Things to Do in Schuylkill County, PA: Four Seasons of Fun
Nestled between the Poconos and the Appalachian Mountains in northeast Pennsylvania, Schuylkill County is dotted with charming small towns, including Pottsville, the county seat. With three state parks, several golf courses and plentiful trails (including a section of the Appalachian Trail), the county offers abundant outdoor recreation opportunities. In addition, you’ll find a year-round roster of fairs and festivals that celebrate the region’s culture, plus live music most nights of the week. Read on to explore things to do in Pottsville and year-round events in Schuylkill County.
Fairs & Festivals
Schuylkill County residents are some of the most friendly and welcoming folks you’ll ever meet, and that’s reflected in the festivities they organize. Check out these events in Schuylkill County to get a feel for the region’s vibrant culture.
Schuylkill County Fair
You can’t beat the nostalgic, hometown feeling of a county fair, and the Schuylkill County Fair delivers on such an experience. It’s a six-day celebration of agriculture and community. From traditional livestock competitions and blue-ribbon contests to kids’ activities and games, the Schuylkill County Fair has something for everyone. The fair celebrates its 42nd year in 2025.
Schuylkill Winterfest
With ice sculptures and carving demonstrations, a snowball throwing contest, and horse and carriage rides, Schuylkill Winterfest provides cool winter fun for everyone. Packed with a lineup of kid-friendly activities, intriguing vendors, a Yuengling bar and live music, this event is considered a must-attend. Feeling competitive? Join in on the fun at the Mrs. T’s Pierogy Eating Contest or the Boilo Contest, a nod to the region’s coal mining roots.
Pottsville Film Festival
Hosted for the first time in the spring of 2025, this fun Pottsville event celebrates the arts by focusing on student, Pennsylvania and national films. It also has great food and drinks.
Yuengling Stars & Stripes Summer Celebration
Held every few years, Yuengling Stars & Stripes Summer Celebration is a large-scale, one-day festival put on by D.G. Yuengling & Son, the oldest operating brewing company in the U.S., and the Pottsville Area Development Corp. Last held in 2024, the festival featured a performance by country music star Lee Brice, food trucks, beer gardens, fireworks and more.
Yuengling Light Lager Jogger 5K
This communitywide event has been a beloved Schuylkill County tradition for 13 years. Each April, the 5K sees approximately 3,500 registrations and thousands of eventgoers from all over. The race starts and finishes at America’s oldest brewery in Pottsville.
“The whole community participates in the race,” says Regina Gargano, CEO of Explore Schuylkill. “Restaurants and pubs have specials and live music all weekend, and many homes along the race route are decorated and even offer refreshments and encouragement to racers along the way.”
Tamaqua Summer Concert Series
A long-standing tradition in Schuylkill County, this series is held on select Thursday nights (May through September). The platform of the 1874 train station turns into a concert venue for the whole community to enjoy. Bring a chair and settle in at Depot Square Park or book an outdoor table at Tamaqua Station Restaurant.
Kielbasi Festival and Heritage Day
Shenandoah invites attendees to join in on the festivities of these two fantastic traditions. The Kielbasi Festival includes every manner of the Polish delicacy, an all-star polka band, contests and vendors galore. The Heritage Day portion kicks off with the Parade of Nations in the morning.
“This parade is a moving collage of costumes and music from around the globe,” Gargano says.
Coal Region Music Fest for Veterans
This festival spans two days, hosts multiple stages and showcases over 30 bands playing a variety of genres.
“This festival raises money for Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors Inc., where 96% of donations go back to our own Pennsylvania wounded veterans,” Gargano says.
The festival takes place in August at the Schuylkill County Fairgrounds.
Outdoor Recreation
Getting out in nature comes, well, naturally in Schuylkill County. That’s because nearly 70% of the county consists of lush forests, with numerous rivers and streams flowing past charming small towns, all within the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains and Poconos.
“We live under a canopy of green, with mountains that come right up to the backs of homes and businesses,” says Regina Gargano, who serves as CEO of Explore Schuylkill.
Add in a relatively mild climate with just enough cold for some fun wintertime activities, and Schuylkill County is a year-round playground for outdoor enthusiasts.
“If you like to be outdoors,” Gargano says, “Schuylkill County has a place for you to go.”
Here is a sample of outdoor places you need to check out in the county.
Golf Courses
There are several places to hit the links in Schuylkill County. Mountain Valley has two 18-hole courses and has been named one of the best values in the country by Golf Digest as well as the fifth-best public course in Pennsylvania by GolfPass. White Birch features an 18-hole course and a nine-hole option. Hidden Valley has been attracting golfers to the Pine Grove area for nearly 70 years. In addition, members of the Schuylkill Country Club have access to an 18-hole layout created in the 1940s by famed course designer Donald Ross.
Locust Lake State Park and Tuscarora State Park
Located less than 10 miles apart near the community of Barnesville, these two state parks are similar in size (between 1,600 and 1,800 acres) but offer different outdoor activities.
“They complement each other nicely as far as what you can do at each one,” says Robert Sweeney, who manages both parks. “It’s all about the campground at Locust Lake. There are 282 campsites, and pretty much everything surrounds the 52-acre lake. They have rentals for kayaks, canoes, paddleboards. It’s very much a family-oriented atmosphere.”
Tuscarora offers more of a remote wilderness feeling, with extensive hiking opportunities, Sweeney says. A trail system runs all around the lake, which, at 96 acres, is bigger than Locust Lake and is more popular for boating and fishing. There’s no campground at Tuscarora, but there are six cottages and four yurts for rent.
One thing both parks have in common is ice fishing, as they are stocked with trout each fall in advance of the winter freeze.
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
On the opposite end of the outdoor spectrum, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary offers a peaceful retreat. The world’s first refuge for birds of prey, the sanctuary is an ideal location to witness a wide variety of bird species during spring and fall migrations.
Schuylkill River
This 135-mile river begins just outside of Tuscarora and flows all the way to Philadelphia, with more than 40 public access points for kayakers, and while most paddlers venture downstream in small sections at a time, the truly ambitious can try the Schuylkill River Sojourn, a 112-mile guided trip that begins in Schuylkill Haven.
Schuylkill River Trail
Running right along the river for much of the way, this paved and crushed stone pathway is open to walkers, joggers and cyclists. Among the highlights is an 8.5-mile stretch near Auburn called the John Bartram Trail that Gargano recommends for both its scenic beauty and ease of access to dining and other entertainment options.
“It’s a beautiful, relaxing way to spend the day,” Gargano says.
Off-Roading
Schuylkill County contains thousands of acres of land open to ATVs, dirt bikes and side-by-side off-road vehicles. Two of the most popular places are Famous Reading Outdoors in Pottsville (650 miles of trails spread out over 20,000 acres of coal land) and Rausch Creek Off Road Park in Tremont (more than 60 miles of trails on 3,000 acres).
Swatara State Park
Partially located in the county, Schuylkill County’s largest park covers 3,520 acres, with the scenic Swatara Creek meandering through much of it. Outdoor activities include fishing, hiking, horseback riding, hunting and kayaking/canoeing. The park also features 28 miles of mountain biking trails as well as a 10-mile section of the Swatara Rail Trail, which can be utilized for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing during colder times of year.
Live Music
Music lovers will find plenty of opportunities to enjoy live performances in Schuylkill County. The area’s music venues, from bars and restaurants to annual festivals, host a variety of musicians with something for everyone to enjoy.
Whether it’s bluegrass, rock, R&B or original tunes from the area’s local indie bands, Schuylkill County is likely to be buzzing with live music on any given night.
Local Talent
Jenifer Kinder, a singer-songwriter and vocal coach from Wernersville, PA, frequents Schuylkill County for its abundance of establishments and supportive network of musicians and music lovers alike.
Kinder’s repertoire includes cover songs from a range of genres and eras, from the 1960s to present day as well as original music. She has recorded five solo albums.
From Carmelo’s Roman Delight to Vito’s Coal Fired Pizza & Restaurant, Kinder is a regular at Schuylkill County restaurants, bars and other establishments that support live music. Vito’s is a fun, family-oriented atmosphere where even the bartenders can be found singing and dancing along. The Wayside Inn offers plenty of space for dancing along to live music.
“I think it’s a very diverse music scene,” Kinder says. “That’s why I love playing in Schuylkill County, because there are so many different types of music and so many different types of bands and duos. It’s just a really nice mixture of music.”
Local rock group Hooligan has been on the music scene since 2009 when bass player George Cody brought together five other dads from his daughter’s high school to play music in his garage. The band has been going strong ever since, playing favorites from the ’80s through the 2000s.
Cody recognizes the importance of staying sharp and continues to take musical instruction to this day. Cody’s instructor, Sterling Koch, is also a member of Freeway Jam, a local instrumental jazz-rock group.
School of Rock
Schuylkill County also recently launched a Let There Be Rock School for anyone interested in learning music or starting a band who may not have access to instruments or musical instruction. Local rock group Crobot helped launch the initiative through Launch Pottsville 2.0.
“There are a bunch of talented people running that school,” Cody says.
Open-Mic Nights
Over the years, Hooligan and other bands have frequented venues like Strikers Pub, which combines an arcade, a bowling alley and live music in a fun pub environment, and The Crimson House, which now offers open-mic and karaoke nights.
Open-mic nights across the county allow amateurs and professionals to showcase their talents.
“There are a lot of talented people out there who don’t get the opportunity to perform in front of people, and that’s a great opportunity for them to get their feet wet and be heard,” Kinder says.
Music Festivals
Music festivals are a great way to showcase local talent and bring communities together. In 2024, the Coal Region Brotherhood launched its first music festival at the Schuylkill County Fairgrounds, the Coal Region Music Fest for Veterans.
At the River Front Music Festival at Island Park, audiences can enjoy a variety of music, from bluegrass and Irish folk to rock and jazz, while sitting on the banks of the Schuylkill River, playing games or eating.
Whether at a music festival, restaurant or bar, live music around Schuylkill County brings people together to bond over a shared love of music.
“I think music is just a great way to bring the community together, meet new people and have a common interest,” Kinder says. “Everyone loves music.”
Cary Estes and Wesley Broome contributed to this piece.
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