If you’re interested in how much longer the winter weather will last and you’re looking for something to do around the end of January and beginning of February, then it might be time for you to take a trip to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and meet Punxsutawney Phil, the weather-forecasting groundhog. If you’ve never been to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania before, then you’re in for a real treat. The town is a fun place to visit any time of the year, but they really put their best foot forward for the thousands of guests that come every year for Groundhog Day. Here are a few of the things that you should check out while you’re there.
-
Find the Phils. Punxsutawney is home to a pretty unique public art project. Artists from the local area, the state of Pennsylvania, and all over the United States have contributed their own individual Punxsutawney Phil portrayals on 6-foot-tall pieces of fiberglass. These fiberglass Phils are placed all over the town in a number of different locations, and following the Phils can be a terrific way to explore Punxsutawney. If you stop by the Chamber of Commerce, they will give you a map so that you can be sure that you find them all. Or explore on your own, and see how many Phils you can find.
-
See Phil’s Burrow. If you’re traveling with kids, or if you just happen to be an animal lover yourself, you may find it interesting to get an up close look at the place where Punxsutawney Phil and his family spend the majority of their time. Phil’s Burrow is a great place to get an inside look at the daily life of groundhogs. The burrow is located at the Punxsutawney Memorial Library at the town’s civic complex, and you can see the groundhogs either from outside or from inside the Children’s Library. The library is located near Barclay Square, a historic town square named for the founder of the town. Stop by while you’re in the area to see the town’s stone Memorial Bandstand dedicated to American veterans.
-
The Main Event. Head to Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney to see the big weather reveal in person. The famous groundhog will see his shadow, or not, at 7:25 am on February 2, 2014. This tradition dates back to German farmers during the dark ages who would look to the hedgehog to predict when their winter would end. When Germans immigrated to the US, they continued the tradition with the groundhogs that were more common to the area than their native hedgehogs. The old superstition has remained a well known tradition ever since, and even got a surge in popularity after the 1993 movie Groundhog Day brought worldwide attention to Punxsutawney and Phil.
If you want to plan your arrival for a few days before Groundhog Day, you can take the Groundhog Tour on January 25 and attend the Groundhog Ball on January 31. Don’t let another year go by without getting an up-close look at the famous Pennsylvania groundhog that makes the biggest weather prediction of the year.
