National Geographic has just confirmed what many of us in Western Pennsylvania already knew – it is one of the most beautiful places in the world to visit in the fall. National Geographic has listed the Great Allegheny Passage as one of the top 10 in its “Best Fall Trips 2012” chosen by it travel editors. The GAP is the 141-mile rail trail from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, MD that traverses miles of beautiful scenery in our area, including four of our own HeritagePA sites—Allegheny Ridge Heritage Area, Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor, National Road Heritage Corridor and Rivers of Steel …
Each week in my Day Tripper column, I take you to places I think you would like to visit. This time around, I'm telling you about some of the resources I use to help plan my trips — and that could help you find your own great destinations to explore. Hopefully, you'll share your great ideas with me for future Day Tripper columns. To start, check out local visitors bureaus, also known as convention and visitors bureaus. I get great information for many local trips from my friends at Visit Pittsburgh, Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau and the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau. “One of …
1. McConnells Mill State Park is Great for Hiking, White-Water Rafting McConnells Mill State Park is only about an hour north of the Ross Township-West View area and is a great place to spend a day hiking, rock climbing, white-water rafting, having a picnic or just simply relaxing and enjoying nature. 'The World's Coolest Toy Store' is also a quick drive from the park. 2. Amish Cheeses, Wineries and More in Indiana County Indiana County is home to nearly 300 Old Order Amish families — and their food and crafts. 3. One of the Best Places to Star Gaze is a Short Drive from Pittsburgh Cherry …
After the packages are open and the dust settles post-Christmas, it’s time to start planning your New Year’s Eve celebration. Of course, Pittsburgh has a great "First Night" celebration every year on Dec. 31. Thousands of people gather in the city for a safe, fun way to welcome in the New Year. Officially called Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2012, this year's event has some great entertainment acts lined up. Things will kick off at 6 p.m., and early visitors can take in the holiday decorations that still are up and glowing around our beautiful city. First Night buttons allow access to all …
Every once in a while it's great to get away, even for one night. That's why my husband and I decided to stay overnight at the state-of-the-art Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park. You can drive to the Nature Inn from Pittsburgh in about three hours -- and you could do it as a day trip -- but staying at the eco-friendly lodge is a treat. If you're a regular reader of the Day Tripper column, you probably know I love to be outdoors at every chance I get. So when I learned about the new Nature Inn that the Pennsylvania state parks system created I was thrilled. The Nature Inn, which is about 35…
The holidays bring a variety of seasonal activities, and one of my favorite holiday traditions is visiting the Hartwood Mansion at Hartwood Acres. Every year, volunteers decorate the mansion for the holiday season. A few weeks ago, I had a sneak preview of this year’s adornments. It is a must visit for history lovers as well as for those who enjoy the holidays. Hartwood Acres, which is in Indiana and Hampton townships, is part of the Allegheny County Park system. The mansion was once home to John and Mary Flinn Lawrence. Mary was the daughter of William Flinn, a Pittsburgh construction baron …
Like it or not, the holiday season is right around the corner. One of my favorite places to visit and to buy gifts -- at any time of the year -- is the Wendell August Forge in Grove City. Wendell August Forge has a rich history in Grove City. I discovered it when a friend told me about the ornaments and I stopped in the small, red-brick building on a dead-end street near Grove City College. The late Wendell August founded the company in 1923. At 38, August was working at a coal mine in Brockway when he hired Tony Pisoni, a blacksmith from the mine, to make iron hinges for a door in his home. …
I read the history of the barn we were about to tour, and I viewed photos online before we drove there. Still, as we approached the farm, I was in awe of the beauty of the barn. Beauty of a barn? Yes, the old stone barn was that beautiful. Facing the surrounding fields, it looked like the European countryside. Immediately, I was whisked back in history (It also didn’t hurt that we had just visited the historic Harmony cemetery down the lane). We had pulled up in front of the Drover Inn Farm, one of 16 barns on the Barns of Butler County tour. Built on land once part of the Harmonist Society …
A few years ago, I had the great pleasure of traveling to Germany for a tour of the famous WeinhnachtMarkts. Every year during the month of December, thousands of German towns big and small play host to these Christmas markets. Vendors of all sorts sell their wares. The various traditional foods include roasted nuts, bratwurst and sauerkraut, and the very popular Gluwien, a mulled spiced wine, is offered at every corner. We are so lucky in the Pittsburgh area because Germany comes to Historic Harmony for a version of WeinhnachtMarkt every year. This year's market will be Saturday, Nov. 12, …
All three of my children were still in their teens the first time they saw an elk. The first words out of my daughter's mouth were, “This was so worth getting up at 4 a.m.” Pretty strong words coming from a teenager. Not to speak in a cliché, but elk are majestic animals. Huge in stature -- the male elk can weigh as much as 1,000 pounds, the female about 500 pounds -- they amble slowly as they cross fields and stop to munch on grass. As we watched two male elk search for their breakfast, we made a family memory that is stored with many others. We weren’t in Montana or Wyoming when we saw the …
Fall is one of the best times of year in Western Pennsylvania because of our wonderful foliage. There's also plenty to do to celebrate the season, including an array of spooky and fun Halloween events. Cruising for Fall Take advantage of the last few days of warmer weather and enjoy the changing seasons with a ride on the Nautical Nature during the Fall Foliage Pontoon Cruise at Moraine State Park. On weekends through Oct. 30, you can take the 45-passenger enclosed pontoon boat for an enjoyable cruise. Rides are at 1 and 3 p.m. Fees are $10 for adults; $9 for senior citizens age 62 and older…
It might seem odd that a guy who lives in Philadelphia would write a book about the best attractions in Pittsburgh. But author Dan Eldridge considers Pittsburgh home after living in different cities while growing up in a military family. Pittsburgh is where he lived the longest. For a guy who has lived in six states and three countries, that's high praise. Eldridge is the author of the Moon Handbooks travel guide, Pittsburgh. The Avalon Travel guidebook ($17.99) covers many well-known sites, restaurants and attractions of Pittsburgh, along with a few undiscovered treasures. Eldridge studied …
“Take those old records off the shelf...” If you're like me, you'll be singing every old rock-and-roll song you can think of while driving to Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Cleveland is a little more than a two-hour drive from the greater Pittsburgh area. It's an easy drive, too, certainly easy enough for any music lover who wants to visit the museum for a fun-packed day. My daughter, Eliza, and I went to the museum on a girls' holiday, just the two of us. Even though we are a generation apart, we were both excited for our visit. The museum is a 150,000-square-…
Nestled in Butler County about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh, Historic Harmony makes it easy to learn a wealth of information about the bygone days of Western Pennsylvania without driving far from home. Designated as a National Historic Landmark town, Harmony recognizes and honors the Native American, Harmonist and Mennonite settlers of the area with Historic Harmony Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and maintaining the Historic Harmony Museum and the traditions of early pioneers. “Our main museum is located right in the town, but we have eight sites that we maintain,” said John Ruch…
Saxonburg is known as a quaint little town and one that is worth a second look – you’ll definitely do a double-take when you see a miniature Brooklyn Bridge. The Butler County town was founded in 1832 by the German immigrant who designed the Brooklyn Bridge, John A. Roebling, and his brother, Karl. A small model of the famous bridge is in Roebling Park. John Roebling also designed Main Street in the small town. The Roebling brothers named the town after the German state of Saxony. Today, Saxonburg still boasts more than 32 buildings that were built more than a century ago. A walk down Main …
If you ask someone about flood disasters in Pennsylvania, the Johnstown Flood of 1889 probably is the first one that comes to mind. But 100 years ago, the sixth worst flood in the United States, and the second worst in Pennsylvania, hit a small town north of Pittsburgh. Austin, PA, was considered a booming town in 1911. More than 3,000 people lived there, many of them immigrants who came to the area to work in the lumber and paper mills. One of those mills was the Bayless Pulp and Paper Company, an industry that helped make Austin the hub of Potter County, according to historians. David …
When you drive through the roads of North East, PA, in September, the scent of grapes permeates the air. The small town on the shores of Lake Erie is home to acres upon acres of grapes, and with all those grapes come wineries. There are eight wineries in North East. Visiting the area is fun any time of year, but the Wine Festival comes but once a year, in September. This year's event will be Sept. 23-25. North East is about a two-hour drive from the Greater Pittsburgh area and about 20 minutes east of Erie. The wineries play host to thousands of visitors every year who come to visit the …
With the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks approaching, the Pennsylvania site where one of four ill-fated flights crashed on that historic day in 2001 is preparing for a memorial dedication. When hijackers took over United Airlines Flight 93, 33 brave passengers and seven crew members took action and tried to take back command of the flight. The plane crashed at 563 miles-per-hour in the lonely Shanksville field, hitting no buildings or people on the ground. All passengers, crew members and hijackers were killed upon impact at the site, which is about an hour outside …
One of Pittsburgh’s biggest treasures is fairly unknown. It's more of a treasure chest with thousands of valuables. St. Anthony’s Chapel on Troy Hill on the north side of Pittsburgh is filled with more than 5,000 religious first-class relics. That's more than any private collection in the world except the Vatican. Sister Margaret Liam Glenane, assistant director at St. Anthony's, is a wealth of information about the small Catholic chapel. The Rev. Suitbert G. Mollinger of Belgium founded the chapel, she said. “He studied medicine before he was called to be a priest and was asked to come to …
Ask folks about Cherry Springs State Park and they'll probably tell you they've never heard of it – unless, of course, they are astronomers. One of the best places to stargaze in the country is within a few short hours from the Pittsburgh area at the park in Galeton, PA. Cherry Springs State Park recently received national recognition for its incredibly dark skies. According to Chip Harrison, park manager, the honor has brought out the crowds to the park on warm summer nights for stargazing. “The general public is finding out what astronomers have known for years," he said. "This is listed as…
