Cheap Trips: Coal Mines, Artwork and Sugartown

Looking to save money and get away? Try one of these three trips you can enjoy on just one tank of gas: Historic Sugartown in Malvern, the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine and Steam Train in Ashland and Orchard Artwork in Huntingdon Valley.

Sundays at Historic Sugartown

Address: 690 Sugartown Rd, Malvern
Distance: about 50 minutes
Admission: $5
Hours: Summer Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m.

Summary: Historic Sugartown is a 19th-century crossroads village in Willistown Township that is recreated each Sunday during the summer. Visitors can tour the the General Store, Quaker Farmhouse, Bank Barn with antique farm equipment, Book Bindery, new Carriage Museum and more.

Links:

• Website

Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine & Steam Train

Address: 2001 Walnut Street, Ashland
Distance: about 2 hours
Admission: 

• Coal Mine Tour is $9.50 adults, $6.50 children ages 2-11
• Steam Train Ride is $7.50 adults, $5.50 children ages 2-11
• Combo Ticket is $15.30 adults, $10.80 children ages 2-11

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Memorial Day through Labor Day (see the attraction's website for other times)

Summary: Pioneer Tunnel is a horizontal drift mine running 1,800 feet straight into the side of Mahanoy Mountain in Schuylkill County. Visitors ride into the mine in open, motor-driven cars and then follow a guide for a 35-minute tour about coal mining. Bring a jacket or sweater. The temperature in the mine averages 52 degrees. A 30-minute ride on a narrow gauge steam train shows visitors an example of strip mining, as well as a bootleg coal hole where men defied trespass laws and risked cave-ins to harvest bags of coal to sell or heat their home. Pioneer Tunnel includes a snack bar and gift shop. The attraction, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, hosts a Pioneer Day celebration on the third Sunday in August every year.

Links: 

• Pioneer Tunnel Website

Orchard Artworks

Address: 520 Tomlinson Road, Huntingdon Valley
Distance: about 26 minutes
Admission: Free
Hours: Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4 p.m.

Summary: Orchard Artworks is a cooperative gallery of fine art and contemporary craft, featuring over 50 artists and craftspeople from around the area. It is truly a unique place to view and purchase crafted works of art. Opened in 2001, Orchard Artworks is a cooperative that is run solely by the artists who exhibit there.

Links:

• Website