Fire Station Turned Bar. Harry Potter Lawsuit. Jail Tour Sold Out.
Published in Nate’s Jim Thorpe Blog
Category: Food, Lawsuits & Museum Fails
TL;DR:
- Marion Hose Bar has dumplings and used to be a fire station
- There was a Harry Potter café in Jim Thorpe but it’s not called that anymore
- The Old Jail Museum sells out fast
- Nothing went as planned but the day was still solid
First Stop: Dumplings in a Firehouse
There’s a restaurant in Jim Thorpe called Marion Hose Bar that serves really good food inside a converted fire station. The fire poles are still there. You’re basically eating appetizers in a spot where people used to slide down into emergency situations.
I ordered the dumplings. They were firm on the outside, soft and cheesy in the inside, and hotter than expected. Solid order. The menu has other stuff too, but I didn’t get that far. Dumplings won.
The place still looks like a firehouse in a cool way. Not a cheesy way.
Next Stop: The Harry Potter Cafe That Can’t Say Harry Potter
There was a café in Jim Thorpe that leaned hard into the Harry Potter aesthetic. Floating candles, Hogwarts vibes, themed drinks — the whole thing.
But then whoever owns Harry Potter (probably Warner Bros.) got mad. So now the place still exists, but without any officially licensed references. It’s all vague and magical. Still cool inside, just… legally safer.
If you’re looking for a themed coffee and you’re okay with pretending it’s not connected to a massive franchise, you’ll like it.
Final Stop (Kind Of): The Old Jail Museum
Tried to get tickets to the Old Jail Museum for a tour. Fully sold out.
Apparently, if you don’t buy in advance, you’re not getting in. Lesson learned.
The jail is historic, creepy, and allegedly haunted. It’s where the handprint legend is — the one that won’t wash off the wall, even after years of scrubbing.
Didn’t get to see it this time. Maybe next round.
The building looks exactly like a place where someone saw a ghost and never emotionally recovered.
Jim Thorpe in a Nutshell
It’s a town where your lunch might come with a side of history, your coffee might have been involved in a copyright dispute, and your tour might be fully booked. But you still have a good time. That’s the whole vibe.