All-American Road Trip
Make the ultimate American road trip YOUR American road trip.
Do 6! America Did.
As America marks its 250th anniversary, PA Route 6 stands as a living timeline, where America’s past isn’t remembered from afar, but experienced in the places where it happened.
The “Do 6! America Did” project invites travelers to experience the spirit of the nation along the historic Pennsylvania Route 6 Heritage Corridor. Inspired by the United States’ 250th birthday, this initiative highlights six captivating themes, each revealing a different chapter of American history as it unfolded across PA Route 6.
Travelers are connected to an incredible variety of experiences, from scenic outdoor adventures and remarkable historic sites to thriving downtowns, industrial heritage, and creative culture. For visitors, that means endless opportunities to design your own road trip, whether you’re chasing breathtaking overlooks, discovering hidden stories, or exploring the communities that shaped the nation. More than a celebration of America’s semiquincentennial, “Do 6! America Did” transforms PA Route 6 into an immersive timeline. It’s an open invitation to explore, reflect, and be inspired. Because along this road, America’s past isn’t just remembered, it’s experienced in the very places where it happened. Set out on a journey where every mile tells America’s story.
Choose One. Choose Them All.
6 Interpretively Themed Road Trips
Along the PA Route 6 Heritage Corridor, your road trip can be as unique as you are. The “Do 6! America Did” experience is built around six inspiring themes ~National Recreation Trail, Creative Genius, Amazing Prospects, Lasting Landmarks, Warriors Roads, and Safe Havens~ each offering countless stops, stories, and landscapes to explore. Choose just one theme for a focused getaway, or mix and match several to create a personalized adventure that fits your interests, from outdoor recreation and scenic overlooks to arts, history, and heritage. Every theme connects you to meaningful places and unforgettable experiences, giving you the freedom to design a journey that’s relaxing, educational, or a little bit of everything. No matter which path you choose, you’ll find that every mile along PA Route 6 offers a new way to discover America’s story.
National Recreation Trail
For the outdoor enthusiast seeking revitalizing escapes in fresh air, open spaces, and nature.
Creative Genius
For the culture lover interested in the music, art, and ingenuity that shaped a region.
Amazing Prospects
For the heritage-minded explorer interested in the natural resources that shaped a way of life.
Lasting Landmarks
For the ultimate exploring adventurer and picturesque photo ops.
Warriors Roads
For the patriot respecting the legacies of those who fought and served.
Safe Havens
For the compassionate drawn to stories of those offering shelter in times of upheaval.
6 Interpretive Themes
National Recreation Trail: The seasons provide year-round recreational opportunities. Whatever the weather, the outdoors is a vast playground for those looking to go out and enjoy the sights and to exercise heart, mind, and body. The outdoor experience along PA Route 6 offers the opportunity to revitalize and be inspired. Along the trail, today’s visitors walk or ride along the paths, highways, railroads and creeks first opened by hunters, loggers, miners, farmers, railroaders and others and preserved by today’s users.
Creative Genius: The stories of ideas and achievements are powerful. Learn about the life of a Hall-of-Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson, the songs of Stephen Foster, the vocation of Gifford Pinchot, or the glassmaking art of Christian Dorflinger. All of whom made their homes along the PA Route 6 Corridor. For more than two centuries, an ingenious transportation network has evolved to support commerce, industry, and recreation on water, across the land, and through the air. The creativity of artists and visionaries is celebrated in stories both epic and transformational.
Amazing Prospects: As environments, needs and demands change, those that can meet the challenges will survive while others become obsolete. The natural resources of timber, oil, gas, coal, water, wildlife, scenic beauty, and more have provided a way of life for centuries and continue to be a source of both recreation and enterprise.
Lasting Landmarks: Buildings and structures are a tangible artifact of the beliefs and ideas of the people who chose to live and work in northern Pennsylvania. Along the corridor, the “old” has been updated and adapted to the needs of the present, preserving a unique look and feel that reveals the character of the corridor. Historic districts and preserved structures provide a chance to experience life from another time while enjoying the amenities available today.
Warriors’ Roads: The stories of many conflicts are told along the corridor. Native Americans defended an ancient way of life. A civil war between two states, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, in the 18th century previewed the later American Civil War, whose veterans were honored in the name of Route 6, the Grand Army of the Republic Highway. Both World Wars and the French and Indian War are represented by thousands of individuals who lived along PA Route 6 and went off to fight or stayed home in support.
Safe Havens: Northern Pennsylvania has harbored many people displaced by revolution, persecution, and oppression. Slaves followed the Underground Railroad on their path to liberty. Aristocrats escaped the guillotine of the French Revolution. Men who needed work joined the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression and built the means to conserve Pennsylvania’s natural places. Confederate prisoners-of-war on their way to prison in Elmira, NY, found comfort when their train wrecked near Shohola.
About the Project
The “Do 6! America Did” project unites the vision of America250PA with the PA Route 6 Alliance’s Interpretive Themes to showcase how the national story has unfolded across northern Pennsylvania through the creation of a comprehensive database that can be used in 2026 and for countless projects into the future.
Built as a collaborative effort within the PA Route 6 Alliance’s Tourism Promotion Advisory Council, the database is an extensive catalog of historic sites, industrial achievements, cultural assets, outdoor recreation, and tourism experiences spanning the entire PA Route 6 Heritage Corridor. More than an inventory, this tool serves as a strategic framework, that can be applied to power marketing campaigns, curate road trip itineraries, source educational programming, inspire community storytelling, and create heritage tourism partnerships. “Do 6! America Did” positions PA Route 6 as an immersive journey through 250 years of American resilience, enterprise, and community spirit, inviting travelers to explore the places where history was made and continues to unfold.
Get Social
