Discover Huntingdon: History, Art and Trails

If you’re looking for a hotel in Huntingdon, the kind of stay you’re looking for can be a useful starting point for comparison. Things to see and do range from trails on Flag Pole Hill to historic homes, exhibitions, public art and an audio walk at Riverside Cemetery. A simple way to narrow down your options is to ask whether you’re more interested in trails, historic interiors, or art and stories in the town.

Historic Homes and Places Downtown

The McMurtrie House Museum is in downtown Huntingdon. Its parlor, hallway and two bedrooms showcase furniture and styles from the time of the Huntingdon County Centennial in 1887. The connection to a specific year and to several rooms gives this house a distinct focus: the furnishings and styles of that period take center stage here.

The Huntingdon County Historical Society has three public spaces: the Research Library, the McMurtrie House Museum and the Exhibit Gallery. They are all within one block on Fourth Street in the city center, and all are located at 106 Fourth Street. The Exhibit Gallery includes a large meeting room where the society holds programs and exhibitions. The courtyard is also an important landmark: the Little House has a permanent location there, behind the spaces on Fourth Street.

The Little House tells a different story from the museum: Cottage Planing Mill built it in 1887 as a parade float; it was then used at the county centennial celebration. Its current location in the Historical Society’s courtyard keeps its connection to the society’s group of buildings visible. The Woods-Brown Mansion, built in 1874, offers an earlier point of reference. These dates give you two distinct starting points if you’re interested in Huntingdon’s historic buildings.

Trails, Art and an Audio Tour

Flag Pole Hill, above Huntingdon, has a network of about nine trails, each up to one mile long. For planning, consider both figures together: the approximate number gives you an idea of the trail options, while the length is a maximum for each one. So this isn’t the length of a single route, but several trails that are each up to one mile long.

The self-guided public art tour offers a different perspective. It starts on Penn Street in the historic city center and highlights public artworks spread throughout the Borough of Huntingdon. Its focus differs significantly from the trails on Flag Pole Hill: here, the public artworks across the borough take center stage; there, it’s the number and length of the trails.

A free, self-guided audio walk is available at the historic Riverside Cemetery. It was created and narrated to mark the 250th anniversary of the Borough of Huntingdon. The audio format and the cemetery setting give this experience a distinct character: the tour combines narration with a specific historic site. This sets it apart from the public art tour, which focuses on artworks around town.

A Collection East of Huntingdon

The Isett Heritage Museum is about two miles east of Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, and displays more than 40,000 artifacts. Its collection offers a different focus from the individual homes and rooms in the city center. This gives you a range of points of interest to consider: historic interiors and buildings in Huntingdon, public art and trails, and an extensive artifact collection east of town.

For the broader travel overview: Huntingdon County.