Terri Yencha deserve a huge round of applause.

And there is a lot more to come. Stay tuned.

Mike McGinley is a Times Leader columnist who is often called a man about town. E-mail him thoughts at mikejmcginley@gmail.com.