BEN to Punxsutawney Groundhog Day Bus Trip 2024
BEN to Punxutawney! We’re headed to the Weather Capital of the World! Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, or BUST!
Mark your calendars! “And don’t forget your booties, cuz it’s cold outside!” On February 1st, and especially February 2nd – GROUNDHOG DAY 2024, we’re taking a trip to see the most famous groundhog in the world.
Normally, we all wait to hear Phil’s Prognostication every year on Groundhog Day from the comfort of home, work, or somewhere else warm. NOT this year. This year, BEN FM and a group of lucky (and brave listeners) are gonna be right in the middle of the action. We’re taking a bus trip out to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to hear the news straight from the rat’s (groundhog’s) mouth. UPDATE: The bus is currently FULL, but there is a wait list (in case of any cancellations) to JOIN US!
We’re so lucky to be just a short(ish) drive away from a famous town with an even more famous groundhog. Join us as we party in the frigid temperatures in the wee hours of the morning, and join thousands of other (crazy) people gathered up at Gobbler’s Knob to watch the prognostication live.
The Plan
We’ll leave the station on Thursday, February 1st 2024 at 10am. We’ll drive to Clearfield, PA (watching the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day over and over again on the way). We’ll stay at a hotel in Clearfield overnight.
It’s not exactly overnight though. We leave the hotel very very early the next morning, Friday, February 2nd, so we don’t miss a bit of the fun at Gobbler’s Knob on Groundhog Day. It’s about a 52-minute ride from our hotel to the party. Once we get there, we’ll take a shuttle bus up to the Knob, and stay until the prognostication is made. Afterward, they usually allow a chance to get a photo with Phil, and then everyone makes their way back into town on the shuttles for more groundhog-themed entertainment. We’ll be able to visit Phil’s wife Phyllis in their full-time burrow at the library too. That afternoon, we go back home. We expect to be back in Bala Cynwyd on Friday, February 2nd by around 6:15pm.
What to expect?
The town goes ALL OUT. It’s perfect. They are so well organized, and the event runs as smoothly as any large event I’ve ever attended. This small town in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (cue Pennsylvania polka here) knows how to throw a party. A big one too. There were an estimated 30,000 people at Groundhog Day 2022, and that was in 14-degree weather.
Yes, it was that cold.
Cold, sure, but the people are nice, and the nonstop entertainment helps you to almost forget how cold you are.
The Party
Things get started at 3am up at Gobbler’s Knob, with lots of entertainment to help distract you from the cold. There are fun hosts, music, dancers, confetti, and even a fireworks show. It’s so great. There are lots of events in town afterward too. We really enjoyed “Groundhog Days in the Park” in Barclay Square and the Community Center. The shuttle bus drops you off right there, and we’ll allow some time to walk around the tents and tables and grab some food before we load up the bus Friday afternoon to return home.
Dress warmly!
Like really warm. This is an outdoor event, likely in the snow. Unfortunately, it can be so uncomfortable that kids and the elderly are not recommended to join us. There’s a bonfire at Gobbler’s Knob if needed, but it’s still pretty tough on your fingers and toes up there. We had the best case scenario without any wind or precipitation last year and we were still very, very cold. It’s still fun though somehow, I promise. We have a cute BEN FM Groundhog Day hat for everyone too.
We worked with Boscov’s Travel to put this shindig together. Again, the bus is currently full, but HERE is the link to be considered for the wait list to join us for BEN to Punxsutawney.
It’s a bucket list trip for sure. We all want to be able to say we’ve BEN to Punxsutawney!