Honesdale
Honesdale is a vibrant community alive with inviting shops and restaurants, exciting festivals, diverse recreation, and friendly people in a historic setting dominated by Victorian age architectural treasures, tall church steeples, and a pre-Civil War era
memorial park near the grand Second Empire style Wayne CountyCourthouse. To this combination of modern life and charming designs of earlier days, the picturesque natural scenery is added in the sloping green hills and impressive façade of Irving Cliff, towering 300 feet above the town and offering compelling views of the valley and Lackawaxen River and Dyberry Creek that so impressed its namesake, author Washington Irving.
Festivals and events abound throughout the year, notably, the Roots and Rhythm Music and Arts Festival in June, and the Wayne County Fair in August. Roots and Rhythm is held throughout the town with stages offering liver performances throughout town in addition to a main music stage in Court Street playing to festival goers enjoying the artist, vendors, and food options set up around Central Park. The annual Wayne County Fair spans nine days and draws thousands of visitors with attractions such as rides, food, art, and craft vendors, produce and livestock exhibits, musical performances, harness racing and other main fairway events, pig races, and a trained dog comedy show. Other annual festivals include Music in the Park featuring free concerts twice weekly in the summer, Mardi Gras sidewalk festival and “krewes”, Aloha Honesdale, Harvest and Heritage Days, Honesdale for the Holidays, and Independence Day Fireworks from Irving Cliff, in additional to various holiday parades and art festivals.
Activities and attractions abound in every season. The Stourbridge Line runs year round departing from the Visitors Center, recalling the birth of the American Railroad with the inaugural run of the first commercial locomotive, the Stourbridge Lion, from that very spot in 1829. Visitors can enjoy a ride in the historic passenger cars on various excursions including the Bunny Run springtime excursion, Great Train Robbery rides in the summer, Grape Express trip and wine tasting, and the Santa Express in winter, to name a few. Northeast Wilderness Adventure offers guided outdoor recreation
for all levels to take advantage of the beautiful surrounding countryside including hiking, climbing/rappelling, kayaking, tubing, mountain biking, and snowshoeing. The Triple W Ranch and Double W Bed and Breakfast offer western style horseback riding in a peaceful, secluded mountain top setting with spectacular scenery and the fantastic views. With a herd of over 40 well-trained horses for all levels of experience, guests l receive a free lesson with a horse chosen specifically for each visitor’s need. Triple W also has sleigh rides, hay rides, campouts, and even have a rough and tumble group of cowboys who perform with the Stourbridge Line Great Train Robbery excursions.
For more relaxed recreation, Honesdale offers Gravity Alley Bowling and Ice Cream and Cinema 6 Movie Theater, both offering birthday parties and special events. The town is also home to several art galleries including the Phillip Hone Gallery, Hanson Studio, and Willow River Gallery, as well as Maude Alley, a collection of fresh and quirky stores offering home decor, apparel, organic and natural goods, and even fine bakery items made from scratch. For the nostalgic, Highlights for Children, the classic kids magazine, offers tours of their editorial offices on Church Street by appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Back on Main Street, the Wayne County Historical Society’s museum and research library offers changing and permanent exhibits, including a replica of the original Stourbridge Lion, as well as tours of other historical sites such as the Old Stone Jail, and One Room School House.
The Wayne County Farmers' Market is a weekly marketplace for visitors and residents to shop locally produced household items, baked goods and decorative items, while coming together in a fun, family-oriented atmosphere. Shop local sustainable foods from the hands that grow them while enjoying food samples, entertainment for the kids, local musicians and performers, farmer demonstrations, and hands-on activities.
Explore historic beauty and modern life of Honesdale. Come and enjoy a wonderful piece of America.
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