The Historic Dellville Covered Bridge in Perry County

The historic Dellville Covered Bridge was built in 1889 and was located in Dellville, Perry County, Pennsylvania. The bridge was a three-span covered bridge measuring 174 feet long. The Burr Truss Bridge spans across Sherman's Creek and was painted in the traditional barn red color accented with white. The roof was painted black. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Back in November 2014 the bridge was burned down thanks to arsonists. Residents who live in the area were devastated by the news and were inconvenienced by its loss. Despite the fire, the remains are still standing today. From what I read online, the police are still looking for the arsonists and are offering a cash reward for information.

Perry County has been issuing requests for bids to rebuild the historic covered bridge and are currently accepting donations to the new bridge building project. You can contact the Perry County Historical Society for additional information and to make a monetary donation.

Photographs in our blog post today show you how the Dellville Covered Bridge looked in 2004 and then its charred remains in 2016. Let's all hope that the county can raise the money needed to have it rebuilt again. If it gets rebuilt, we'll be sure to update this post.

Family-Friendly Weekend Getaway to Ocean City Maryland

Looking for a family-friendly weekend getaway that's close to home? Did you know that you can reach Ocean City in Maryland in about 4 hours by car? We live in central Pennsylvania and can drive to O.C. in less than 4 hours, give or take a few additional minutes caused by traffic.

Ocean City has everything that you're looking for when you need a beach destination that's close to home. You'll find a fun-filled boardwalk, amusement rides, golfing, shopping, fishing, boating, dining and of course...the beautiful beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

We spent the entire weekend in Ocean City and had a great time! Here are a few of the things that we enjoyed while there.

The Beach: One of the things we always liked about the beaches here are that they're wide, very sandy and extremely clean! You can spend the day lounging on the beach, playing in the water or try your hand at surfing.

Golfing: You'll find 17 golf courses that are located in the area, so if golfing is your thing...you'll have plenty of beautiful courses to choose from. If you're not into the regular game of golf, we recommend a friendly round of mini golf...several courses to choose from too!

Sand Sculpting Festival: During the summer season they host a Sand Sculpting Festival and Contest that draws in artists from all across the country. You can visit the OC Tourism website to learn more about it. I'm always amazed at the beautiful creations that these artists construct.

Movies on the Beach: Throughout the summer season you'll find movies being shown right out on the beach. They are typically shown on Mondays and Fridays at 27th Street and on Wednesdays on 118th Street. The movies are family-friendly. You'll want to bring along your chairs and/or beach blanket and join-in on all of the fun.

Fireworks: Love fireworks? You can check out the beach fireworks on Mondays and Tuesdays during the summer season. They're free to watch and the show typically lasts for 20 minutes, unless it's a holiday show! For the best...you'll want to check out their Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day shows.

The Boardwalk: The boardwalk is approximately 3 miles in length and is lined with gift shops, boutiques, restaurants, amusements, hotels and tourist attractions. Enjoy riding bikes? Get up early in the morning and head to the boardwalk for a family bike ride!

Looking for more information on things to see and do? Looking for a great place to stay? You can head on over to the OCOCEAN official website and request their FREE vacation planning guide which is jam-packed with ideas!

Spending the Day at Higbee Beach in Cape May

Higbee Beach is one of the most family-friendly beaches in Cape May, New Jersey. Matter of fact, if you want to avoid buying beach tags on the regular Cape May beaches, you'll want to spend the day on Sunset Beach or Higbee Beach, no beach tags required!

Every time we visit Cape May we like to take the grandchildren over to Higbee Beach for the day. If you're unfamiliar with the area...follow all of the signs to Sunset Beach and park in the Sunset Beach parking lot. Sunset Beach is to your left and Higbee Beach is to your right. You'll follow the marked path down to the beach.

You'll want to bring along your own beach chairs, towels and other beach necessities. You can bring along a picnic-style lunch or purchase a hot lunch from the Sunset Grille. We typically buy our food and beverages there...because they're affordable and actually pretty good! Make sure you bring a trash bag and clean-up after your done. 

Things to do while there? Well, there's plenty! You can hang out on the beach all day long to sunbathe and play in the water. You can comb the beach looking for seashells and those famous Cape May Diamonds which are plentiful in this area. You can watch the Cape May and Lewes Ferry cross the bay and watch all of the dolphin & whale watching boats right off the shoreline. 

You can head on over to Sunset Beach and shop in their 3 on-site gift shops, watch the evening flag ceremony, check out the Atlantus Concrete Sunken Ship (sits right offshore), tour the World War II Lookout Tower and/or take in a game of miniature golf. In our honest opinion, Sunset Beach Mini Golf is the best in the area!!! 

If you're heading down to Stone Harbor, Avalon, Wildwood or Cape May in New Jersey, you'll want to head on over to Higbee Beach and Sunset Beach for some family fun!