There wasn’t a time when Brittany Brown didn’t have a camera in her hand, documenting her life as she lived it.

Over time, she developed an interest in sharing her experiences with others. The 31-year-old marketing manager from Bucks County sought an outlet to talk about her visits to local businesses, trips to small towns and time spent outdoors.

That led her to developing her social media accounts and blog – @brittaroundtown. Now, her accounts have thousands of followers that look to her for recommendations on shops, restaurants, day-trips and a lot more.

“My Instagram has grown tremendously as a result of the pandemic,” she said. “People began living through others via what they saw online. They wanted to know what was open, what to do in the great outdoors and about drive-to destinations.”

Information of all things local became something sought after by both the community as well as the businesses who gained exposure in the process. Brittany said she strives to provide her followers and those searching the hashtags experienced based local recommendations for things to do in the area.

One of the areas she began exploring and posting about were her trips to Pennsylvanian’s state parks and forests. Though she had been to a handful of state parks throughout her life, Brittany said she never had much interest in visiting new parks until she discovered the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation Passport.

The spiral-bound book enables participants to track their visits to every state park and forest district. In addition to having a space for each location’s custom stamp, the passport provides state park lovers with a checklist to visit certain overlooks, hike particular trails and more.

“After taking it home and reading the brief descriptions about the different parks,” Brittany said “I found the passion to visit all of the state parks in Pennsylvania and all that each of them have to offer.”

Brittany said she loves that there is something different to look forward to at each park. They all offer something unique and memorable. One park features ski slopes while another allows you to view the cosmos. They have so much to offer to visitors.

Brittany said the Passport has inspired her to visit all 121 state parks.

“I now have a dream of purchasing a camper and traveling all around the state visiting every single one of the parks and highlighting the small towns and businesses in each area along my journey!,” she said.

Brittany takes her followers on the journeys she’s going on – from kayaking at Prompton State Park to taking in the views at Colton Point State Park.

“It is so rewarding every time I get to place a stamp in my book and also serves as a souvenir from each location,” Brittany said. “Another thing I love is that occasionally I am able to meet and chat with park rangers in the process of collecting the stamps who are able to provide me with some fun tips and history about each park.”

As of June 2022, Brittany said she’s been to 21 parks. The parks that stick out in her mind include Ricketts Glen State Park, Delaware Canal State Park, Colton Point State Park and Kinzua Bridge State Park.

Seeing so much growth on her social media platforms, Brittany said she is putting the wheels into motion to take her social media hobby into a full time business. Luckily, that means a lot more posts about her visits to state parks in the future.

“My recent motto has been the popular quote: ‘The world is too wide to stay in one place and life is too short to do just one thing,’” Brittany said. “There is so much beauty to see in the world and PA State Parks provide an excellent chance to experience some of the beauty right in our own backyards.”

Written by guest blogger Christian Alexandersen, this post is the second in a new series featuring outdoor influencers focused on PA’s parks and forests! This series will highlight those who explore, adventure in, and steward the state’s parks and forests.

Do you know someone that you think should be featured? Be sure to tag us on Instagram at @paparksandforests.