PODCASTS

Tag: #staycation
Staycation – Elk Country Visitors Center – 8/30/24

Staycation – Elk Country Visitors Center – 8/30/24

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It’s “Staycation Destinations” on Family Life

Keystone Elk Country Visitors Center – the PA Wilds

North Central Pennsylvania is gearing up for a massive influx of tourism, as we move past Labor Day Weekend.

The Elk Country Visitors Center at Benezette, Pennsylvania, sees 400,000 guests annually. Add in the people who go elk watching each fall in the public lands without stopping by the visitors center, and you’ll know why this interaction with nature’s unique wildlife is such a big deal.

Ben Porkolab is the Conservation Education Coordinator for the Keystone Elk Country Alliance. In this Family Life News Feature, he offers our listeners a radio tour of the Pennsylvania Wilds, one of only two regions in the U.S. where Elk are this numerous.

You will hear about the Pennsylvania elk herd, plus what makes these huge animals so unique. He talks about why Elk County and the surrounding regions captures the imaginations of so many people. It draws crowds from through the local area and throughout the world. (Porkolab gives the example of one couple who came half way around the world, with three specific tourism goals.)

Porkolab also gives insights into how this kind of Wildlife Tourism is so significant to the region.

 

Check out the Elk Country website for full details, recommendations for your visit, and live cameras and recorded videos to “take you there” (even if you can’t visit in person).

In addition to this Staycation podcast, we also have web-only BONUS CONTENT with elk viewing and elk-viewing safety tips for you and your family. Check it out as well.

 

 

Staycation Destinations is a weekly summer feature presented by Family Life News. Even as we arrive at the end of Summer 2024, your radio travels don’t have to end. All of Greg Gillispie’s features are available from your “Family Life News” podcast feed or through the NEWS tab at www.FamilyLife.org. You can visit — or revisit — these unique places in New York State and Pennsylvania by listening to or downloading our audio.You can also scroll through our Staycation archives from previous summers.

You can also share these interviews with friends and family, or choose to subscribe to receive notifications each time your favorite Family Life podcast posts a new episode. Find all our podcasts on our website or through the Family Life Now mobile app.

 

 
Staycation – Elk Country – Bonus Content

Staycation – Elk Country – Bonus Content

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:02 — 5.5MB)

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Staycation – Elk Country – Bonus Content

 

Pennsylvania Elk Country Educator Ben Porkolab is featured on this week’s Family Life “Staycation Destinations”.

You can hear that primary feature here from FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts.

 

He also wanted to add some advice for those who go to the Elk Country Visitors Center, any of the nearby national forest or state park areas, or some other place in these 11 counties in north central Pennsylvania.

Tap the podcast player on this page for this bonus content with Porkolab’s recommendations to enjoy watching the elk, but keeping you and your family safe, if you get “up close and personal” around one of these majestic animals.

 

 

Also, the website for the Elk Country Visitors Center has a full library of images and videos of the elk in Elk County and beyond … like this one:

 
Staycation – Niagara Power Vista – 8/23/24

Staycation – Niagara Power Vista – 8/23/24

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:05 — 15.2MB)

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It’s “Staycation Destinations” from Family Life

The beauty and majestic power of Niagara Falls draws tourists from all across the region and all across the world. The power of those millions of gallons of water has powered the generation of electricity which now accounts for all the electrical power used in New York State.

The history and the science of hydropower has been captured by the Niagara Power Vista, a free visitors center at Lewiston New York, at the dam just north of the Falls. Guests have dozens of interactive exhibits to demonstrate how inventors like Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison used hydropower for their engineering work. Visitors can play-act a simulation of how to build a community electric grid and keep it functioning. Plus, the Power Vista has some memorable views of this natural wonder of the world.

Lou Paonessa, community affairs director for the New York Power Authority, describes the uniqueness of the Niagara Power Project since its founding, and what families, individuals and school groups can see and do at the Power Vista.

 

“Staycation Destinations“ is a weekly Friday feature through the summer on the Family Life radio network. Host Greg Gillispie maps out unique opportunities for you to discover somewhere unique in Pennsylvania and New York, fairly close to home and fairly affordable. These Staycation features air during the Noon Report and 5 O’Clock Report on the radio and on our live streaming. You can also find our features on FamilyLife.org and the Family Life Now mobile app. You also can search for “Family Life News“ on most popular podcast platforms. Listen, subscribe, share or download them.

 

 
Staycation – Drake Well Museum & Park – Titusville – 8/16/24

Staycation – Drake Well Museum & Park – Titusville – 8/16/24

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:53 — 10.8MB)

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It’s “Staycation Destinations” on Family Life

The last week of August marks the anniversary of a milestone that transformed northwest Pennsylvania — and transformed the world.

It was 1859, when “Colonel” Edwin Drake struck oil at his new well south of Titusville. As he and his team developed the infrastructure to drill, store and transport oil, the petroleum industry mushroomed. So did “oil boom” towns throughout the region.

The Drake Well Museum & Park is at the site of that first well. It tells the story of this discovery which directly led to huge changes in the local economy, the world of transportation and so much more.

Executive Director Emily Weaver tells us about this history and about what modern-day visitors to the site can see at the Drake Well.

https://www.titusvillenewsjournal.com/news/friends-of-drake-well-incVisitor information about the museum and grounds are available at www.DrakeWell.org. There you can find for about the exhibits, history and upcoming events.

 

 

 

We also have separate podcast-only bonus content, as Emily Weaver gives us a radio tour of a town which went from almost nothing to a population of 15,000 — back to almost nothing. The Friends of Drake Well historical organization has a twin attraction about 20 miles further south:  Pithole City.

This extended interview has that story, and information about what visitors can see there too. The biggest annual event there happens in mid-Autumn, the Pithole Lantern Tour.

Listen, download, or share this bonus content here.

Newspodcasts  

Staycation Bonus Content – Drake Well & Pithole City – 8/16/24

Staycation Bonus Content – Drake Well & Pithole City – 8/16/24

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:46 — 6.6MB)

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This week’s “Staycation Destinations” feature took you on a radio tour of Edwin Drake’s Well #1. It essentially became the birthplace of the modern petroleum industry.

The Drake Well Museum and Park, with its indoor and outdoor exhibits, tells of this history.

In this additional interview segment, Emily Weaver of the Friends of Drake Well Incorporated makes about 20 miles further south of Titusville, to another historic site in the Oil Creek Region.

 

In the 1860s, Pithole City sprung up and grew to a population of 15,000 as people flooded in there, in an oil-focused version of a gold rush.

Weaver tells us more of that story, and describes what people can see at the Pithole visitors center (open seasonally on weekend).

 

Pithole City is operated as a tourist site in conjunction with the Drake Well Museum.

If you haven’t yet heard the primary episode of this week’s Staycation, find that feature here among our news podcasts on FamilyLife.org.

 

 

“Staycation Destinations“ on Family Life maps out unique opportunities for you to discover somewhere unique in New York or Pennsylvania, fairly close to home and fairly affordable. These Staycation features aire during the Noon Report and 5 O’Clock Report each Friday during the summer. You can hear the broadcast on the air and streaming online. You can also find our features on the Family Life Now mobile app, on FamilyLife.org, and search for “Family Life News“ on most popular podcast compilations.

 
Staycation – Theodore Roosevelt Historical Site – 8/09/24

Staycation – Theodore Roosevelt Historical Site – 8/09/24

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:27 — 8.9MB)

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It’s “Staycation Destinations” on Family Life

This week, we give you a radio tour of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

In 1901, President McKinley — and thousands of others — were in Buffalo for the Pan-American Exposition, a world’s fair celebrating the promise of the dawning century. There, an assassin shot the president, who died about a week later. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was rushed by stagecoach to Buffalo, and at the home of friend and attorney Ansley Wilcox was administered the oath of office to become America’s 26th president.

The Wilcox home is now an official historic site operated by the National Park Service. The museum commemorates the 1901 exposition, the dawn of new identities for the United States, and the life and work of this “Rough Rider” President.

TR Site Executive Director Spencer Morgan talks in this podcast about the exhibits and stories visitors will find.

 

By Dunn, Robert Lee, photographer - Library of CongressCatalog: via Wikimedia Commons

  Newspodcasts
Staycation: Coudersport Ice Mine – Gary Buchsen – 8/02/24

Staycation: Coudersport Ice Mine – Gary Buchsen – 8/02/24

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:30 — 11.7MB)

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It’s “Staycation Desinations” on Family Life

This week, a visit to a unique phenomenon of nature, in North Central Pennsylvania.

The Coudersport Ice Mine has been a longtime attraction for locals and out-of-town visitors. After being closed for a number of years, Gary Buchsen (the father) reopened the Ice Mine ten years ago. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, guests can see how layers of ice hold onto the mine’s walls, even with the hot summer temperatures in the surrounding outdoor air.

That man’s son, also named Gary Buchsen, retired after a career as a school superintendent and now leads the family’s operation of the Ice Mine. Listen to that stories — and a preview of what guests experience — in this weekly summer podcast from Family Life News.

The Coudersport Ice Mine is open Wednesdays through Sundays in the summer. More details about the location, hours, and affordable ticket prices are available from their Facebook and website.  The travel website Atlas Obscura also took a tour, posting more history, photos and reactions.

 

 

 

Staycation Destinations is a summer feature on the Family Life Radio Network, hosted by Greg Gillispie. Each Friday we seek to map out a unique opportunity for you to map out somewhere unique in Pennsylvania and New York — fairly close to home and fairly affordable.  Podcasts of our previous episodes are available anytime to hear, download or share from our News Podcasts page at www.FamilyLife.org. You can also search for “Family Life News” on the Family Life Now mobile app, Spotify and many other podcast sources.

“Buckle up, and enjoy your journeys.”
Staycation: The Jello Gallery & Museum – 7/26/24

Staycation: The Jello Gallery & Museum – 7/26/24

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:03 — 8.3MB)

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The JELL-O Gallery – Le Roy NY

It’s “Staycation Destinations” on Family Life

The hometown of Jell-O brand gelatin continues to celebrate the century-plus of fun, wiggly food.

The Le Roy Historical Society intentionally chose a more-fitting name for its museum — this is an art gallery. As you’ll hear in this podcast, some of the most prominent displays at the Jell-O Gallery are the forms of colorful and vibrant marketing which introduced the product to the American public, and demonstrated the ease of making instant Jell-O … so simple even a child could do it.

Listen as well for other parts of the history, and other parts of the displays which focus on vehicles and a wider view of Le Roy’s history.

The Jell-O Gallery is at 23 East Main Street in Le Roy, which is about halfway between Batavia and Rochester.

 

Here is the winner of their 2024 Photo Contest on the Gallery’s Facebook page:

 

“Staycation Destinations” airs Fridays on Family Life during the Noon Report and 5 O’Clock Report.

Each week, all summer long, we map out a unique opportunity for you to discover somewhere unique, in New York or Pennsylvania — fairly close to home, and fairly affordable.

Previous destinations are linked from www.FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts.
Staycation – PA Trolley Museum – 7/19/24

Staycation – PA Trolley Museum – 7/19/24

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It’s Staycation Destinations on Family Life

We take a Trolley to this week’s Staycation Destination.

The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum offers a ride into pre-automobile history. Most people think of the Land of Make-Believe in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood when they think of trolleys. However, the electrified mode of transportation was real-world big business, shaped the development of metro areas, and expanded ways people could go beyond their neighborhoods to go to work, medical appointments and social events.

Volunteer tour guide Gary Malaskovitz gives Greg Gillispie and our listeners a vision of that history, plus a ride on one of the nine fully-restored trolleys which still offer rides to the museum’s visitors (and guests of the annual Washington County Fair!). You’ll also hear from some of the children who enjoyed a simulator which allows them to drive a trolley.

In addition to what aired during our Family Life Noon Report, you also have bonus content where Malaskovitz talks more about what young families enjoy about the Trolley Museum (many are fans of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Donkey Hodie and Thomas the Tank Engine) — plus his own story, growing up and riding the trolleys of Pittsburgh.

The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is at 1 Electric Way in Washington, Pennsylvania. During the summer, it is closed Mondays, but open on holidays. Outside of summer, the museum operates Friday through Sunday. Their website is at www.PA-trolley.org.
Staycation – PA Trolley Museum – Bonus Content

Staycation – PA Trolley Museum – Bonus Content

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:38 — 2.3MB)

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Here is more from the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum….

Volunteer tour guide Gary Malaskovitz gives Greg Gillispie and our listeners a vision of that history, plus a ride on one of the nine fully-restored trolleys which still offer rides to the museum’s visitors.

In this bonus online content, two additional stories: why families enjoy bringing children to experience the museum’s education center, plus his own first-person experiences of riding Pittsburgh’s trolleys when he was a child.

Click the ticket or go to www.FamilyLife.org to hear our full “Staycation Destinations” visit to the Trolley Museum in Washington County PA.

 

 

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