June 22 - 25, 2010: Fort Myers, FL to Frederick, MD
2157.7 nm/2483.0 sm
Check the weather at each stop along the route
Franklin, PA (KFKL)
FRANKLIN, PA (KFKL)
Nestled among rolling hills at the confluence of French Creek and the Allegheny River in northwestern Pennsylvania, Franklin dates to Colonial times. It was the site of four frontier forts, the last of which was built in 1787 and named for Benjamin Franklin. The region has always had a wealth of natural resources, from furs that drew traders in the 1740s to oil that was discovered nearby in 1859. Franklin’s historic commercial and residential areas were built during those oil boom years, with elegant homes and buildings in grand architectural styles earning the town the nickname the Victorian City.
With a population of about 7,000, Franklin is the Venango County seat. Besides its historic district, which is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places, Franklin has excellent dining, lodging and shopping, an extensive bike trail network and a community band, the Franklin Silver Cornet Band, that has been playing since 1856. Among its unique attractions are DeBence Antique Music World, a collection of more than 100 antique automated music machines from the Gay Nineties and Roaring Twenties. The attraction has been named one of the Top Ten Travel Destinations in Pennsylvania and is a recipient of the Travel Industry Award of Excellence.
That’s not the only award-winning facility in the town: the airport is, too. Venango Regional Airport has been named Air Carrier Airport of the Year by the FAA’s Eastern Regional Airports Division. Located 2 miles southwest of town, the airport is a nontowered field, elevation 1,540, pattern altitude 2,340. There are two asphalt runways: 3-21, 5,200 x 150 feet, and 12-30, 3,698 x 100 feet. US Airways provides daily service to Pittsburgh, and there’s a restaurant on the field, Primo Barone’s. Airport information: 814-432-5333. FBO: KB Aviation, 814-437-7672.