JIM THORPE, Pa. — Downtown Jim Thorpe was bustling with life on the last day of the Fall Foliage Festival. The Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency says thousands of people flock to the area for the festivities.
Apart from a variety of foods, people enjoy the scenic train ride, horse-drawn carriage rides, and the trolley tours around downtown.
"It's very difficult to put it in a single thing, but I think the whole vibe here, just look at the live music, the atmosphere, the weather, and this town. I think they prepare well for all the visitors, right so we love to come here, and there's nothing like fall," said Pranav Dasai, New Jersey.
Dasai and his friends are not the only ones who think the borough prepared well for the festival.
Thanks to a new traffic pattern and expanded parking options, many festival goers say it was much easier getting into the borough this year than last year.
"One of my friends came here, and for her, it took her like an hour to actually get in and actually find the parking," said Amberly Almanzar, Berks County.
This year, traffic moved much smoother.
"As soon as you get up the hill right here behind us, it only took us probably about 15 minutes to get down into town, so I guess traffic has improved," said Cameron Winarchick, Northampton County.
People enjoyed the PA Villagers Polka Band and shopped at the local vendors while waiting for their time for the scenic train ride.
"And to get back to the pastries over here. Those look good. Yeah, the pastries. They look like it. They're huge," said Tracy Lemaster, Lancaster County.
For many people, the Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival is becoming a yearly tradition.
"The whole vibe. You want to come back here and be with your friends. Like I said, all my friends are here for the first time, and I can hear that they're equally excited so hopefully we'll come back next time," said Dasai.