Small Town Art - Manheim Made By Hand Wall Mural

Painting kindness rocks and seashells is a popular hobby around the world, especially here in the United States. In our family, we have 3 that actively paint rocks and shells and leave them every where we go. It's a way to pay-it-forward and to bring smiles to the faces of strangers who find them. It's an inexpensive hobby which allows you to be creative in making your own artwork.

While passing through Manheim, Pennsylvania we stumbled upon the Manheim Made by Hand Wall Mural and were pleasantly surprised to find out that it's also a place where the community can come to leave their painted rocks! In our case...we left 2 painted seashells and 3 painted rocks. They also have unpainted rocks that you can take home, paint and return them. All are placed in the rock bed located beneath the mural.

The wall mural was painted by Jason and Katherine Horst. You'll find it on the side of the building located at 38 S. Main Street in Manheim. You don't need to be a professional artist to participate in this project, everyone is invited! What a really fun and cool projects that the community and those passing through can participate in.

On the day that we were there it was difficult to get a nice photograph of the wall mural and the painted rock bed located below. Parked cars always seem to get in the way! We plan on visiting again to leave more painted rocks and to get better photographs. Check it out if you're going to be in the Manheim area.

Together We Create Wall Mural in Harrisburg

My wife and I enjoy seeing outdoor street art, statues, military memorials and wall murals. We seek them out when we travel and at home. When it comes to the outdoor wall murals...the majority of them are painted by local artists and companies in the area. 

While doing a few errands last month we stumbled upon the Together We Create outdoor wall mural located on the back of the JPL building in Harrisburg. We live in the area and never knew the wall mural was there! It's signed by the artist in the lower left corner.... Rook 21. I'm assuming it was painted in 2021. I couldn't find any information about it online.

You can find the wall mural on the back of the JPL building located at 471 JPL Wick Drive in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. If you're familiar with where Community Aid is...the building and business is located nearby. You can pull into the parking lot to check it out and photograph it. It's a really nice and still very colorful outdoor wall mural. 

Charlie Kirk Banner on a Barn in Lancaster County

It's been several months since the murder and death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. We are big fans of listening to his podcasts online. We had always hoped to see him speak some day in person. Well, that will never happen now.

A few months ago we were passing through Lancaster County on route 30 when we saw this large Charlie Kirk banner on the side of a barn! It really grabbed our attention. We safely pulled over alongside the road and snapped a quick photograph of it. Matter of fact, several other people were photographing it too.

No matter what side of the aisle you're on and no matter what your political affiliation is...political violence or violence in general is NEVER EVER acceptable. EVER. Let me repeat that. It's not acceptable for any reason! I won't turn this post into a political rant but did want to state that.

If you're going to be driving on route 30 through Lancaster County you can look for the banner. It's after you get past all of the outlet malls and tourist attractions. Route 30 is heavily traveled, so you do need to be careful if you intend to pull off the road to photograph it. 

Hollabaugh Bros Fruit and Vegetable Farm in Biglerville

We enjoy taking road trips all around the great state of Pennsylvania. When we're on a road trip we like to get off the main highways and explore the back roads in the country. One thing that we really enjoy seeing is old barns located throughout the state. Not only the barns that are located on the farms...but the art that is on the walls of that barn! Hello barn art!

While traveling through Biglerville in Pennsylvania we came across the Hollabaugh Bros Fruit and Vegetable Farm. Check out their beautiful red barn and the wall mural on the side of it. The fruit and vegetable farm has been in operation since 1955. 

As you drive along the back roads in that area you'll see all kinds of farm land and fruit orchards. We could see the fruit trees, grapevines, vegetable gardens, corn fields, etc. that surround that barn and go on for several miles. Since we love seeing old barns and the barn art...we had to grab a quick photograph of this one.Nice!!! 

Shopping at The Shore Store in North Wildwood

The Shore Store is a unique gift shop located in North Wildwood, New Jersey. You'll find them located on New Jersey Avenue. There's free parking for customers located on the property. They're open Wednesday through Mondays (closed on Tuesdays). You'll want to check out their online website for additional information on hours of operations. 

We've been visiting the Wildwoods for 30+ years and this store does have more unique, upscale items and gifts compared to those that you find on the Wildwood boardwalk. You will pay more but the quality is better. Just keep that in mind when shopping at The Shore Store. 

The type of merchandise you'll find in the store includes unique jewelry, home decor, accessories, gifts for all occasions, seasonal items, etc. All kinds of items related to Coastal and Beach decor with items specifically related to North Wildwood and Wildwood at the Jersey Shore.

Recently we noticed the colorful outdoor wall mural that you'll find on the wall of the building. I believe it's newer because it's the first time that we noticed it and what drew our attention to this gift shop. It really stands out! You'll find the artist's name (or the company's name) in the bottom right corner. One of the nicer wall murals in the area!

V-J Day Navy Sailor Kiss Wood Carving in Brockport

 

A few months ago we were on a road trip from central Pennsylvnaia through western New York. Instead of taking major highways...we opted to get off of the Interstate to explore some of the small towns along the way. This is how you REALLY see the countryside across America.

We were driving along a countryside road when we stumbled upon this V-J Day Sailor Kiss Wood Carving in Brockport, Pennsylvania. Imagine our surprise when we saw it! We enjoy viewing street art, wall murals and small town memorials...we knew we had to stop to photograph it. 

After we got home from our road trip we tried to find out some information about it and who carved it. There wasn't a lot available...but here's what we found. It was carved by a husband and wife who own T & D Carvings in Brockport, Pennsylvania. From what I read online, the wife does MOST of the wood carvings. Both have won awards for their stunning carved artwork. 

Isn't it a beauty? We think so! We were so lucky to have seen it and you really can't miss it due to its large size! Spectacular find! 

Note: You can double-click on the image to have it auto-open up in a new viewing window in an enlarged size so that you can see all of the beautiful details. 

Wildwood's Honky Tonk Saloon - New Wall Art Mural

There's a brand new wall art mural on the Wildwood island and it's located at the Wildwood's Honky Tonk Saloon, right off the world-famous Wildwood Boardwalk. We love the updated look to the entire building, especially the colorful new wall mural!

You can easily view the mural by walking to the right side of the Wildwood's Honky Tonk Saloon building. If you want to get a clean photograph of it...go early in the morning before cars start parking in the parking lot throughout the day.

The wall mural depicts either a sunrise or a sunset out over the Atlantic Ocean (I'm thinking sunrise) with several surf boards sticking up in the sand. There's advertising on a few of the surf boards - Smart Water, Wildwoods, Coca-Cola and Wildwood Honky Tonk Saloon. Beautiful, vivid colors and a very nicely done new wall mural.

We enjoy seeing street art and wall murals when we travel and were super-excited to see this new one at the Wildwoods Honky Tonk Saloon. If you're a fan...make sure you go check it out when visiting the Wildwoods in New Jersey.

The Future of Penbrook Wall Mural by Artist Sarah Fogg

Last week we took a drive down to Penbrook to see the wall mural by artist Sarah Fogg. As big fans of street art and wall murals...this one was on our bucket list to see. You'll find it located on the Penbrook Administration Building's wall that faces the Elm Street Station Park and Playground. That's at 150 South 28th Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Title: The Future of Penbrook
Artist: Sarah Fogg

On the day that we visited there were two cars there so we couldn't get a complete clean photograph of the wall mural. It depicts the faces of real children who attended the Penbrook summer camp. Love when murals depict real people...especially people who reside in the area. The artist Sarah Fogg was born and raised in Harrisburg and currently still lives there.

The mural depicts the faces of 5 children of various heritage on a blue background. There are painted floral designs on each side. I love all of the colors that the artist chose for this mural...they work beautifully together. You'll find the artist's name in the bottom left corner of the mural.

If you want to go see it...use the address above in your GPS. There's parking right there at the mural and along the side streets. You'll see the Elm Street Station Park directly across the street from the wall mural. It's not hard to get to. If you love street art and wall murals...this is a really nice one to go and see.

Miss America Crowns You Bronze Statue on the Atlantic City Boardwalk

Heading to Atlantic City in New Jersey? A fan of the Miss America pagean? If so, you'll want to check out the Miss America Crowns You bronze statue located on the boardwalk. You'll find it located at 2301 Boardwalk just south of S. Mississippi Ave. Once you're up on the boards...you'll see it. 

As fans of outdoor street art and wall murals...we took a few minutes to visit the bronze statue while on a weekend getaway to Atlantic City. Unfortunately...the weather wasn't cooperating with us, so we apologize in advance for the quality of the photos. Hopefully we'll get down there again soon and can get better pictures.

The statue is larger than life-size which allows visitors the opportunity to pose with it. You can stand underneath the "crown" to give the appearance that you're being crowned the new Miss America. Fun! Most statues aren't interactive like this one!!! 

This is a free little attraction for you to see while visiting Atlantic City. You can access it aka see it any time that the Atlantic City boardwalk is open to visitors. 

Outdoor Street Art Wall Murals at Atilis Gym in Wildwood

 Atilis Gym is located in the heart of Wildwood on Pacific Avenue in New Jersey. They're the #1 place on the island for that total gym and workout experience. You can learn more about them by visiting their website.

The purpose of our post today is to show off some of their street art wall murals. Some of the best that we've seen on the entire island! If you've been following our blog for the past 14 years, you'll already know that we seek out street art every time that we travel. 

You will need to allow some time for this post to load. We're going to include several photographs showing you some of the colorful wall murals that you'll see painted on the outside walls of their massive sized gym building. This post doesn't include all of the murals...there's more to see!

I can't speak on the services that Atilis Gym has to offer...but I certainly wanted to SHOW OFF some of their beautiful wall murals on the outside of the building. Those of you who appreciate street art will definitely want to stop and check them out. 

Seward Johnson - Best Seller Art Sculpture in Wildwood

Have you noticed all of the outdoor art sculptures as you drive around the Wildwood island? For the past few years bronze art sculptures by Seward Johnson have been on display in various parks and tourist attractions throughout Wildwood. Over the past 2 years we've been admiring their beauty and documenting them on the travel blog. 

In Bright Park (dedicated to the memory of William H. Bright) you'll find the Best Seller Art Sculpture by Seward Johnson. This happens to be one of my favorites on the island. Bright Park is very small with no dedicated parking area. You can park on a side street nearby.

There's a marker identifying it in the grass. It says BEST SELLER by Seward Johnshon copyright 1990 The Seward Johnson  Atelier, Inc. You can learn more about the artist and his sculptures by visiting the official website HERE. You can check out our previous post on the Seward Johnson Arts in the Park Bike Tour to see more sculptures and to learn more about the tour.

Dissent is Patriotic Wall Mural in Atlantic City

 Atlantic City in New Jersey is home to over 70 beautiful outdoor wall murals. The majority of the murals were created under the Atlantic City Arts Foundation's flagship program called 48 Blocks AC. There's a map on the Atlantic City Arts Foundation website that you can follow if you want to check them out while visiting A.C. 

We enjoy seeing outdoor street art and while spending a weekend in Atlantic City we stumbled upon the Dissent is Patriotic wall mural by Sarh Painter and Cosby Hayes. You'll find it located at 164 St. James Pl. in Atlantic City, N.J. 08401. It's next to the Irish Pub.

It was painted in 2019 on the side of a brick building. You can learn about this particular mural and it's meaning by clicking HERE. It's colorful and quite something to see. I really liked that she's holding a large seashell with the Atlantic City boardwalk depicted inside it (the amusement rides on the pier). 

Look in the bottom right corner of the wall mural you see four artists names. In the top left corner you'll see that the mural was created under the 48 Blocks AC program. It's beautifully painted with bold colors that all work nicely together. You can stand across the street to get a full view and photograph of it.

Enjoy outdoor street art and wall murals? Check out all of the ones we've documented here on the PA Travel Blog over the past 13 years. 

Castle Dracula Wall Mural on the Wildwood Boardwalk

Castle Dracula was a popular attraction on the Wildwood Boardwalk for many years . It was torn down several years ago. Visitors to the boardwalk attractions looked forward to it during every summer vaction. Well, it's kind of been brought back to life with a new wall mural on the Wildwood Boardwalk.

October 2022 the Castle Dracula wall mural made its appearance on the side of a building at the Boardwalk Mall. Completed in just a few days by Russell Simmons. It's a nice sized mural and can't be missed when strolling down the boardwalk. 

If you want to get a nice photograph of it...go down the ramp and stand on the sidewalk. You'll get a nice straight-on shot of it instead of an angled shot from standing up on the boards. Very cool mural. Glad that we got to see it.

* Double-click on the image to get it to open up in a new window and in an enlarged size. That will allow you to see all of the cool details.

Outdoor Wall Mural of the Thomas Covered Bridge in Indiana County

We were taking the covered bridge tourist trail through Indiana County to visit the historic Thomas Covered Bridge. Right before you get to the bridge we passed through an old underpass on a country back road. To my surprise that underpass had a pretty outdoor wall mural painted on both sides of it.

We're big fans of outdoor street art, hand-painted barn murals, wall murals on buildings, etc. We couldn't stop to photograph it properly due to the oncoming traffic and narrow areas to pull over. We slowed down and tried to get the best photos of it that we could.

According to the signature it was painted in 2012 by four different people (check out the bottom right corner) to see the signatures. It's pretty worn in areas, so it was difficult to read. 

The art mural features a hand-painted design of the historic Thomas Covered Bridge. The right side of the underpass has the covered bridge depiction along with lush green trees and foliage. It says Thomas Bridge 1879 at the top and a hand-painted "Walk Your Horse" description.

If you wanted to get better photographs of it I would suggest parking at the Thomas Covered Bridge and walking up to it...alongside the road. It's not a heavily traveled road, but was busy on the day we were visiting. 

Beautiful Cape May County Wall Mural by Artist David Macomber

David Macomber is a well-known ocean and sealife artist from Cape May in New Jersey. You can visit his website to shop for his artwork and to learn more about him. His work is popular with locals and with travelers who visit the area. 

Last month we were down in North Wildwood on vacation. We're big fans of outdoor street art and wall murals...you can find hundreds of them featured on the Pennsylvania and Beyond Travel Blog. We were driving around on the mainland (Rio Grande) and behind the shopping strip plaza we found a beautiful wall mural painted on the back side of the building. Totally stumbled on it!

The wall mural features iconic scenes in Cape May County. You'll see the Big Wheel from Morey's Piers, the Roller Coaster, a Water Tank, Fishing Boat, Fish, a Whale, a Sailboat in the background, the Cape May Lighthouse and more. Brightly colored and not washed out (yet) like most wall murals in the area. 

We looked closely at the wall mural and couldn't find a date...so we have no idea when it was done. We did find DavidMacomber.com signature in the bottom right corner. It's a beautiful representation of Cape May County and we're so glad that we stumbled upon it.

Colorful Eye-Catching Street Art in Wildwood

We're big fans of outdoor street art, wall murals, sculptures, statues, etc. that we see when we're traveling. It's a fun way for a business to advertise while adding beauty to a particular area, plus it gives local artists a way to advertise their talents. 

A few months ago we were down in Wildwood, New Jersey and spotted a few that really caught our eye. For example, down Rio Grande Ave. the main avenue onto and off of the island you'll find eletrical boxes painted in different Wildwood beach themes. They're bright and colorful, definitely better than seeing a standard metal box sitting alongside the road. 

We photographed three of our favorites featuring the Wildwood Sightseer Boardwalk Tram Car, Love by the Moon, and the Live By The Sun artworks. Aren't they beautiful? Yes, they are!

While driving down Atlantic Ave. We spotted a colorful wall mural on one side of Roxy's building and then on the other side (the front side) we spotted the Tiki Tom's flamingo pink camping trailer. They sell frozen treats out of it during the summer tourist season. Very unique and colorful. Definitely grabs your attention when passing by.

If you're interested in seeing more street art and wall murals on the Wildwood island you can check out our previous blog posts. There are over 100+ beautiful wall murals, sculptures, statues, memorial markers, etc. that you can see. A haven for those like us who enjoy seeing outdoor street art.

The Joe Stamile Amphitheater Wall Mural in Wildwood

We enjoy checking out outdoor street art, wall murals, and sculptures when we travel. It's always fun to discover new artists (most are local to the particular area) and to see something new. More and more towns and cities across America are getting into this form of artistic expression to beautiful otherwise drab outdoor spaces. 

While on a trip down to Wildwood in New Jersey we stumbled upon the Joe Stamile Amphitheater Wall Mural by MG Signs (one of our favorite mural companies) on the back of the Doo Wop Museum building. The back of the building has a little performance stage and is attached to a park...hence the Joe Stamile Amphitheater name. 

The wall mural depicts the names of various old retail establishments that were part of the Wildwood scene. You'll see the Penalty Box, Hotel Hofbrau, Club Esquire, Lincoln, Blue Heaven, Shamrock, Stardust, Riptide, Hurrican, Martinique, Gingham Club, Lucky Club Cafe, Savoy, Emerald, Elmira Cafe, Surf Club, etc. 

It's quite large in size with the majority of it done in beautiful bright colors and a small portion done in black and white. The MG Signs signature is on the bottom right of the wall mural. You can find a ton of MG Signs Wall Murals depicted and documented on our travel blog.

On the day that we were there...the weather was terrible! Downpouring rain, winds clocking in at 30-40 mph...so our photographs aren't the best. We'll be getting new ones when we're back down for vacation later this year. It's a must-see muralif you're going to be in the area. 

Seward Johnson Arts in the Parks Bike Tour in Wildwood

Arts in the Parks Bike Tour was a new art feature on the Wildwood island in 2022. Even though they call it a "bike tour" you could certainly do a "walking tour" if you split it up over the course of 2 days. The tour features beautiful sculptures by the artist Seward Johnson spread out across several open-to-the-public parks in Wildwood.

We're big fans of outdoor wall murals and street art, so we checked it out on a recent trip down to the Jersey Shore. We happened to be down there for the Hurricane Ian storm that hit Florida and South Carolina, so we had heavy rain and winds for 5 out of 7 days that we were there. Hence, the not fantastic photographs. 

In total there are 7 scultpures for you to check out. Each one has a plaque that gives you the name of the sculpture, the artist's name, and the copyright date. There's a website you can visit to learn more called SewardJohnsonAltelier.org. Until this event, we had never heard of the artist, so it was nice to discover someone new (although he's deceased, March 10th, 2020). You can connect with the foundation on Facebook for more information.

Each scultpure that we viewed was incredible! You need to walk the entire way around it to see alll 360 degrees of it. We loved that they each featured a different theme...like a Mother reading a book to a child, a gentleman playing a violin during a street concert, a navy sailor embracing his lady, a gentleman playing fetch with his dog, and a father (soldier) being welcomed home by his child. All are beautifully interpreted. 

We found some additional information about the Arts in the Parks Bike Tour on the Wildwoods by the Sea website that you can check out for a map of each scultpure's location. Some of them had a sign up beside them that you could scan the QR Code for additional information on the exhibit. (some were completely missing). 

During our trip and the horrible weather we were able to see 5 of the 7 sculptures which I'm featuring in my post today. Please allow all of the photographs to load. We're not sure if this is just a one-time summer thing or if they'll be there again next year. If so, we'll get better photographs weather-permitting. 

Island Breeze Motel Dog Friendly Wall Mural by MG Signs

If you've been following the Pennsylvania and Beyond Travel Blog for the past 12+ years you'll already know that we're HUGE fans of outdoor street art and wall murals. Every time we travel we seek them out in every location that we're visiting. It's a great way to see the artwork of local artists and companies.

One of our favorite wall mural companies is MG Signs. Over the past decade we've featured numerous murals painted by them on our blog. Back in June we were on a road trip down to Wildwood in New Jersey and stumbled upon a new work of art being painted. 

The wall mural is for Island Breeze Motel announcing that they're Dog Friendly. It features a handsome dog wearing red sunglasses propped up on a colorful beach ball. How cute is that? Too cute! The artist from MG Signs was gracious enough to let me photograph him as he was painting it.

From the first photograph in the post to the third photograph in the post about 2 hours had passed. The artist first started out by outlining the design onto the wall. Then he got busy painting it. I was really surprised to see that he only had a couple of cans of paint along with him. They do a lot of blending of colors together to get the perfect shades.

We've always admired outdoor street art like this and were excited to see one being painted while we were down there. These artists are really talented! On the day he was painting it temperatures were over 90 degrees F with high humidity. I can't imagine standing there for hours and hand painting a wall mural in that kind of heat. He did it! Something to be admired for sure!

When traveling take the time to check out some outdoor street art while you're in the area. It's always ncie to discover these pieces and admire them. 

Ocean Wall Mural at the Dauphin Swimming Pool

We're huge fans of street art and wall murals that we spot while traveling around. We try to highlight these works of art as often as possible on the travel blog. The most recent one that we spotted was painted on the side of the wall of the Dauphin Swimming Pool building in Dauphin, Pennsylvania. 

The wall mural takes up the entire side of the building. It was hard to get it all in one photograph due to the cars parked in the parking lot. On top of that, we had just rained making things slippery and wet. I was looking for an artist's signature or company who had painted it, but couldn't find one. I'll have to do a little research to obtain that information. 

Artistically it depicts and underwater ocean them with sea turtles, jellyfish, dolphins, clam shells, coral, seaweed, and a small school of fish in the top left corner. Very colorful, so it looks like it was painted recently, within the past 1-2 years or they take really good care of it! If you look close you can spot the door to the building in the center of the mural underneath the welcome.

To the right of the building you'll find the fenced-in inground swimming pool that is used by the local residents in Dauphin. You have to pay for a yearly membership or pay by the day (according to a local resident who spoke with us). 

Other than this one wall mural, we spotted no other murals or fun street art while driving around the borough of Dauphin in Pennsylvania. With that said, we really enjoyed seeing it.