Once a spa destination, Cambridge Springs offers calm near nature
Cambridge Springs is a borough in northwestern Crawford County with a historic downtown surrounded by state game land, naturally preserved forest and farm fields. “It’s a really small community that’s more rural living at its finest,” says Realtor Kristin Horner with Re/Max Hometown Realty, who has nearly a decade of experience.
The land was famous for its mineral springs from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. “People were traveling from all over the world because, ultimately, the springs were thought to be like the fountain of youth, so there used to be a handful of gigantic hotels there,” Horner says. Spa tourism fueled the local economy, and passenger trains would arrive with hotel guests eager to experience the waters. Eventually, train services to the area ceased, and manufacturing became a significant economic contributor.
Shopping and dining variety downtown and a brewery on historic land
Downtown Cambridge Springs has The Villa Restaurant and Lounge, which serves pub fare, and Old Tyme Café, open for breakfast and lunch. Local shops in the area range from the Walker’s Buttons & Bows consignment shop to Finney’s Chocolate Shoppe. Kelly Run Gallery is also downtown. Countryside Farm Market is a family-owned and operated grocery store about 3 miles from downtown. Riverside Brewing Company was built on the site of the historic Riverside: The Inn at Cambridge Springs, which was destroyed by a random kitchen fire in 2017. The inn was the last grand hotel remaining from the borough's past as a spa destination. Today, the brewery’s patio has a restored silo and stage, which hosts local musicians weekly.
Centuries-old homes downtown and sprawling properties nearby
Foursquare and Victorian homes are clustered near downtown, and multi-story Traditional homes are common from there to the borough's outskirts. “Most homes were built in the 1800s, so if you like history and old charm, Cambridge Springs is the place for you to be,” Horner says. Some of the Traditional homes were built after 1950. Houses in the central region often have less than a half-acre of property, and many properties on the outskirts have multiple acres, some over 10 acres. Depending on factors like home condition and property size, prices range from around $20,000 to $320,000.
Hunting, watersports on the French Creek and Riverside Golf
State Game Lands No. 277 spans over 1,100 acres and includes huntable areas populated with deer and woodcock. The land features, ponds, swamps and the French Creek, a popular kayaking and canoeing destination. Northwestern REC Community Forest is a 106-acre preserved forest, where hunting is allowed. Brink Drive Recreation Area spans two baseball fields and a football field, where the Cambridge Area Little League and Cambridge Springs Little Gridders youth teams play. Riverside Golf is a public course on U.S. Route 19 with a contemporary American restaurant named “The Rambler.” The restaurant is named after a late 1800s nomad who used Cambridge Springs as his unofficial home base when he was not hopping on trains and writing stories about his adventures.
Schools in Penncrest School District’s Cambridge Springs campus
Penncrest School District serves several rural school systems with three regional campuses. The Cambridge Springs campus includes Cambridge Springs Elementary, a kindergarten through sixth-grade school. Niche gives it a C-plus grade and Cambridge Springs Junior/Senior High School a B-minus overall. The high school has an Advanced Placement Program, so students can take courses and test for potential college credit. Only a few AP classes are offered, including AP physics and AP U.S. History.
A state correctional facility and routes to nearby cities
Many manufacturing companies are clustered between the railroad tracks and French Creek. The State Correctional Institution Cambridge Springs, another economic contributor, is on Center Street. Pennsylvania Route 86 connects Cambridge Springs to Meadville, including the Meadville Medical Center, about 15 miles away. U.S. Route 19 ties the downtown to Erie in around a 30-mile drive, and Pennsylvania Route 99 leads to the Erie International Airport, roughly 25 miles from the borough.
