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Photo: Sdwelch1031, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Covering 7,475 acres of land in rural Pennsylvania, French Creek State Park offers the space and facilities for outdoor recreational activities of every type. Over 35 miles of hiking trails criss-cross the park, as well as eight miles of horse trails and 6,000 acres of land for hunters. There are campgrounds, yurts, boats for rent, fishing lakes, a summer swimming pool and more to enjoy. The park sits about 12 miles southeast of Reading and around 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia a little off of Highway 422.
French Creek State Park is a 7,730-acre (3,130 ha) Pennsylvania state park in North Coventry and Warwick Townships in Chester County and Robeson and Union Townships in Berks County, Pennsylvania. It straddles northern Chester County and southern Berks County along French Creek. It is located in the Hopewell Big Woods. The park is the home of two lakes: Hopewell Lake, a 68-acre (28 ha) warm water lake, and Scotts Run Lake, a 22-acre (8.9 ha) cold water lake. The state record smallmouth bass was caught in Scotts Run Lake. There are extensive forests, and almost 40 miles (64 km) of hiking and equestrian trails. The park is also friendly to mountain bikers, having some renowned technical trails. Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, which features a cold blast furnace restored to its 1830s appearance, is surrounded by the park. The Six Penny Day Use Area and Group Camp are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. French Creek State Park is located off of Pennsylvania Route 345 to the south of Birdsboro.
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The 1,705-acre Marsh Creek State Park contains a 535-acre lake offering wind surfing, boating, sailing, fishing, and waterfowl watching. Other park activities include camping, hiking, swimming, picnicking, and horseback riding.
This 18-hole championship golf course features tree-lined fairways and firm, fast greens protected by deep bunkers and heavy roughs. A bar and grill in a well-appointed clubhouse is on the property.
Explore the dream and reality of helicopter flight at the American Helicopter Museum, where some three dozen examples of helicopters antique and modern are held on display. The first rotary wing American craft to ever fly took off 41 miles away from the museum, in the town of Bryn Athyn. See a Bell 47B, the first helicopter to be commercially certified in the country, and the Bell AH-1F Cobra, used by the army in the 1960s, and odd devices like the Princeton GEM X-2 Air Scooter. The museum is at Brandywine Airport close to West Goshen Community Park, and most of the helicopters displayed are located inside, making this a great museum to visit no matter the time of year.
Tyler Arboretum presents 650 acres of beautiful and exotic plants elegantly arranged in a natural setting. Open to the public for hiking and picnicking, highlights of the arboretum include the Meadow Maze with a four-ring labyrinth of grasses, Pink Hill's layout of serpentine stone and wildflowers, and a huge array of ornamentals ranging from flowering cherry to crabapple trees. The grounds lie about 15 miles east of downtown Philadelphia, beneath Ridley Creek State Park.