Schellsburg is located in South Central Pennsylvania along the eastern edge of the Allegheny Mountains. We are "in the middle of everywhere with nothing around us," meaning that the stars at night are big and bright despite the fact that we aren't deep in the heart of Texas

We're also easy to find. Beautiful and historic U.S. Route 30 - the Lincoln Highway - runs through the center of town, while the Bedford Exit (#146) off the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-70/I-76) is only 10 minutes away. Altoona and Johnstown, Pennsylvania and Cumberland, Maryland are all well within an hour's drive, as is the tiny metropolis of Ridgely, West Virginia.

Reasonable commercial airline service is available in both Altoona and Johnstown, though Pittsburgh offers more options with fewer stops from smaller starting points. Baltimore/Washington International and Dulles International are also options, but are farther away.

A few notes about driving in Pennsylvania:

1. The State Police are very aggressive about speed enforcement, particularly on the PA Turnpike. They like to hide behind hills and bridges. Be smart - drive the speed limit, not the speed of traffic.
2. When a road is marked with a yellow speed advisory, amazingly enough, the PA Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) actually means for you to travel at that speed. Highway exit ramp signs are especially to be heeded.
3. When there is a posted sign advising trucks to use lower gears because of a steep decline, consider using lower gears yourself to save your brakes. I find that 3rd gear in my 1994 Chrysler Concorde is a wise choice on those hills. (Thanks to Bill Richards for that tip.)

The ONE Must-See Place

The most important place to visit in the Schellsburg area is the Flight 93 Memorial, located about 20 minutes west of town just off of Route 30 in Shanksville. The temporary memorial was erected in the months after 9/11 about 500 yards from the actual site of the crash of United Flight 93. Plans are underway for a permanent memorial to the brave crew and passengers whose actions on that awful morning saved the White House and the nation.

Attractions west and northwest vary in nature but can occupy a day or a week, depending on your mood and your time. These excursions are logical extensions of a visit to Shanksville.

South of here, you've got Civil War battlefields, caves, the Shenandoah Valley, and Washington, DC (Cherry Blossom pictures coming soon!) - just for starters.

East of Bedford, there are any number of interesting places to visit, possibly as you make your way here or home if you're coming to visit from New England.

And let's not forget North, including the chocoholic's favorite place, Hershey!

Schellsburg and Bedford could take several days of your time by themselves, with crafts and historical exhibits for the curious and golf for the link-minded.

Please note that the tourism pages link to each other and to the other pages on the site but that you must come to this page first to link back to each individual tourism page. Either that or bookmark your favorites!

E-mail me with additional suggestions and comments to add here, especially if you've been somewhere I've listed already. And don' forget to e-mail me with comments after you've visited me, too!