BY TIM VETTER | PHOTOS BY JOSHUA COATES
ONE MUST TRULY LIVE A FULL LIFE to have a town named after them, and groundbreaking athlete Jim Thorpe lived a full life indeed. The first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal (he won two in 1912), in addition to track and field he would go on to play basketball, baseball, and football on a professional level.
The Poconos town that bears his name has much to offer in all seasons—nestled high up in the mountains, it’s often referred to as the Switzerland of America. In winter, the nearby Blue Mountain Ski Resort is a popular destination for skiing. Winter is also a cozy time for exploring culinary options and for taking in the town’s idyllic beauty.
The town of Jim Thorpe was created by the merging of Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk. The name Mawsch Unk, meaning Bear Place, was bestowed by the Munsee-Lenape Nation who first inhabited the land. Jim Thorpe the man, a member of the Sac and Fox Nation, was born in Oklahoma but his road to an athletic career began at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Though Thorpe had never been to Mauch Chunk, his widow Patricia had his remains moved to the town after money that was earmarked by a previous Oklahoma governor for a proper burial and monument was later denied by the new governor Johnston Murray. According to the Mauch Chunk Historical Society, a local Pennsylvania newspaper editor named Joe Boyle had raised money through a “nickel-a-week” fundraiser for the town in the post-war years, which hit the national newswire and garnered the attention of Thorpe’s widow. Boyle had been an admirer of Thorpe’s career, and he used the funds he raised to collaborate with Mrs. Thorpe on bringing the Olympian’s remains to the town.
His legacy as the first Native American Olympic medal holder is immortalized at the Jim Thorpe Memorial Hall at Memorial Park in the town that has borne his name since 1954.
8AM
BREAKFAST AT DONERDS
Your days in Jim Thorpe should start early, as you look for limited parking in this popular spot. Look in either the railway lot or a local pay lot. Afternoon parking options are few and far between.
After arriving in town, one’s day must start at Donerds Donuts (pronounced dough-nerds), owned by Andrew Underwood and Annabel Figueroa Herrera. The pair met in Chile, where they started Donerds out of a VW bus on the streets of Santiago. The self-taught pastry chefs first opened a brick-and-mortar donut shop in Chile, which they brought to the States when they returned here in 2019. (In 2023, they opened a second location in Bethlehem).
Arrive early and you’re likely to find over a dozen donut options, full of colors and sweet aromas. Take, for example, the fluffy blueberry French toast donut and the bacon-maple donut with real slices of bacon. Winter brings its own seasonal offerings. The Peppermint Mocha Delight is a chocolate cake donut with a creamy white chocolate glaze, crushed candy cane and a drizzling of dark chocolate. Or maybe Snowy Vanilla Wonderland is more your speed, with a vanilla bean glaze, almond extract, and a dusting of edible silver mimicking the tinsel wrapped around a Christmas tree.
(For customers arriving later in the day, Donerds shares its building with Wild Elder Wine and Cider Company, which specializes in folk wines and ciders made from native fruits and flowers.)
10:30AM
RIDE THE LEHIGH GORGE SCENIC RAILWAY
This 75-minute train ride travels the Reading and Northern mainline, providing views of the Lehigh River and Glen Onoko before arriving in Penn Haven for the return trip. In the winter this ride provides a unique feel, as bare trees sparkle under snow cover and evergreens line the mountains like rows of Christmas trees. The Santa Claus Special runs until December 24, giving children a chance to meet Santa Claus at the North Pole on a train car decorated for the holiday. (The first ride during the December holiday season departs on most days at 10:30am, leaving plenty of time to explore the town.)
NOON
LUNCH AT NOTCH EIGHT CRAFT HOUSE
Founder Jon Reddon originally bought the building housing Notch Eight in 2017 and lived upstairs while the building went through its first gutting and renovation. The restaurant opened in July 2018 with an aesthetic inspired by Reddon’s love of steampunk and nautical imagery. The upstairs dining room tables sit atop wooden casks, giving one the feel of eating within the hull of an ancient ship.
Reddon works closely with Chef Rory Flynn to create a unique and delicious menu, which draws inspiration from the street food the proprietor enjoyed during travels around the world. Order a full spread of street food favorites like Korean bao buns, roast pork Cubano sandwiches, and spicy jerk shrimp tacos. All beers and spirits are made by Pennsylvania companies, so grab a local lager and catch a midday buzz.
2PM
SHOP AT JIM THORPE OLIVE OIL COMPANY
Broadway winds through Jim Thorpe, running from the town’s northeast to the southwest, like a trail inked on a treasure map. Storefronts are home to local artisans, book stores, antiques shops, and clothiers. Every business deserves your attention, but the Jim Thorpe Olive Oil Company (formerly the Artsy Olive) beckons with its dozens of olive oils and vinegars that want to be sampled and purchased.
Entering the shop is like walking into a wizard’s lair full of potions and tinctures, full of extra virgin olive oils and delicious combinations like coffee-infused balsamic vinaigrette and rich, earthy black truffle olive oil. In addition to oils, you might get lucky and be able to sample soup, dips and and even decadent blood orange olive oil brownies, all of which highlight olive oil’s versatility.
4PM
STABIN MUSEUM, CAFÉ ARIELLE, AND VIC’S JAZZ CLUB
Allow some time here; you’ll need it. Victor Stabin is a New York–born illustrator who left the commercial art world after 25 years and moved to Pennsylvania. His body of work includes Daedal Doodle, an illustrated ABC book with alliterative names for his animal and mythological creations, and The Turtle Series, an allegorical turtle painting series.
The Stabin Museum is housed in a former wireworks factory that provided the steel cable needed for suspension bridges, including the Brooklyn Bridge. The museum features Stabin’s full body of work, including earlier drawings, dozens of paintings, and the album cover he designed for Kiss Unmasked. The museum’s halls are full of wonder, like a home designed by the ceaseless creativity and curiosity of a child.
Café Arielle is much more than a simple café. French-trained Chef John Henri Hunt’s menu is ideal for lunch, dinner, or a snack break while exploring the museum. (In season, outside seating in the Avant Garden places customers in a floral setting next to a rocky outcrop.) Stabin always recommends the duck confit egg rolls, an addictive crunchy and savory mashup of French and Asian flavors.
Vic’s Jazz Loft is an intimate performance space that features a stage in the center of the room, allowing for in-the-round performances that blur the boundary between performer and audience. The stage is sought after by some of the best modern jazz musicians from around the world.
7PM
DINNER OPTIONS
Ouros is a casual bar and restaurant with an astrological and metaphysical theme. The name is a play on an ouroboros, the symbol for the eternal cycle of creation and destruction, represented by a circular serpent eating its own tail.
Gilded astrological symbols mark the wooden steps leading to the restaurant’s second floor. Live music features local singers on Thursdays and Sundays. The menu includes comforting pub fare like beef sliders, shrimp po’ boy sliders, and tangy chicken wings, as well as steaks (New York strip and filet), and seafood options like Cajun blackened salmon and Chilean blue mussels over linguine. Grab a seat at the bar, order a steak, and ask your barkeep for the latest seasonal cocktail.
Moya was founded 17 years ago by Chef Heriberto Yunda. He came to the U.S. from Ecuador and worked in kitchens in New York City until he and his wife, Stephanie Verme, a professional artist whose abstract paintings adorn the walls of Moya, moved here 20 years ago. Today, Moya is widely considered to be the best option for dining out in Jim Thorpe, evidenced by a packed dining room on most nights.
The menu encourages sharing, and all the dishes utilize high-quality ingredients to expertly create layers of flavor. To fully experience Chef Heri’s cooking, at least one plate from each section of the menu should be ordered, including house-made pasta like fresh fusilli with spinach and tomatoes, a seafood item like the spicy and savory red curry shrimp, meat like the fall-off-the-bone beef short ribs, and a salad like the goat cheese salad with a healthy serving of cheese that is blackened and crispy on the outside and deliciously gooey on the inside.
YOUR DAY AT A GLANCE
Donerds Donuts
76 Broadway
570.732.8508
Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway
1 Susquehanna St.
570.325.8485
Notch Eight Craft House
107 Broadway
570.732.4599
Jim Thorpe Olive Oil Company
91 Broadway
484.892.1280
Victor Stabin Museum / Café Arielle / Vic’s Jazz Club
268 W. Broadway
570.325.5588
Ouros
70 Broadway
570.325.2024
Moya
24 Race St.
570.325.8530
