Orangeville: Nature, Bridges and Racing

Orangeville offers a variety of reasons to visit: Nature and education take center stage at Frank W. Kocher Memorial Park, while the Twin Bridges tell a special chapter in the history of construction. The area also features a banked dirt oval track for open-wheel racing, as well as swimming and fishing opportunities for guests of Forks Farm Campground. When choosing a vacation rental, you can consider which of these sides of the area would make your stay especially interesting.

Discover nature and get to know the park

Frank W. Kocher Memorial Park is a nature and education area in Orangeville. It features a nature scavenger hunt. You can download the accompanying activity page or pick one up at the park kiosks. This lets you decide whether to look at the page in advance or take one with you at a kiosk. The scavenger hunt gives your visit a specific reason to explore within this nature and education area.

The park also includes Johnson Flats, a section about half a mile north of the main park along Route 487. The distance is approximate and refers to the location of Johnson Flats relative to the main park. If you want to distinguish the park areas as you find your way around, it helps to know the difference between the main park and this northern section.

From open-wheel racing to the Twin Bridges

Greenwood Valley Action Tracks adds a very different focus. The track is a 1/5-mile banked dirt oval for open-wheel racing. Its length, surface and shape give you a clear picture of the facility: it is a dirt oval described as being for this type of racing. If motorsports are among your interests, this visit can be clearly distinguished from a nature experience in the park.

The East Paden Covered Bridge and the West Paden Covered Bridge together make up the pair of bridges known as the Twin Bridges. They are considered the only twin pair of covered bridges in the United States. Both bridges were built in 1884. Their shared name and year of construction give the pair a distinctive place in Orangeville’s cultural history.

The West Paden Covered Bridge has a story of its own: The original structure was swept away by floodwaters in 2006; the bridge was rebuilt in 2008. The bridges’ shared construction date is thus complemented by the later rebuilding story of the West Paden Covered Bridge. Anyone interested in the history of the Twin Bridges can keep both aspects in mind while exploring the pair.

More interests for your stay

Forks Farm Campground offers its guests access to swimming and fishing opportunities. These opportunities are specifically described in connection with campground guests. Forks Farm Market offers a self-service market. Together, these offerings complement the nature, motorsports and cultural themes with additional options to consider when planning your stay.

More places to discover: Bloomsburg, Berwick, Lime Ridge, Centralia, Mifflinville, Numidia.

For the broader travel overview: Columbia.