Groundhog Day is almost here in 2026, and Punxsutawney Phil, perhaps the fuzziest and cuddliest weather predictor around the globe, is almost ready for his time in the spotlight.
The most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania gives his prediction each Feb. 2 at Gobbler’s Knob, the location of Phil’s “official” home, where crowds gather every year to hear whether we’re getting six more weeks of winter or an early spring.
While this is the location most commonly associated with Punxsutawney Phil, it’s not where the groundhog lives year-round.
Here’s a little more about where Phil lives when it’s not Groundhog Day.
Where does groundhog Punxsutawney Phil live the rest of the year?
Groundhog Day is a massive to-do in Punxsutawney, a tiny borough of about 5,000 people located in Jefferson County, 80 miles away from Pittsburgh. Each Feb. 2, the town could draw as many as 40,000 people to Gobbler’s Knob, about eight times Punxsutawney’s population.
But all throughout the year, tourists can pay Phil a visit at the Punxsutawney Library, right along Barclay Square. And it’s probably a better opportunity to see him up close with fewer crowds to contend with.
Phil has a little pen inside the library, with a window looking outside onto the square. Above the window, there’s a little awning to give Phil some shade, marked with the words “Phil’s Burrow.”
Phil’s Burrow along Barclay Square at the Punxsutawney Library in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is seen in this January 2020 photo. Through the glass, fans can see Phil and his wife Phyllis.
Christina Horsten/picture alliance via Getty Images
Phil lives in the burrow with his wife Phyllis. They had two babies in 2024, apparently Phil’s first time becoming a parent in over 100 years.
In case you’re planning a road trip, you can easily find this location on Google Maps, complete with many photos and videos of visits to Phil’s home by his fans. You might see him curled up in a beam of sunlight or hunkered under a rock in his burrow.
Throughout the year, Phil also gets out to stretch his legs, thanks to members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club and the “inner circle”: tasked with putting on Groundhog Day festivities, caring for Phil, and logging his great weather wisdom.
“We care for Punxsutawney Phil, we have to make sure that the zoo is up to standards, that he’s fed well every day and healthy. And then we have events throughout the whole year that we attend and Phil attends, and all of it is us donating our time to the community,” Tom Dunkel, President of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, told CBS News Philadelphia last year.
One recent outing in 2026 took Phil to a cidery and brewery in State College, Pennsylvania.
A.J. Dereume, a local roofer, is Phil’s official handler. He’s appeared in multiple FAQ-style videos catered to school students where he explains his role with the groundhog club and the fuzzy master whom he serves.
“I feed him, I take him to his vet appointments, and make sure he’s safe and happy and healthy, but that’s a fun job too. It takes some time, but I do enjoy it,” Dereume says in one video.
There are statues of Phil all around the center of town that you can see as well. And if you’re visiting, Gobbler’s Knob has other Phil-related sights to see.
“On that property we have our stage, we have a welcome center and pavilion and a banquet hall,” Dunkel said.
Every summer, the groundhog club has a summer picnic where Phil gets a drink of the “elixir of life.”
“And each sip that he takes of the elixir of life grants him seven more years of life. And on most years, he’ll take… 6 or 7 sips,” Jason Grusky, the PGC’s secretary and a local teacher, said in one of the FAQ videos.
He then paused to acknowledge he unintentionally referenced a meme: “6-7!”
Phil “is going to be around a long, long time,” Grusky said.
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