Where: Orrtanna, Pa.
Why: A young Barbara Walters, bluegrass banjo picking and thousands of long-nosed giants.
How Far: About 78 miles, or 1 1/2 hours from Rockville.
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Some cultural institutions greet you with stone pillars and banners. Mr. Ed's Elephant Museum announces itself via a talking, 9.5-foot-tall fiberglass pachyderm. Eccentricity is the allure of this southern Pennsylvania stop, which was founded in 1975 by Ed Gotwalt and has grown to house more than 6,000 items -- Tiffany lamps with elephants carved on the bases, stuffed animals, ceramic figurines, circus posters, even vintage Republican campaign buttons -- all stuffed into two modest-sized rooms. The animal attractions vie for attention with the yummies of yesteryear (candy buttons on paper tape, for example), as Mr. Ed's doubles as an old-time candy store. And in keeping with the elephant theme, Mr. Ed also roasts jumbo peanuts.
On the way to the elephant parade, grab lunch at Thurmont's Historic Cozy Restaurant, a favored hangout of politicians and media types visiting nearby Camp David. The lobby display case is crammed with snapshots of Ronald Reagan, news clippings about Jimmy Carter and a disarmingly glam photo of Barbara Walters, poofy 1970s hair and all. The nearby Phatt Daddy's collectibles shop boasts such artifacts as ceramic chickens (like on Granny's kitchen counter), an Incredible Hulk lunchbox and a Superman record player.
Next, don't let the name of Lord Nelson's Gallery fool you -- it's an art showroom in Gettysburg that even a commoner can appreciate, with eye-catching Native American pottery and frontier-era paintings. On the way back, swing into the Cactus Flats Inn, where you can bite into a sausage sandwich or giant hamburger. If you ride by on a Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m., you can also catch "bluegrass night," which showcases some of the region's top bands (the Dixie Cannonballs play Nov. 28 and Blue Daze plays Dec. 5). That "high, lonesome sound" rings clear as country water when they're kickin' it live. Tony Sclafani
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