Wilkes-Barre Travel Guide

Just a five minute drive across the river from Wilkes-Barre, you'll find this tiny gem.

Upon entry, it looks like a dimly lit bar with a few tables at the back in front of a big screen tv. Well, it is. But at the back you'll find a large open doorway to the "official" restaurant part. There are booths and tables, and yes it's also dimly lit (no windows). Yes, you can see fine!

This is what I consider an incredible bang for your buck. For a mere $7 (give or take) you can order a custom burger or grilled chicken sandwich; it comes out in a huge basket with a ton of tasty fries and a cup of pasta salad or coleslaw. This is my fav, but everything is awesome. And everything served is way more than you could eat at one sitting, unless you're very hungry!

There are quaint old-time b&w photographs on the wall and a juke box on the bar side. It's not rowdy at all. The building is old, so watch your step. High class? No. Family friendly atmosphere and awesome food? Yes!

The Luzerne County Transportation Authority charges $1.10 to ride the bus, but you can get 40 cents off that price with any minimal purchase at the Boscov's on Main Street (yeah, like it's worth BUYING something to save 40 cents!). It runs Monday through Saturday. All routes connect in Public Square (Main and Market Streets in downtown). Check out this website for a list of the routes (scroll down about halfway and you'll see the links).

In an hour or two, you can take a self-guided walking tour of quite a good number of interesting and historic buildings in Wilkes-Barre. Many of them are religious buildings, but if you head over to the west of town, you'll find a bunch of big old houses and other buildings of some architectural note in the River Street Historic District. A walk down Franklin Street (one block off of River Street) will also reveal some nice buildings. Check out my Cool Buildings travelogue below for some photos.

Don't walk around the downtown area after 5pm. Businesses and shops close, people vanish except for the druggies who've moved in over the last 10 years.

Walking on the city streets? Keep tabs on your belongings and your children. It's not a horrible downtown, but there's definitely an unsavory element these days.

In fact, you shouldn't actually be IN the city unless it's necessary. Try Wilkes-Barre Township - Highland Park exit off Rt. 81. That's where you want to stay and shop.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: We've got all 4 four seasons here; and each one comes full force. So use your head. Coats, scarf, gloves, hat and sturdy boots/shoes for the winter cold and/or snow. Allergy meds for the rest of the seasons! Swimsuits only in the summer, unless your hotel has an indoor one. Shorts in the summer. Light jackets in the spring and fall.

Miscellaneous: We're not a small area so whatever you forgot you can pick up at a Wal-Mart, KMart, Target or the mall or other shops. Not tourist prices either, so no worries.

On the Kingston side of the Susquehanna River just across the Market Street bridge, you'll find a long trail that is perfect for walking, jogging, biking or rollerblading.

Wilkes-Barre is also very close to a major Nascar speedway, the Pocono International Raceway. The track is a 2.5 mile, non-oval (i.e. not excruciatingly boring to watch) track, so someday I might actually consider going to a race here. Pocono is located south of exit 284 (old exit 43) of Interstate 80, just east Wilkes-Barre. Take I-80 to exit 284, and head south on SR 115 for a couple of miles. The track will be to your left, on Long Pond Road.