Hello Pendleton!
What a thrill to answer a question for one of our "regulars!" I've
done a little search on you and you ask quite a few interesting
questions!! This question caught my eye because we have recently moved
cross country to the very beautiful state of Pennsylvania. And I am
falling in love with it more and more all the time. If, by any chance,
you are planning to visit the great state of PA, please let me know as
I can also connect you to many wonderful tourist websites (as well as
some of my own personal tips!) that make planning your trip easy and
kind of fun, too! Also, there are other researchers from this area
that know a lot about the "things to see and do" here!
I think the best resource for you (it sounds from you're question that
you are wanting something you can hold in your hand, perhaps in
addition to what is available to view and print online), can be found
at http://www.experiencepa.com/experiencepa/travelPlanner.do
You simply fill out their form online and they will send you a travel
planner, which includes a state highway map. The website states in
part:
"The 2003 Pennsylvania Travel Planner is a free publication providing
a listing of hundreds of attractions, accommodations and vacation
ideas. Including an official highway map and 30 pages of events, such
as festivals and holiday celebrations, your travel planner will keep
you in the know of travel and entertainment in the Commonwealth
throughout the year." I may
order one myself! In fact, I just did! I even became a "preferred
visitor"--this means you can specify types of entertainment and
regions of the state (it is a rather big state) that interest you and
receive e-mail updates on events and the like.
Another great site for you is "Where to Find Pennsylvania Maps and
Directions"
http://www.mapathon.com/pa.html
Again, this is another site that helps you narrow down and locate
specific information.
Here is an online version of a state map of Pennsylvania:
http://www.cftech.com/BrainBank/GEOGRAPHY/Pennsylvania.html
(Thank you to my colleague, THX1138 for this site!)
If you'd like to search the site more specifically for yourself, it
can be found at:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/map_sites/map_sites.html (It's very
handy!)
Also, a very detailed (and user-modifiable with icons, etc.) map of PA
can be found at:
http://mapserver.maptech.com/homepage/index.cfm?lat=40.70583&lon=-78.00389&scale=25000&type=1&zoom=100&bpid=MAP0060030900&latlontype=DMS&searchscope=dom
(Again, my thanks to THX1138)
Another map that shows all of the counties (and there are MANY of
them!) can be found at:
http://www.pavisnet.com/cgi-bin/gotopage.cgi?goback=http://www.pavisnet.com&dir=towns
This page heralds the very appropriate slogan: "Pennsylvania, there's
more here than you know!" This site is also handy for locating
specific information on all kinds of topics, including specific local
counties, towns, and regions. There are also a number of useful links
including "PA bed and breakfasts," (B&Bs are BIG on the east coast and
are wonderfully romantic!), "PA real estate," "PA Hiking and Outdoor
Recreation," (also big here), "PA employment," "PA Books," and much,
much more!
This is more location-specific, but since a big draw of PA is the
Amish country, I'm putting these two sites on here for you as well:
http://www.800padutch.com/ or http://www.padutch.com/
http://www.padutchcountry.com/ (This site also offers a free map and
travel guide of the area and yes, I've signed up for that one, too!)
Many of these sites also include travel planners--plug in your
information and they help you plan your visit or stay!
Of course there are the traditional sites like www.mapquest.com and
maps.yahoo.com (I personally prefer Yahoo to Mapquest and find that
with both, they tend to overestimate driving time, even when you drive
the speed limit!), but I've tried to find you sites and sources that
are more specific to the state of Pennsylvania.
Well, it seems as though I've gotten so excited doing this that I've
gone ahead and given you those tourist sites that I mentioned in my
opening paragraph! I hope they are useful and at the very least,
interesting. Pennsylvania is a beautiful state and there is much to do
here. I thank you for your question--I have been able to share
something I enjoy, learn more
about PA myself, and I've found some free maps and travel guides as
well as part of the fun! What fun research! Thank you!
If you have any further questions (or if any of the links do not
function--it seems my computer is having some difficulty and that may
have affected my text program), please let me know and I'll be happy
to assist you!
Sincerely,
Boquinha-ga
Search Terms:
Free PA Maps
Free Pennsylvania Maps
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