BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. — It's Pennsylvania's most unusual attraction and a place where music lovers can play notes on the most unusual of instruments.
In a huge boulder field in the state's scenic Bucks County, the curious climb over hundreds – maybe even thousands – of rocks, armed with hammers and chock full of a desire to find the perfect note, is Ringing Rocks Park.
Paul Bencivengo runs Bucks County tourism and, in a place named the number one leaf peeping location in the country, Ringing Rocks uniquely stands out as a do-it-yourself musical adventure!
Boulder field is “an outdoor adventure here in Upper Bucks County,” Bencivengo said.
"There's lots of, hiking, biking, kayaking. But the boulder field is eight acres of large boulders," Bencivengo said. "You come out and we say you have a rock band out here, you take the hammer and a third of the rocks make a unique sound. So, it's fun for kids, big kids, where you grab your hammers and you traverse the rocks, and find ones that make some fun noise."
Visit the park and the first question is: how did these acres of rocks get here and what about the unique sounds that are hammered out?
"We understand this was bedrock that's been here for 200 million years, and it was a solid surface of bedrock," Bencivengo said. "Over time, through the different ages in history, the bedrock broke apart. Now we've got these amazing boulders. We know that there have been scientists that came out here in the 1800s to also kind of figure out why the unique sounds."
Bencivengo said many people have posted videos trying to discover what makes it unique.
"It is a great tourist attraction here in the upper parts of the county, where, again, you can kind of roll up the sleeves and jump into the boulder field," Bencivengo said.
Chuck’s Big Adventure in Pennsylvania: Ringing Rocks Park
Every age group visits here, most climbing rock after rock and experimenting with the rocks. Sounds vary. Some are nothing more than dull thuds, but find the right rock and you might be able to hit the perfect note in the Key of C.
If you come, please be careful because walking on the boulders is an iffy situation. It is easy to lose your balance, so use caution not to take a tumble.
Still, the crowds seem to love this site, and boys and girls who climb the rocks get the exercise of climbing and the thrill of bringing their hammer and finding the perfect note.
Bencivengo said it's the perfect place to start on a visit of Bucks County, especially in autumn.
"We get a lot of New Yorkers and Philadelphians that come up for that Upper Bucks experience. The central part of the county is places like Peddler's Village, Doylestown, and Washington Crossing Park, where George Washington went across the river in that famous Leutze painting. That's right here in Bucks County," Bencivengo said.
Then, there's Sesame Place, an amusement park for kids, as well as a casino and the small-town charms of main streets and independent retail.
"There's really tons to do here, really every season," Bencivengo said. "We see that the summer is popular with the kids, fall we really see a lot of boomers and they do long getaways, enjoy the fall foliage in our small towns. And, (on) the holidays, we see a lot of multi-generational, kids with parents and grandparents."
Ringing Rocks is a must visit, with 123 acres of adventure and a place for you to make your own kind of music...with a hammer.