5 Best Sights in Pennsylvania, USA

On a 200-year-old estate a mile from Washington Crossing Historic Park, this family-run vineyard started with an old barn and expanded to a spacious modern building with rooms overlooking the vineyards and garden. In a 45-minute tasting, the staff lets you know what to expect from 10 different types of wines. Tastings require reservations, but otherwise they aren't needed for the tasting room or wine bar. Look for Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and other varieties, including sweet wines like a popular port-style Chocolate Cherry Truffle. You can order light bites from cheeses to sandwiches. Concerts and public events take place year-round.

Stop in at the winery's tasting room to sniff, sip, and savor the Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and other wines produced at the northern edge of Lancaster County. Fruit wines (elderberry, plum, and others) are a specialty, and mead is another. The centerpiece of the estate is the curious Federal-Victorian mansion and its formal gardens, flanked by medieval-style crenelated towers. Also on the grounds are the winery's Swashbuckler Brewing Company, Spirits Distilling Company, and Lancaster County Cider, so most every category of adult beverage can be had here. Each summer the estate hosts the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

Seven miles west of Marietta, this family-owned winery grows 14 varieties of French-hybrid and American grapes and produces 30 different wines, from dry to very sweet, plus some fruit wines. There are tours, tastings, and a shop with bottles for sale. You can picnic on the grounds, and in the summer there's a popular open-air concert series on the lawn.

A family-run business founded in 2001, this winery produces award-winning wines from Pennsylvania-grown grapes that range from sweet and floral Moscato to bold Bordeaux-style wines. It's one of the state's more than 400 wineries, and part of a cluster around the Brandywine Valley. The 30-acre property is a great place to bring a picnic, a dog, and the family, but dogs and those under 21 cannot enter the tasting room and pavilion, and outside food is not permitted in those areas. About 100 outdoor tables on the pretty grounds overlook the vineyard, and you can also bring your own chairs and blanket. An outdoor wine bar is open on weekends April through October. A short menu of cheeses, crackers, and charcuterie is offered.  Check the website, as there's live music and other events many weekends.

To say that Pennsylvania wineries don't enjoy the greatest reputation would be an understatement. Jan and Kimberly Waltz coined the slogan "the wines that will change your mind," and there's actually a good chance they will. Varietals grown and vinified on the estate include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. To go with your sipping, the tasting room offers local cheese and chocolate.