Our Impressions of Harrisburg

Harrisburg is an interesting and sometimes confusing city. It is the capital of Pennsylvania. There are parts of the city that are run down and decaying. Then there are parts of the city that are opulent, massive and manicured, for example, the National Civil War Museum that sits majestically on the highest point of land in the city.

We never expected the number of beautiful and massive city parks in the area. With a D crime grade, we never felt concerned for our physical safety. And then there is the beautiful Susquehanna River that at 444 miles is the longest river on the East Coast. It starts in New York and runs through PA out to Chesapeake Bay and then the Atlantic.

It is still hard to figure out the identity of Harrisburg.

Attractions

The Rockville Bridge spans the Susquehanna River. At 3,820’, it is the longest stone masonry arch railroad bridge in the world with 48 majestic stone arches, each measuring 70’. Started in April 1900, it was completed in March 1902. Its construction required 220,000 tons of stone and 150,000 cubic yards of concrete—a volume equivalent to nearly forty-six Olympic-size swimming pools.

Broad Street Market is the oldest continuously operating market in the country. During the Civil War, vendors at the market fed tens of thousands of Union soldiers who were stationed at nearby Camp Curtin. It is very similar to Faneuil Hall in Boston.

The River Front Park lies along the Susquehanna. It has an extensive system of tree lined and paved trails along the river. Parking is minimal. The row houses across the street from the park are cute.

Fort Hunter Museum has limited hours. The museum wasn’t open when we were there, but you could still park in the parking lot and walk around the grounds. Fort Hunter Museum is on the Susquehanna. This park has a great view of the Rockville Bridge.

City Island Park is a 63-acre park on an island. It is a pretty amazing place. Sadly, when we were there, it was closed for the season. City Island Park features a miniature golf course, train rides and boat rentals, plus volleyball and baseball. It is where the Harrisburg Senators play baseball.

The National Civil War Museum. Never have we been so bitterly disappointed in a museum. I have a solo blog focused solely on the offensiveness of this museum. It was a disgusting, disappointing waste of $30 on tickets.

The 2-story opulent museum sits atop the highest point in Harrisburg. It advertises itself as “the largest museum in the world dedicated solely to the American Civil War and is the only museum in the nation to portray the entire story of the war from both sides of the battlefield”. It unequivocally is NOT a museum that portrays the entire story.

According to locals, this extraordinarily expensive monstrosity is one of the financial results of Harrisburg’s involvement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Food and Drink

Marysville Diner is a small, casual, locally owned restaurant in Marysville. It is a diner. There is nothing fancy here, just friendly service, good food, large portions all at a reasonable price.

Gilligan’s Bar and Grill is a local, family owned and operated three-location chain in the Harrisburg area. The waitstaff were attentive and friendly. The food was American fare (steaks, hamburgers, seafood). The food was good.

Home Base: The Campground

For us, a campground is not our destination. Our RV is self-contained. Except for water, electric and sewer rarely do we use campground services or amenities. We are explorers, not campground reviewers!

We stayed on site 403 at the Harrisburg East Campground and Storage. The park is clean and well-maintained. The staff was very accommodating. Simple check in. Our pull through site was a FHU (water-electric-sewer) on packed gravel. Most sites have grass between them. 30 and 50 amp service was available. Good Verizon cellphone coverage. Good open sky for our satellite dish.

We would stay here again.

Fun Facts

Some interesting fun facts about the Harrisburg area:

• 28 miles of the Appalachian Trail pass through the Hershey-Harrisburg Region.
• The Pride of the Susquehanna Riverboat is one of the last remaining paddle wheel boats in America. It still cruises the Susquehanna River May through October.
• In land area, Harrisburg is the 3rd smallest of the U.S. state capitals.
• You may remember the famous Three Mile Island nuclear power plant disaster just south of Harrisburg on March 28, 1979, along the Susquehanna River. The nuclear plant experienced a partial meltdown and a catastrophic disaster was averted.
• Harrisburg was the first municipality ever in the history of the U.S. to be charged with securities fraud. Harrisburg politicians made misleading statements about the city’s financial health to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The city agreed to a plea bargain to settle the case.

	Harrisburg	Marysville
Population	50,183	2,679
Founded	1791	1867
Elevation	335 ft.	369 ft.
Average Income	$30,270	$45,191
Average Housing	$248,400	$255,00
Average Age	32	42
Crime Score	D+	A-

Websites:
Harrisburg: https://harrisburgpa.gov/
Marysville: https://marysvilleboroughpa.gov/

Summary

We are glad we stopped by to see Harrisburg. It was an interesting experience. We especially loved seeing and experiencing all of the beautiful parks and the access to the Susquehanna. However, there is always the ying and yang of travel. For all of the special parts of Harrisburg, there was also our bitter disappointment with the Civil War Museum.

Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!

Your partners in travel,
Kathryn and Dave
RVing Nomads

It’s a lifestyle

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No person, business or attraction has paid us for an endorsement. AI has not been used to create any of the content in this blog or website. All of the photos in this blog and website were taken by Dave or Kathryn Harrington.