Don’t tell any Texans you know this, but not everything that is bigger is necessarily better, so if you bear that in mind while arriving to this particular Home Depot, you might find yourself in for a little pleasant surprise. The lot itself is somewhere between small and medium so while this likely means less space and more congestion, I found the opposite to be true. Even though it was a mid-morning on a Saturday (which should be prime time for a Home Depot, right?) the parking lot was, for the most part, pretty empty. This allowed us the opportunity to easily find parking, of which I would highly recommend the northwestern corner of the lot that is furthest away from the storefront.
So should you find yourself passing through the state capital of the Keystone State like I was and in need of an overnight landing pad to call home for the night with your RV, 5th Wheel or Big Rig in mind, then you will find welcomed respite in this otherwise innocuous retail complex, which may offer up one of this locales greatest asset– the close proximity to all of the shopping and 'gnoshing' amenities that you will find yourself surrounded by here at Paxton Town Centre, but more on that later. As for the environ, we felt safe and secure throughout our stay, experienced very minimal noise off passing by traffic and roadways (as this Home Depot is encircled by more of a frontage road than a 4- or 6-lane busy inner-city major thoroughfare).
With the parking lot itself in mind, it’s relatively flat(not a difficult thing to find here in central PA) with no obstacles to be concerned with in the parking lot like rental machinery, towering bags of mulch or semi-permanent shed structures to contend with or maneuver around. What I liked most about this particular spot is that within just minutes from exiting the primary beltway in and around the Pennsylvania state capital, you’ll find yourself edging up to the shady side of this orange fixer-upper and dropping anchor in no time flat. Add to this, again, that the confines are smaller and thus more intimate and the place almost feels cocoon-like, giving you a really good sense that tucking in here for the night wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) In the event that you need to load up on anything, within the immediate vicinity, obviously there is this Home Depot, but beyond this, just a couple stone’s throw away, you’ll find a very busy Costco and apart from this, there’s also a PetCo, Kohl’s, Books-A-Million, Ross, Home Goods, Kirkland’s Home, Dollar Tree, Giant, Rite Aid, CVS, Best Buy, Marshall’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Joann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby and, most importantly, a well-stocked PLCB Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium store; (2) While only about 30 minutes away, don’t forget you are so close to Hershey Park & Gardens that you’ll be surprised you hadn’t smelled the waves of chocolate in the air, so if you haven’t thought of this, you may want to plan a half day trip there; (3) Once you grow weary of trying to conjure up that next meal from the remains of what is inside of your mini on-board fridge or roto-molded Cordova cooler, there’s an endless number of blasé national chain restaurants like Chick-fil-A, Olive Garden, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers& Brews, Chipotle, 5 Guys and Mission BBQ … but if you want something truly amazing, head on over to Beer Garden & Eatery; and (4) Should you want to stretch your legs, take your furry pal to perform his duty or just enjoy some natural green space, then head due west to Brightbill Park, where you can catch a baseball game, go for a hike, shoot some hoops or grill some burgers under a pavilion and enjoy a hearty meal at one of the many picnic tables.
Happy Overnighting!
