Pennsylvania makes weekend escapes easy with its forested mountains, peaceful lakes, historic towns, and rolling countryside. Scattered throughout the state are distinctive inns and lodges set inside grand mansions, restored historic buildings, old-growth forests, and scenic state parks.
These 12 Pennsylvania getaways offer memorable places to slow down for a few days. From fireplaces and spas to hiking trails and historic dining rooms, each provides its own reason to turn a simple weekend into a relaxing escape.
1. The Lodge at Glendorn, Bradford, Pennsylvania
Back in 1927, the Dorn family built a private woodland estate in northwestern Pennsylvania, and the rest of us have been lucky enough to enjoy it since 1995 when it opened as a hotel. Spread across 1,500 acres beside the Allegheny National Forest, The Lodge at Glendorn feels less like a hotel and more like borrowing a very well-appointed family compound for the weekend.
Guests choose between rooms and suites in the redwood Main Lodge or standalone cabins, some of which include wood-burning fireplaces and outdoor fire pits. The Roost Cabin even has a built-in bunkroom, which makes it a practical pick for families or groups.
Activities shift with the seasons, covering kayaking, paddleboarding, and hiking in warmer months, then snowshoeing and ice fishing when temperatures drop. The Forest Spa handles relaxation duties year-round.
Executive Chef David S. Haick oversees dining across the estate, and turndown service with fresh chocolate chip cookies is a detail that earns its own mention.
2. Gateway Lodge, Cabins, and Restaurant, Cooksburg, Pennsylvania
A married couple built the original log cabin here during the Great Depression, which says something about the kind of determination that goes into a place that has now been welcoming guests since 1934. Gateway Lodge sits right inside Cook Forest State Park, one of Pennsylvania’s most celebrated old-growth forest settings, with the Clarion River running nearby for good measure.
The accommodation options cover a wide range. Fireside Suites come with gas fireplaces and jetted tubs, while Luxury Cabins built for couples add screened hot tubs, heated bathroom floors, loft bedrooms, and full kitchens.
Family-friendly Heritage Cabins bring their own outdoor fire pits and, in some cases, wood-burning fireplaces.
Dining leans into a forest-to-fork philosophy, with locally sourced ingredients and a three-course “Taste of the Wilds” dinner available as part of lodging packages. Breakfast baskets can be delivered directly to your door, which makes lingering in the cabin on a slow morning feel like the obvious choice.
3. The Settlers Inn, Hawley, Pennsylvania
The story of The Settlers Inn involves local businessmen, a Great Depression delay, and a 1948 opening that came about two decades after the original plan. What they ended up with was one of Pennsylvania’s most distinctive lodges, designed in the English Arts and Crafts style with a large natural bluestone fireplace, old chestnut beams, and leaded casement windows that make the interior feel like a proper country house.
The inn sits on six acres in Hawley, bordered by the Lackawaxen River and woodlands that contain a segment of the historic Delaware and Hudson Canal. Its 23 individually appointed guest rooms include Mission-style furnishings, stained-glass lamps, and natural textiles, with many rooms offering whirlpool tubs and fireplaces.
Chef and owner Grant Genzlinger collaborates with local farms and producers to shape a seasonal farm-to-table menu that changes with what is actually available nearby. The Hawley Trail crosses the property, and the inn’s private stretch of the Lackawaxen River is a reliable spot for fly fishing.
4. The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle, Howard, Pennsylvania
Ranked the number one eco-lodge in the nation, The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle manages to make environmental responsibility look effortless and comfortable at the same time. The 16-room inn holds a LEED Gold rating from the U.S.
Green Building Council, backed by features like geothermal heating and cooling, a recycled steel roof, and rainwater harvesting systems.
Each of the 16 guest rooms is named after a bird found in the park, which is a detail that works surprisingly well as both a design choice and a gentle nudge toward the binoculars the inn loans to every guest. Eight rooms have lake views and private balconies overlooking the 1,730-acre Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir, while others face the forest and rain gardens.
A complimentary full country-style breakfast is served daily, and boxed lunches are available for guests heading out on the trails. The surrounding Bald Eagle State Park provides immediate access to hiking, boating, paddleboarding, kayaking, and birding without requiring a single minute of driving.
5. Glasbern – A Historic Hotel of America, Fogelsville, Pennsylvania
Melchior Siep established this Lehigh Valley farm in 1787, shortly after the American Revolutionary War, and Joel Mohr built the current homestead in 1870. By the 1970s, the property had fallen into disuse, but Beth and Al Granger purchased it, restored it carefully, and opened Glasbern as a country inn in 1985.
It has been a member of Historic Hotels of America ever since.
The 150-acre property keeps its authentic farm character, with repurposed structures like the Carriage House (once a tractor shed) and Gate House (formerly a garage) now serving as guest accommodations. Rooms include fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, and exposed Amish framing, blending the look of a working farm with the comfort level of a proper inn.
The farm-to-table restaurant sources most of its produce and meats directly from the inn’s own sustainable operation, which includes three heated greenhouses and livestock. The Great Room inside the main barn features 28-foot cathedral ceilings and fieldstone walls, making it one of the more memorable dining spaces in the Lehigh Valley.
6. The Sayre Mansion, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Robert Heysham Sayre, a prominent industrialist and chief engineer of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, had this Gothic Revival mansion built in 1858, making it one of the first grand homes in Bethlehem’s upscale Fountain Hill district. The brick facade, steeply pitched gabled roof, and ornate wooden bargeboard give the exterior an immediately recognizable character that holds up well more than 160 years later.
Inside, 19 classic mansion guest rooms and four Carriage House Suites preserve original details like vaulted ceilings, gold leaf ceilings, intricate woodwork, and fireplaces. The Robert Sayre Library is a two-room suite that once formed part of Sayre’s personal book collection, now lined floor to ceiling with shelves.
The Conservatory on the top floor offers a glass roof and a 180-degree view of Bethlehem.
A complimentary house-made breakfast is included for overnight guests, and Afternoon Tea is served on Thursdays in the dining room and adjoining parlor. The mansion also sits within walking distance of Lehigh University, SteelStacks, and downtown Bethlehem’s shops and galleries.
7. Buhl Mansion Boutique Hotel & Spa, Sharon, Pennsylvania
Steel magnate Frank H. Buhl had this Richardsonian Romanesque mansion completed in 1890 as a wedding gift for his wife Julia, which immediately sets a high bar for what a weekend here is supposed to feel like.
The stone castle-like exterior, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was later restored by Jim and Donna Winner before reopening as a luxury hotel in 2007.
Ten individually designed guest rooms fill the interior with antique furnishings, carved beds, elaborate woodwork, cozy fireplaces, and jetted tubs. The turret spaces give certain rooms a layout that a standard hotel room simply cannot replicate.
Grounds include manicured gardens, ponds, and a Victorian-style greenhouse.
Afternoon tea is a scheduled daily activity for overnight guests, and lunch is available in the Sun Room overlooking the property. The full-service on-site spa offers massages, facials, body treatments, a steam room, sauna, and monsoon shower, with couples’ side-by-side treatment options available.
The spa alone gives plenty of reason to plan the weekend around staying put.
8. The Inn At Leola Village – A Historic Hotel of America, Leola, Pennsylvania
What started as a Lehman family tobacco farm in 1867 has since become one of Lancaster County’s most distinctive places to spend a weekend. The Inn at Leola Village is a Forbes Travel Guide Soon-To-Be-Rated property and a member of Historic Hotels of America, and it earns both labels by doing something that sounds straightforward but rarely is: combining genuine historic character with genuinely comfortable accommodations.
The property has a village-like layout, with historic barns and farm buildings preserved and repurposed rather than replaced. Design details blend opulent Tuscan influences with rustic elements, including lush fabrics, embroidery, antique furniture, exposed wooden beams, and stone tiling.
Among the 62 rooms and suites, options include barn accommodations and the separate Ada Fisher Cottage with Pennsylvania Dutch design elements.
Osteria Avanti, the on-site Italian restaurant, offers indoor and outdoor seasonal dining. The Destinations Spa provides treatments, yoga classes, and overnight spa packages, with a wellness center, fitness room, and seasonal outdoor pool rounding out the amenities.
Lancaster’s surrounding countryside and attractions are also within easy reach.
9. The Inn At Jim Thorpe, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
General Ulysses S. Grant and Thomas Edison both passed through this Victorian inn during its early years, which gives its 1849 origins a certain historical weight.
The Inn at Jim Thorpe sits on Broadway within the National Register Historic District, directly in the middle of one of Pennsylvania’s most visually dramatic small towns, where steep wooded hills rise sharply around a compact historic downtown.
An ornate cast iron balcony on the main building overlooks the street below, and accommodations are spread across three buildings on Broadway. Victorian decor fills the rooms and suites, with amenities including whirlpools, fireplaces, flat-screen televisions, and mini-fridges.
Select rooms also access a shared breezy porch.
The Broadway Grille and Pub serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with classic mahogany furnishings and fireplace seating. An on-site spa offers massages and other treatments.
The inn’s location is particularly practical since hiking, biking, rafting, and kayaking opportunities are all within walking distance, making a car largely unnecessary once you check in.
10. Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa, Bedford, Pennsylvania
President James Buchanan liked this place so much he used it as his Summer White House, which is one way to establish a reputation. Omni Bedford Springs Resort dates to 1806 and was built around eight on-property mineral springs, with the Colonial Building constructed between 1829 and 1842 in a Greek Revival style.
It is recognized as a National Historic Landmark District and underwent a complete restoration in 2007 before Omni Hotels acquired it in 2009.
The resort covers 2,200 acres against the Allegheny Mountains, with 216 rooms and 4 suites spread across a property that feels genuinely removed from ordinary travel. Dining options include a 130-seat restaurant and a colonial-style tavern inside the historic Stone House, which features original stone walls and beams from 1806.
The Eternal Springs Spa features a spring-fed indoor pool and outdoor infinity pool. An 18-hole golf course with roots tracing to 1895 and later refined by Donald Ross in 1923 is available on the grounds, alongside hiking, biking, archery, fishing, and history tours of the property.
11. Ledges Hotel, Hawley, Pennsylvania
Not many hotels can claim a waterfall as part of the view from the restaurant, but Ledges Hotel makes that claim with confidence. The building was originally the O’Connor Glass Factory, constructed in 1890 using hydroelectric power from Wallenpaupack Creek.
Today, restored by Settlers Hospitality as a sister property to The Settlers Inn, it functions as an eco-friendly boutique hotel built against the cliffs above Paupack High Falls.
The exterior is crafted from native bluestone in a Federalist style, while the interior blends historic preservation with contemporary design. Guest rooms and multi-level suites feature handcrafted details, artisan touches, and furnishings repurposed from original Silk Mill trusses.
Some suites include lofted second levels, full kitchens, or Jacuzzi tubs, and original glass mold prints are preserved throughout the building.
The Great Room includes a fireplace, library collection, and games. The on-site restaurant, Glass, offers seasonal small plates and creative dishes on open-air decks above the gorge.
Guests without an on-site breakfast option receive a voucher for the sister property or a nearby coffee house, which is a practical arrangement.
12. The Lodge at Woodloch, Hawley, Pennsylvania
The Lodge at Woodloch is one of those places that is specifically designed to make you forget what day it is, and that is entirely by design. This adults-only destination spa resort operates on an all-inclusive model across 400 to 500 wooded Poconos acres, with a private lake, fern-carpeted forests, wild meadows, an ancient orchard, and a farm-to-table garden filling the surrounding landscape.
All 59 guest rooms and suites come with a private veranda overlooking the forest, lake, or a rock garden waterfall. The AAA Four Diamond property includes a 40,000-square-foot spa with hydromassage water walls, an outdoor horizon whirlpool, a Snow Room, and a full range of massage and facial treatments.
Three gourmet spa cuisine meals per night are included at TREE Restaurant, with ingredients sourced from the on-property garden and local farms. The daily schedule offers more than 50 wellness activities, including yoga, guided meditation, kayaking, nature walks, fitness classes, and cooking demonstrations, giving guests a structured reason to stay busy or an equally structured reason to do absolutely nothing.
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