Wilkes-Barre: River Trails, Art and History

Wilkes-Barre combines experiences along the Susquehanna River with art, events and a historically rich downtown. When planning your trip, you can choose different focuses: outdoor activities, a cultural program or walks among historic buildings. The city offers a range of reasons to shape your trip and your search for a suitable vacation rental.

Riverside scenery and time outdoors

Wilkes-Barre lies along the scenic Susquehanna River and is associated with kayaking, whitewater rafting, and an extensive network of hiking and biking trails. If you like to make your trip active, you’ll find opportunities for activities on the water and on land. River Common has hiking and biking trails as well as a fishing pier; two outdoor amphitheaters add to the park’s offerings.

Art, performances and events

The F.M. Kirby Center in downtown presents more than 80 cultural and educational events each year. The program includes Broadway shows, comedy, concerts and other cultural events. If you’re interested in a trip focused on performing arts and a varied events program, this offers a concrete option for your stay in Wilkes-Barre.

The Sordoni Art Gallery presents high-quality exhibitions and complements them with related programs and publications. Its scope includes a range of media, themes, cultures and time periods. The Widmann Art Gallery features exhibitions by local artists during the academic year, and “Meet the Artist” receptions include gallery discussions. The different offerings thus range from changing exhibition themes to conversations with artists.

Historic downtown and seasonal highlights

The marked “Wilkes-Barre Walkitecture” route is 2.2 miles long and passes through the historic downtown district. Its route follows Franklin Street and River Street. Another way to learn about downtown history is the Wilkes-Barre Historical District Walking Tour: it passes through the historic district and offers insight into the range of architectural styles and the history preserved in renovated buildings and structures. If you’re especially interested in architecture and city history, you can consider these two options as different ways to explore: the Walkitecture is described as a specific route, while the tour highlights the architecture and preserved history.

Built around 1793, the Zebulon Butler House is currently being restored as a museum about this early period in Wilkes-Barre’s history. The Luzerne County Courthouse is near River Common. With its Beaux-Arts design, murals and distinctive dome, the building is considered an architectural landmark of the region.

Public Square also plays a part in the events calendar: the square continues to serve as a hub for downtown activities, including festivals, farmers’ markets and community events. Every spring, the Fine Arts Fiesta brings artists, performers and vendors together there. During the winter months, there is an ice rink at Public Square. If you’d like to plan your trip around a particular kind of experience, you can choose between springtime art and community events, winter ice skating, downtown history and activities along the river.

Discover more places

If you’d like to explore other places at the same destination level as Wilkes-Barre, you’ll find them here: Nanticoke, Sugarloaf, White Haven, Milnesville, Kingston, Drums, Hazleton and Avoca.

For the broader trip overview: Luzerne.