Thursday, December 2, 2021

Explore Schuylkill Holiday Spirit List 2021

Schuylkill County is a rural county, where your woodland escape and historic town adventure can come together naturally. And because of that, we’ve got some fabulous farms and vineyards that will take your holiday to a new level!

Cellar Beast Winehouse in Andreas is one such example. This winery has a full selection of wines and ciders as well as classes, events, and happy hours designed to provide you with a memorable experience in addition to excellent beverages. Hope Hill Lavender Farm in Pottsville will bring an elegant creative flair to any holiday with handmade olive oils, vinegars, chocolates, herbs, teas, sugars, spreads, and honeys featuring their farm’s organic English and French lavenders.

At any of our eleven wineries, five breweries and three distilleries, you’re bound to feel the holiday spirit and have plenty to share with family and friends! JackAzz Distilling Company in Spring Glen has an extensive list of flavored moonshines, rums, whiskeys and ryes  in festive flavors like apple pie, elderberry, spiced rum, and vanilla malt whiskey that will take your cocktail game to the next level. In Tamaqua, Stoker’s Brewing Company’s atmosphere of an authentic German biergarten is bound to please. Take a load off, relax, sip, enjoy.

One of the biggest items on everyone’s holiday to-do checklist is shopping. The time crunch is real and so is the frustration. We can’t help you with the time crunch but we’re definitely on board with a remedy to the frustration associated with shopping and Explore Schuylkill’s Holiday Spirit lists is your anecdote!

Partake in an Eastern European holiday tradition we hold near and dear to our hearts and get some kielbasy. At Kowalonek's Kielbasy Shop in Shenandoah you can purchase old-fashioned handmade specialties including fresh and smoked kielbasa, Krackowska, Kielbasy loaf, Potato Kishki, pierogies, and more. Hess Catering in Schuylkill Haven is the place to go for more delicious coal region favorites including, hand-rolled halupki, traditional bread filling, and authentic city chicken.

No celebration is complete without dessert and we’ve got that covered too. To-die-for holiday pies, cakes, and cookies are the order of the day at Momma Millies Bakery in Pottsville. Momma’s also carries éclair, cannoli, and whoopee pies. Everything is made fresh on premises daily. C&C Candies and Country Store, Inc in Friedensburg has a full array of handmade candy including fresh butter creams, a variety of caramels, chocolates, and peanut rolls. C&C’s also has a bakery complete with fresh breads, rolls, and pies. Nearby in Pine Grove, the Red Lion Cafe’s bakery case includes pies and old-fashioned apple dumplings but in our humble opinion, their cream puffs steal the show!

Our local holiday shopping scene offers relaxing, festive, enjoyable experiences at cool places like Hydrangea Cottage Tea & Gifts, The Nature and Discovery Store, Inc., Drasdis and Son, Leesport Farmers Market and Hometown Farmers Market, Famous Reading Outdoors, Alchemist's Cove Games & Comics, Werner Lumber, Murphy Jewelers, Pressed Coffee & Books, and Schaeffer's Harley-Davidson just to name a few.  Why not treat yourself to some truly unique holiday shopping experiences in Schuylkill County this year? Our community’s holiday spirit list is centered on celebrating the season in small unique settings throughout the county that will provide you with a memorable and enjoyable experience.

Our community consistently ranks high in Pennsylvania for Christmas tree production and at Pioneer Evergreen Farm in Orwigsburg they offer beautiful trees and an abundant assortment of gifts and decor neatly packaged with excellent customer service. While Christmas carols fill the air, friendly staff will greet you and be sure you know exactly where to go. The folks at Pioneer Evergreen invite you to bring the family out and plan to cut your own Christmas tree this year. They offer free baling and trunk drilling, convenient on-site parking, and hot chocolate to complete this old-fashioned yuletide experience.

If you’re looking to save time while shopping this season, plenty of our small businesses and organizations offer online shopping options as well to provide you the opportunity to spend local, shop local, and support local from the convenience and safety of your own home. If you go to www.schuylkill.org, you’ll find some videos on our unique shopping venues as well as pour tour and foodie videos, a local shopping section, and events calendar. We’ve got the resources to help you have an authentic, warm, wonderful, locally-sourced and supported holiday and we hope you’ll join us in Schuylkill County this holiday season.