Punxsutawney

Punxsutawney is a borough in southern Jefferson County in the Pennsylvania Wilds, famous nationwide for Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog of Groundhog Day fame, who is traditionally said to determine for the nation whether summer will come sooner or later. Upon popping out of bed on the second of February, if he sees his shadow and returns to the security of his hole in fright, then — so the story goes — the U.S. can be assured that it will be in for a cold, long, rainy spring! See North American wildlife for more on the species.

Get in
Punxsutawney is really in the middle of nowhere&mdash;about two hours west of State College, a little less than two hours northeast of Pittsburgh, and an hour and a half northwest of Altoona. It's right off I-80&mdash;take exit 101 to PA-255 S, then turn left on Brady St/US-119, which will take you right to the center of town.

From Pittsburgh you'll have a scenic drive up PA-28 to Kittanning, where you'll need to connect to PA-85 east, then eventually turn left on PA-210, which will finally take you to a left on US-119.

From Altoona/I-99, just follow PA-36 straight to the center of town.

Talk
Time to brush up on your Pittsburghese! Rest assured, the Groundhog Day Ceremonies will be conducted in English, though likely in an accented, regional dialect. Punxsutawney, known as 'Punxy' to the locals, is in Western Pennsylvania, where the majority of residents speak American English with a Pittsburgh regional accent.

See


Visitors expecting to see sights from the Bill Murray film Groundhog Day will be disappointed; that movie was actually shot in Woodstock, Illinois.

There are over 30 fiberglass statues of groundhogs throughout the town.


 * The town also has a lot of quaint old buildings, many of them from the 19th century.
 * The town also has a lot of quaint old buildings, many of them from the 19th century.
 * The town also has a lot of quaint old buildings, many of them from the 19th century.
 * The town also has a lot of quaint old buildings, many of them from the 19th century.