Travel

Planning an adventure through Pennsylvania wine country? The Keystone state is the 5th largest wine production state in the U.S.A. and has a plethora of different wine travel options: lakefront vineyard corridors, historic countryside estates, covered-bridge drives, river valleys, and easy weekend escapes from cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg.

Beyond the cellar doors, Pennsylvania adds a strong travel hook: you can pair tasting rooms with gardens, heritage towns, hiking, fall foliage, lake views, and food-focused detours. That makes it especially well suited to travelers who want a wine trip with a wider sense of place and history.

This guide will navigate you through Pennsylvania’s diverse wine destinations, complemented by the state’s stunning natural and historical attractions alongside its diverse outdoor activities.

• Where to Go
• Other Sights You Can’t Miss
• Getting There (When and How to Do it Best)
• Additional Planning Resources

Where to Go

Northwest Pennsylvania: Lake Erie Wine Country

If you want to understand Pennsylvania’s grape-growing scale, start in the northwest. Lake Erie Wine Country stretches along the lake in Pennsylvania and New York and is one of the state’s defining wine-travel regions. It’s one of the state’s core trails and has over 53 miles of vineyards and 20 different wineries along the lakeshore.

Base yourself in Erie or North East to experience Lake Erie AVA then spend a day moving between wineries and lake views. The area feels different from the rest of the state: broader vineyard plantings, gentler lakeshore terrain, and a strong fruit-growing tradition. It’s a good choice for travelers who want a classic vineyard-road-trip feel, especially in late summer and fall.

Southeastern Pennsylvania: Brandywine, Bucks, and the Philadelphia Countryside

For the easiest city-to-vineyard transition, head to the trails around Greater Philadelphia. Pennsylvania Wine highlights the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail, Bucks County Wine Trail, and Berks County Wine Trail. You’ll find over 25 wineries in the beautiful rolling hills west of Philadelphia along with a ton of colonial history.

This is one of the best parts of the state for a long weekend. You can stay in or near Philadelphia or West Chester then pair winery visits with places like Longwood Gardens, Brandywine countryside drives, and charming small towns.

Lehigh Valley: Covered Bridges and Cool-Climate Wine

If you want a wine trip that feels scenic and distinctly eastern, Lehigh Valley is a strong choice. There are 30+ wineries and vineyards in the region, and you can pair wine tasting with the area’s covered bridge routes, small towns, and fall color.

This is the place for a slower-paced, countryside itinerary. You can visit a few wineries in one day, and then build in stops for a picnic drive, covered bridges, or a night in Bethlehem, Easton, or Allentown. It feels less like one concentrated trail and more like a region you explore at your own pace.

Central Pennsylvania and the Susquehanna Heartland

For something more under-the-radar, look at central Pennsylvania and the Susquehanna Heartland wine trail. With 15 wineries, this part of the state works well for travelers who like a less crowded, more local feel. State College, Centre Hall, and the broader Harrisburg-to-river-valley corridor can all serve as hubs, with winery visits folded into a rural road trip. In this area, you can blend winery visits with breweries, cideries, and distilleries.

Sights You Can't Miss

Philadelphia’s historic core

Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell are the obvious heavy hitters when it comes to visiting Pennsylvania. Independence Hall is where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were debated and signed, and the site is part of a UNESCO World Heritage setting in the middle of the city.

Gettysburg

If you want one essential history stop outside Philadelphia, this is it. Gettysburg National Military Park is one of the country’s defining Civil War sites, and the park service recommends starting at the Museum and Visitor Center before exploring the battlefield.

Presque Isle State Park

A standout lakeside nature stop, this 3,200-acre peninsula on Lake Erie with sandy beaches, boating, fishing, hiking, and biking is a very easy add-on to Erie wine country.

Falling Water

The iconic Frank Lloyd Wright house in the Laurel Highlands is one of Pennsylvania’s most internationally recognized attractions and is widely considered one of Wright’s defining works of organic architecture.

Pine Creek Gorge (the “Pennsylvania Grand Canyon”)

Best for dramatic scenery, this 50-mile gorge reaches depths of about 1,000 feet and is one of the strongest nature-photo stops in the state. About 2 hours north-east of Lehigh Valley, it’s worth the drive if you love big scenery.

Longwood Gardens and the Brandywine Countryside

If you’re tasting in southeastern Pennsylvania, build in time for Longwood Gardens and the broader Brandywine Valley landscape. Probably the strongest “beautiful place” recommendation in the state, it is one of the world’s premier horticultural showplaces, and Longwood itself highlights extensive gardens, meadows, paths, and Brandywine Valley views.

Lehigh Valley Covered Bridge Tour

The Historic Covered Bridge Tour is a roughly 50-mile scenic drive in Lehigh Valley. It’s one of the easiest “wine plus sightseeing” combinations in the state and works especially well during harvest and fall foliage season.

Getting There (When and How to Do it Best)

Best time to Visit

Late spring through fall

The sweet spot for Pennsylvania wine travel. That’s when vineyard landscapes are at their best and scenic add-ons like lake drives, gardens, and covered bridges are easiest to enjoy.

Fall

Fall time is especially strong since harvest season overlaps with foliage, and many destination-marketing pages actively promote autumn winery travel in regions like Lehigh Valley.

How to Get There

For southeastern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia is the most practical gateway. It gives easy access to Brandywine Valley, Bucks County, and parts of Berks County, with countryside wineries within a reasonable drive of the city.

For Lehigh Valley, use Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton as your local base. The area is best explored by car, especially if you want to combine wineries with scenic routes and smaller towns.

For northwestern Pennsylvania, fly or drive into Erie. From there, the Lake Erie wineries are the natural focus, and Visit PA notes that many of the trail’s wineries sit close together along the vineyard corridor.

For central Pennsylvania, State College is a good base for Happy Valley and the Central PA Tasting Trail while Harrisburg works better if you want to explore farther south along the Susquehanna-linked routes.

How to Travel Best

Pennsylvania is very much a by-car wine destination. Unlike a compact urban wine city, the state’s best wine experiences usually come from linking a few wineries with scenic drives, small towns, and non-wine stops. The upside is flexibility: you can build a trip around one trail or combine two nearby regions into a longer weekend.

Additional Planning Resources

We're geeks about Pennsylvania wines, but not the local experts. So check out these additional resources to help plan your trip:

• Pennsylvania Wines
• Visit PA
• Visit Philadelphia
• Lake Erie Wine Country
• Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail
• Brandywine Valley Wine Trail
• Berks County Wine Trail
• Bucks County Wine Trail
• Happy Valley Adventure Bureau