Carlisle: History, Culture and Trails

In Carlisle, you can explore history in a variety of ways: through preserved remains, museum galleries and archives, and historical markers. There is also a theater program and trails for cycling and walking. This lets you shape your stay around your interests—whether you are especially passionate about history, want to see a performance, or would like to spend time outdoors.

History in Preserved Remains, Collections and on the History Walk

The Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument includes preserved remains of the school. These include the gates, gymnasium and former dormitories, as well as the exterior walls of a print shop, the cinder track, playing fields and a grandstand. These physical remnants tell the story of the site differently from museum objects and archival materials: the focus here is on preserved parts of the school.

The Cumberland County Historical Society preserves artifacts and archival materials that illustrate how the American Revolution was experienced on the home front. Its main campus on North Pitt Street houses 16 galleries covering 250 years of local and national history. The society’s museum in Carlisle offers self-guided tours. This provides different ways to engage with history: through collections and archives or on a tour of the museum.

The Carlisle History Walk guides visitors through the city’s history with the help of historical markers. The signs highlight important events, notable people and significant landmarks in Carlisle. If you prefer to take in historical subjects while walking, this offers a different perspective from the galleries: the markers put the city’s history in the foreground.

Cycling and Outdoor Trails

The Carlisle Borough Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail Network is a 13.8-mile bicycle route on streets within the Borough of Carlisle. It connects to car-free trails in the borough’s park and trail network. Green bicycle route signs and sharrows mark the route on certain streets. When planning your day, the distinction between street sections and the connected car-free trails is a useful guide; the route is still described as a bicycle route within the Borough of Carlisle.

Another option is the 2.5-mile Letort Nature Trail. It runs from Letort Park in Carlisle to South Spring Garden Street in South Middleton Township and is used by walkers, joggers and hikers. The stated starting point, endpoint and trail length clearly distinguish it from the longer bicycle route. If you would like to explore Carlisle on foot, the Letort Nature Trail is a specific route to consider.

The Army Heritage Trail also offers a reason to spend time outdoors: visitors can walk it from sunrise to sunset. This time information is another useful planning detail, alongside the lengths of the other trails.

Theater as Another Reason to Visit

The historic Carlisle Theatre in downtown presents music concerts, performances, films and live theater productions. Its program also includes offerings for children and families. This means families who want to include cultural activities in their stay can find something suited to their interests, without the theater’s offerings being limited to a single type of event.

When deciding whether Carlisle is right for your vacation, you can start with what interests you most: collections and local history, theater, or trails for cycling and walking. The differences between the 13.8-mile bicycle route, the 2.5-mile Letort Nature Trail and the cultural offerings can help you decide whether Carlisle suits your interests as a travel destination. A vacation rental in Carlisle is worth considering in particular if you want to make these offerings the focus of your stay.

Discover more places on the pages for Enola, Shippensburg, Wormleysburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, New Cumberland and Boiling Springs.

For the broader travel overview: Cumberland.