Dickinson College, founded in 1773 and one of the oldest colleges in Pennsylvania, and the separately run Dickinson School of Law are within walking distance to the center of town. T he old Courthouse shows scars from the shelling it received during the Civil War, when just before the Battle of Gettysburg Jeb Stuart and his Confederate troops invaded the town, battled Union soldiers on the Square and burned Carlisle Barracks. The Cumberland County Historical Society, also a short walk from the center of town, gives visitors a genuine look at Carlisle's history and its people. Carlisle may revere its past, but there's plenty more to do right here in the present. Hike the nearby Appalachian Trail.
Sparkling streams offer some of the best trout fishing in the nation.
Our car shows are internationally renowned. Our annual Harvest of the Arts Festival and Octubafest, held each October in appealing downtown Carlisle, has been touted as one of the best on the East Coast. The only athlete in the world to play and coach a world championship professional football team, play for a world series baseball team, and win 2 gold medals in the Olympics.