The Jim Thorpe eXperience

Our family had never visited the Poconos area, and I wanted to maximize our experience in the few days we would be in the region… so I decided to enlist a guide.
What a good decision. Tom has quite a few tour options… something for most interests and levels of physical ability. He was quite willing to adapt/​customize any of the tours to suit our needs.
We did a two day tour combo, going hiking in Hickory Run State Park on the first day and learning about the coal mining history of the area on day two. The coal tour included a trip into an actual mine, a mini-​tour of the surrounding communities, and finished up with a bike ride down the old switchback gravity mine car trail.
What stood out to me, in addition to the interesting locales we visited, was the passion that Tom has to share the history of this area. He wanted to put the mine tour into the context of what it was like to have actually lived as a miner. He added his own information at the mine tour to what the tour operator told us. He shared about how the topography, geography, and geology all played into the story of the coal industry’s history. And the mini-​tour of the communities helped us learn about the economic impact (past and present) of the industry.
Tom not only displays passion for the history of the region, he is congenial and a good communicator. And he is also very observant of everyone on the tour, doing his best to give individual attention to assure each person as a good experience.
I only wish we had more time to learn about other aspects of Jim Thorpe’s history. I guess we have something to look forward to on our next visit.