Touring Towanda, PA

A river town where stages, porches, and park benches become galleries

Towanda rests in a bend of the North Branch of the Susquehanna, a small county seat with big cultural reach. Here, the Bradford County Regional Arts Council (BCRAC) anchors a thriving arts community from a historic opera house-turned-theatre on Main Street, while a one‑mile river walk, public concerts, and front‑porch festivals turn the whole town into a stage. It’s a place where you can sip coffee under local artworks, stroll the river, paddle right into downtown, and end the night beneath a century‑old theatre ceiling gilded by stage lights.

Here’s how to spend a day where the Susquehanna, the arts, and community all braid together.

Photo courtesy of WENY News.

Riverfront Wake‑Up: Walk, Watch, Wander

Begin along the Towanda River Walk, a paved, one‑mile path that parallels the Susquehanna beside Merrill Parkway. Benches face the water, boat access points slip down to the river, and small parks connect you back up to Main Street. So you never feel far from town or from the water. With almost no elevation change and multiple entrances along its corridor, it’s as friendly to strollers and kids as it is to sunrise walkers.

At the south end you’ll find Bradford County Veterans Memorial Park and nearby riverfront access; at the other end, residential sidewalks lead you past historic houses that hint at Towanda’s railroad and canal days. Watch the light move across the ridgeline and you’ll see why photos of “that view of the Susquehanna with the mountain behind it” keep popping up in local camera rolls.

Photograph courtesy of The Historical Marker Database.

“One Cup at a Time” on Main Street

Follow the short climb from Merrill Parkway up to Main Street and settle in at Community Cup Coffee & Tea House. Their mission is right in the name: “to provide a place to build relationships, one cup at a time, one person at a time”. It’s the kind of cafe where no one rushes you out with walls that double as a mini‑gallery. Locals praise the lattes, bubble tea, breakfast sandwiches, and quiet corners ideal for sketching, journaling, or planning the rest of your day.

If you want another quirky caffeine stop later, Madhouse Emporium, coffee & randomness, leans into its name with coffee plus an eclectic mix of “random” goods in a fun, off‑Main‑Street setting.

Photograph courtesy of Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency.

Where Opera Became Cinema: The Keystone Story

A few doors down, Towanda’s cultural heart glows behind a vintage marquee: the Keystone Theatre. Opened in 1887 as Hale’s Opera House, this building has seen opera, vaudeville, silent films, “talkies,” and digital projection. When the theatre fell on hard times in the 1980s, the newly formed Bradford County Regional Arts Council (BCRAC) stepped in, buying and restoring it as part of a three‑theatre effort that saved the county’s last historic cinemas in Towanda, Sayre, and Canton.

Today, the Keystone hosts first‑run films, live theatre, concerts, schooltime shows, and community events. From youth musicals like Madagascar Jr. to productions of The Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. A million‑dollar restoration peeled back the drop ceilings, reopened the balcony, restored original plasterwork, repaired its 550 seats, and returned the proscenium stage to full use. Step into the lobby and you’re standing in northeast Pennsylvania’s oldest operating theatre, still curated by BCRAC as both movie house and community arts center.

Photograph courtesy of Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency.

Paddles, Legends, and a Soft Landing in Town

If the river’s calm, trade walking shoes for a paddle on the Towanda reach of the Susquehanna North Branch. One classic run: put in at Larnard‑Hornbrook County Park in Sheshequin and float 4.5 gentle miles down to Towanda Borough Access or Towanda Riverfront Park, right below town.

The route passes Bald Eagle Island, the mouth of Sugar Creek, and remnants of the old North Branch Canal aqueduct. Downstream, you’ll see a painted face on the cliff rocks. Local lore traces it to an 18th‑century diary by Julia Anna Sheppard Perkins describing a tragic fall from the cliffs—one of many stories that braid local history into the river corridor.

Towanda Riverfront Park, offers picnic tables, a pavilion, restrooms, and walkable access to downtown food and lodging. It’s one of the rare Pennsylvania river towns where you can beach your kayak, walk a few hundred yards, and be holding a mug of locally roasted coffee or a plate of tacos.

Photograph courtesy of Susquhanna Greenway Partnership.

Towanda After Dark: Parks, Porches, and the Proscenium

When the sun starts to drop, Towanda doesn’t go quiet—it just shifts stages. In warm months, look for Concerts in the Park at East Side Riverfront Park or the riverfront green. Free, kid‑ and pet‑friendly evening shows where locals bring lawn chairs, meet neighbors, and listen to regional bands from 7–9 p.m. beside the Susquehanna.

Some years, Towanda’s energy spills onto front steps during Porchfest, a community music day where porches become mini‑stages and musicians rotate from house to house. It’s a very Towanda way to experience live music: informal, walkable, and as much about chatting with neighbors as about the set list.

On other nights, the spotlight returns indoors at the Keystone Theatre. Slide into a restored balcony seat for a movie, a touring concert, or a community show from Winding River Players, Bradford County’s oldest nonprofit theatre group. Born in 1980 and still staging plays in downtown Towanda. Under the proscenium arch, the line between “audience member” and “participant” gets blurry; BCRAC’s long arts‑in‑education work means half the crowd has been on that stage at some point in their lives.

Photograph courtesy of Winding River Players.

In Towanda, the river is never just scenery, and the arts are never tucked away in one building. A one‑mile river walk doubles as a front porch for town life. A kayak trip can end at a coffeehouse hung with local art. A Victorian opera house rescued by volunteers now anchors a regional arts council that seeds residencies in schools, youth camps, and libraries across the Northern Tier.

Tacos, Wings, and River Views

By now, you’ve earned a good meal. Towanda’s compact downtown keeps dining close to both Main Street and the river:

Woody’s Ale House & Grille – A revamped Main Street bar and grill with a locally loved menu: crisp wings, big sandwiches, and “Aunt Barb’s Iced Tea” in a lively, sports‑bar‑meets‑small‑town‑pub setting.
The Flying Taco Mexican Grill – Perched right along the Susquehanna, this spot specializes in street tacos, arrachera adobo steaks, and hand‑crafted margaritas, plus Mexican beers and IPAs. Patio, deck, and cantina seating keep you close to the water on a good‑weather day.
Captains Pub – A classic neighborhood bar and restaurant a short stroll from the Keystone, ideal for a pre‑show burger or post‑paddle drink.

Even quick meals feel connected to the river; in good weather, you can walk your food back to a bench on Merrill Parkway and watch the evening light move down the valley.

Photograph courtesy of Woody’s Ale House & Grille.