Hidden pleasures

‘Secret’ places

By Tara Nurin

Philly EDGE Correspondent

A new indie band; “Easter eggs” in your new DVD; that lone french fry that fell to the bottom of your fast food bag during the car ride home.

Some things are better discovered on your own, without hype.

So, you know where the Rocky statue is (now), what to order at the Reading Terminal Market and how to find the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Here are some Philly-area attractions you may not have known existed.

Sunny Rest Resort

425 Sunny Rest Drive

Palmerton

866.SUNNY-50

www.sunnyrest.com

I’m a nudist, she’s a nudist, wouldn’t you like to be a nudist, too? 

If you answered ‘yes,’ even if just to satisfy your curiosity for one day, you can drop trou’ at Sunny Rest Resort, a clothing-optional “naturist” resort, where we’re all free to be you and me. 

Nudged into a hilly, partially-wooded spot in the foothills of the Poconos, Sunny Rest has welcomed overnight hotel guests, campers and casual day-users since 1945. There’s a pool, fitness center, sauna, hot tub, tennis courts and a playground for the kiddies, all where people dress, or undress, as they see fit.  On weekends, visitors can leave their cocktail dresses at home while they dine in the restaurant and hit the on-site nightclub, where they can unabashedly jiggle it to the DJ’s beat.

When asked why some people seek out places where they can be naked together, Myra Mesher, who co-owns the resort with her father-in-law, answered in two words: “Relaxation and freedom.”

Spring Mountain Ski Resort

757 Spring Mount Road
Spring Mount
610.287.7900

www.springmountain-fun.com

What better way to spend a few hours than by raising your adrenaline levels while wearing a strap-on harness and getting groped by some young hotties?  

The new tree-canopy tours at Spring Mountain Ski Resort in Montgomery County provide such an opportunity. 

Fast, heavy-duty zip lines, tree-top challenge courses and high-wire walking make up the thrill of these tours, which vary in length from 1 and-a-half to four hours.  Not for the faint-of-heart, the excursions keep visitors a few hundred feet off the ground, with nothing but their harness, a few carabineers and cables to keep them from plummeting to the hard, cold earth below. 

Some people, like Lygia Cruz, 32, of King of Prussia, find this an amusing way to pass their time.  “The obstacles were a surprise, the zip lines were exhilarating, and we had two young, hot blonde guides.  What more could you ask for?” she said.

Spring Mountain has also just opened up rock climbing tours and geo-caching trips, which are GPS-assisted treasure hunts through the woods.

Arnold’s Go-Karts, Laser Tag and Arcade

422 Business Center, Mill Road

Oaks

610.666.0600

www.arnoldsgokarts.com

When two-time national champion sports car racer Tom Oates feels the need for speed, he zooms over to his favorite go-kart track, Arnold’s Go-Karts, Laser Tag and Arcade, in Oaks.

Arnold’s, which boasts one of the first and only indoor tracks in the country, imports its high-performance electric go-karts from racing leagues in Europe and claims the rides will “outperform many stock sports cars.”

Oates, who sells Corvettes at his self-named Chevy dealership in Chester Springs, regularly brings his customers, fans and racing crew to Arnold’s because: “These cars are fast enough that if you drive them right, they’ll perform like any other race car … as far as the speed to weight ratio goes,” he said.  “Believe me, you don’t want to hit anything in those karts; they go fast enough to hurt you.” 

Racing on a third-of-a-mile course with nine wear-your-helmet turns, these cars and their drivers can feel the rush of powering forward on a track that’s modeled after the European Grand Prix.

Regulars say Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon have even taken a spin.

Olde General Store and Trading Post

2447 Yellow Springs Road

Malvern (village of Cedar Hollow)

610.647.8968

Warning: tripping on psychedelic mushrooms while exploring the overstuffed Olde General Store and Trading Post in Malvern can prove frightening to novice shoppers. We guarantee the overwhelming presence of wild animals – both photographed and hanging (dead, yet menacingly) from the walls and ceiling, historic artifacts from around the globe and even the early 20th century cedar shanties that house this dusty, odd collection will send the uncurious shrieking for their safely familiar big-box chain stores.

“I get two kinds of reactions,” says 78-year-old Ed Finkel, who opened the eclectic shop to display and sell the treasures he (still) finds on his expeditions through the continents. “I get amazing reactions from the school kids … they expect to be bored but they end up looking around and asking a lot of questions.  The other side of the coin is when people come in looking for something modern, shiny and bright.  That’s not my bag.”

A poke through the general store and backyard Road Kill Café is a perfect substitute for would-be travelers without the money to fund their own global adventures. Ed will be more than happy to share his stories. 

The Museum of Mourning Art

2900 State Road

Drexel Hill

610.259.5800

As they say, misery loves company, so we recommend a trip to The Museum of Mourning Art to remedy those end-of-summer blues.  There’s no better way to put your blahs into perspective than a visit to the Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill, whose owners run one of just three museums in the country devoted exclusively to the art, clothes, jewelry and symbols that have represented grief throughout the ages.

One of the more hair-raising trends chronicled in the museum is the jewelry pieces made from human hair.  For centuries, people’s wills instructed their loved ones to commission and wear jewelry made from the hair of the dearly departed.  As such, the museum contains dozens of these rings, necklaces, bracelets and tie pins dating back to 1610.

A museum docent named Elizabeth, who didn’t want to give her last name, explains why the museum has such a unique draw. 

“People come to the museum out of curiosity and discover it to be an extraordinary door to the past,” she said. 

More interested in your own future than humanity’s past?  Feel free to study the 400-year-old manual on how to get into heaven.

Admission is free; call ahead for reservations.

The Shoe Museum at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine

8th and Race Sts.

Philadelphia

215.625.5243

http://podiatry.temple.edu/shoe_museum/shoe_museum.html

Finally, we’ve found a reason to convince the hipper-than-thou ladies of Sex and the City to visit Philly. Oh, wait … the show’s over?  No matter, The Shoe Museum in Philadelphia is still open, and even if Carrie Bradshaw can’t lust over the 1000+ pairs of shoes in the museum’s collection, you can.

The vast permanent display traces international shoe fashions throughout the centuries; a tour guide, meanwhile, offers explanations that place them firmly (and sometimes disturbingly) into historical context. For example: a pair of 19th century shoes a mere three-inches long were worn by a Chinese woman with bound feet who would have required a cane, and sometimes servants, to help her walk, thus reinforcing the female position of dependence and frailty. Nearby, in a brash contradiction to female dependence and frailty, are glitzy Manolo Blahnik’s donated by Joan Rivers.

The Shoe Museum is owned by Temple University’s School of Podiatric Medicine and is open by appointment only.

Grounds for Sculpture

18 Fairgrounds Road

Hamilton, NJ,

609.586.0616

www.groundsforsculpture.org

If you’re looking for a serene place to soothe your wandering soul, take your visiting parents, or cop a first kiss from the girl you’re dating, Grounds for Sculpture is a pleasant, relatively undiscovered sculpture garden and museum at the former New Jersey Fairgrounds.  Two large buildings and a tranquil 35-acre park are home to more than 230 large, contemporary sculptures created by emerging and established artists from around the world. 

Wanna get really cozy with your date?  Bring her to the Grounds at night for a live poetry reading or concert (anything from classical to zydeco to funk/soul fusion) and treat her to a picnic or dinner at one of the three charming café/restaurants on site. Just make sure you don’t trip over another couple making out in one of the dozens of secluded nooks and crannies.  

“There are certain spots we know to avoid later in the evening,” says staffer Nicole Pellino, 23, of Monroe Township, NJ.  “No one really likes it when you walk in on them and invade their privacy."

Museum admission for adults ranges from $5 to $15, depending on the day.