These Pennsylvania towns will make you feel like you’ve fallen into a storybook.

Pennsylvania is blessed with a rich history, stunning natural beauty, and small towns filled with charm. The combination can seem magical, almost like something out of a fairytale. We’ve highlighted seven Pennsylvania towns, nestled within misty mountains or hidden among towering forests, that are sure to enchant.

1. Jim Thorpe

Known as “the Switzerland of America” for its picturesque setting in the southern Pocono Mountains, Jim Thorpe is a must-visit town in northeastern Pennsylvania. Strolling through downtown lets you admire well-preserved Victorian architecture against a mountain backdrop while visiting quaint shops and cafes.

Jim Thorpe is particularly popular during the fall season, when stunning, colorful foliage adds another layer to its beauty. You can enjoy the scenery in and around Jim Thorpe all year with a trip on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway or a bike ride on the nearby Switchback Trail, which features views of Mauch Chunk Lake.

2. Stoudtburg Village

Stoudtburg Village isn’t technically a Pennsylvania town, as it’s a planned community within Lancaster County’s Adamstown. But the village—built in the 1990s and modeled after the original fairytale town, Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany—provides a charming, Bavarian-style escape on cobblestone streets. The walkable community is home to colorful houses, a town square complete with a central fountain, and several small businesses that sell art, jewelry, homewares, and more. As there are no hotels in Stoudtburg Village, you can stay in one of the village’s many short-term rentals (check Airbnb and Vrbo) if you’d like the full experience.  

3. Cooksburg and Cook Forest State Park

The old logging town of Cooksburg is famous for what remains, not what was built there. The town is the home of the 8,500-acre Cook Forest State Park and its grove of old-growth forest. In the 1800s, Pennsylvania’s lumber industry was one of the strongest in the country; however, by the early 1900s, the logging boom had given way to barren landscapes. Only some pockets of old-growth forest were saved—including more than 2,000 acres in Cook Forest State Park, where you can walk beneath old-growth eastern hemlocks, white pine, and other trees more than 150 years old. Be sure to walk through the Forest Cathedral, a National Natural Landmark home to some of the tallest trees in the eastern U.S., which make the forest feel enchanted. 

4. New Hope

New Hope, with its central location between Philadelphia and New York, has long been a haven for artists and creatives looking to work in a beautiful community on the Delaware River. In recent years, New Hope has attracted gourmet restaurants, high-end hotels, and celebrities, but it still retains its small-town charm. The Bucks County Playhouse showcases quality theater from its historic building on the river, while the New Hope Railroad helps visitors explore the Bucks County countryside. The Delaware Canal Towpath Trail provides opportunities for walking and biking alongside the water of the 1800s-era canal.

5. Wellsboro

As the entrance to the stunning Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania (also known as the Pine Creek Gorge), Wellsboro is an ideal destination for visitors interested in the outdoors as well as quaint small towns. The downtown area features local cafes, one of the last family-owned department stores, and authentic gas streetlamps. No wonder the town hosts a Dickens of a Christmas festival every holiday season—Wellsboro indeed looks like it belongs in a Dickens story. Head past Main Street to be awed by Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon itself, which reaches depths of more than 1,000 feet.

6. Bethlehem

This town belongs in a yuletide fairytale, specifically. Located in the Lehigh Valley, the aptly named town of Bethlehem is a magical sight during the winter season. Bethlehem has been known as Christmas City USA since 1937, and you can revel in festive holiday fun at Bethlehem’s traditional, European-style Christmas market—Christmas City Village—as well as the city’s Historic Moravian Village and SouthSide Arts and Shopping District.

7. Ligonier

Ligonier is quintessential Small Town America—plus, as part of the Laurel Highlands, it’s also beautiful. The southwestern Pennsylvania town boasts a walkable downtown area with dozens of local shops and a charming town center, known as the Diamond. The park features a restored, Victorian-era bandstand where shows often take place during the warmer months. Bonus: Ligonier is home to Idlewild, an amusement park founded in 1878. The old-timey feel is particularly strong in the park’s Story Book Forest, a nearly 70-year-old, forested section of the park where you can see fairytale characters and scenes up close.