Cumberland County is located in the scenic Cumberland Valley stretching for 42 miles from the borough of Shippensburg on the west to the banks of the Susquehanna River on the east. For more than 250 years, this valley has been a major thoroughfare, first for Indians, then for fur traders and settlers, and now for travelers. Three major highways converge in Cumberland County, the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76), I-83, and I-81. Cumberland County is located minutes from Harrisburg, Hershey, Gettysburg and Lancaster, and just two hours from Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore.

Visitors remark on the natural beauty of Cumberland County, situated between the North and South mountains. The Susquehanna River, the Conodoguinet Creek, and Opossum Lake provide fine bass fishing, while the LeTort and the Yellow Breeches are nationally-known trout streams. For outdoor enthusiasts the green rolling hills make for great golfing. Three state parks provide boating, swimming, camping, snowmobiling, biking and hiking trails. The mid-point of the famed Appalachian Trail is located in Cumberland County, and during the summer months, thru-hikers can often be seen trekking across the countryside.

The oldest towns in the county are Shippensburg and Carlisle, the county seat. Although both were settled in the 18th century, they each have a different history as well as a very different look and feel. Scattered throughout the county are small towns and villages that grew up around industries such as iron making, paper making, milling, and agriculture. Although they are no longer centers of industry they are charming reminders of village life in a by-gone era. Several towns are clustered near the Susquehanna River in an area known as the West Shore. They each have their own flavor with distinct architecture, shops, restaurants, and nightlife.

Cumberland County has always been a crossroads for history. Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Mark Twain, Geronimo, Robert Frost, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dwight Eisenhower and Norman Schwarzkof have all passed through. Dickinson College, chartered in 1783, and Carlisle Barracks, the second oldest Army post in the U.S., have each played an important role in the county's history. Carlisle Barracks was the site of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School where Jim Thorpe played, and the post is currently the home of the U. S. Army War College. Historic sites abound throughout the county from the monument to Molly Pitcher in Carlisle's Old Graveyard to the pock marks on the columns of the Old Court House made when J.E.B. Stuart and Fitzhugh Lee shelled Carlisle on their way to Gettysburg in 1863. Several county historical societies exhibit the arts and crafts of their areas as well as depicting their local histories. Other museums such as the Union Fire Company Museum, the Fashion Archives at Shippensburg University and the General Omar N. Bradley and Hessian Powder Museums at Carlisle Barracks each tell their own story.

In addition to a lively cultural arts scene that includes art, music, dance, and theatre, a yearly round of fairs, festivals, historical reenactments, parades, and car shows add to the diversity of life in Cumberland County.