Historic Small Towns in Upstate NY, Pennsylvania

This roundup highlights quiet, historic small towns in upstate New York and Pennsylvania that combine outdoor recreation with local heritage and regional access. Baldwinsville, on the Seneca River in the Finger Lakes, offers Beaver Lake Nature Center, notable 19th‑century architecture, Morris Machine Works industrial history and ties to the Underground Railroad, and is reachable via Syracuse or Buffalo. Western Pennsylvania’s Butler mixes nature at Succop Nature Park with an industrial past tied to oil, gas, Pullman rail‑car production and steel (Armco/AK Steel). Montgomery County and Valley Forge are recommended for leaf‑peeping, shopping and family autumn activities. In northeastern Pennsylvania, Nicholson centers on the century‑old Tunkhannock Viaduct and a converted tourism station, while Tamaqua offers Anthracite Coal Region architecture, rail‑trail recreation (including the Lehigh & New England and Schuylkill Valley Heritage trails) and a growing arts scene, and nearby Weatherly provides ridge‑and‑valley scenery, Round Head Mountain access and summer festivals.