There is nothing like a trip to refresh your perspective, but if you can’t pack your bags and hit the jetway, I recommend just hopping in the car and hitting the road for the day. From Downtown there are plenty of places to go that are well under a two-hour drive. These destinations offer enough of a variety of things to see, do and eat to recharge your batteries and make you feel as though you’ve really been somewhere. Try to plan your escape any day but Monday. Museumand restaurants seem to be closed that day. These easy drives will deliver you from rut, routine and the relentless demands of daily life.
Ohiopyle
See it: Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob are two of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s gems, located within a few minutes’ drive of each other. Call for ticket reservations: Fallingwater, 724-329-8501; Kentuck Knob, 724-329-1901.
Buy it: Handmade walking stick at the Fallingwater Gift Shop. Perhaps also a sketch pad and pencils to make an old-school journal about your visit.
Hike it: You can go for hours or just a stroll along the Youghiogheny River on the Ferncliff Peninsula trails that are just across the river from the general store.
Bike it: Experience the stretch of Great Allegheny Passage trail that runs through Ohiopyle. There are 18 miles of it in Ohiopyle State Park.
Raft it: Whitewater rafting on the Youghiogheny River is a seasonal option. Check out Ohiopyle Trading Post & River Tours (4 Negley St.) You can ride the upper, lower and middle parts of the river, depending on how rough you like it.
Eat it: Bittersweet Cafe (205 Farmington-Ohiopyle Road, closed Tues.-Weds.) grows its their own vegetables and offers burgers, BLTs, pies and cakes.
Drink it: Whether you crave a local beer or a good stiff one, Falls City Pub (112 Garrett St.) is a very casual rafters hangout.
- Population: 59
- Drive time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.
- Why go? The Laurel Highlands and Fallingwater.
Greensburg
See it: The Westmoreland Museum of American Art (221 N. Main St.) is intimate and engrossing. Newly remodeled, it recently received half of the art collection owned by the late publisher Richard Mellon Scaife. On the drive up or back, go to the Big Mac Museum Restaurant (9061 Route 30), a McDonald’s where memorabilia include a giant Big Mac sculpture.
Eat it: A short walk downhill from the museum is Connection’s Cafe (112 N. Main St.), where you can do an earthy shot of wheat grass juice and enjoy organic salads and gluten-free grilled cheese sandwiches. Directly across the street is White Rabbit Cafe (113 N. Main St.), which offers coffee, cookies and brownies — oh, my! For dinner head to The Supper Club in the century-old train station (101 Ehalt St.). It claims to be the city’s only true farm-to-table restaurant.
Drink it: The Supper Club’s Greensburg Mule — made with vodka, ginger beer and lime — is a local take on the Moscow Mule. Headkeepers (618 S. Main St.) offers more than 600 draft and bottled brews along with American-style tapas, so it’s a popular place to plop.
Buy it: The mini mall that is UFO Antiques (320 S. Pennsylvania Ave.) is dark and filled with that old dusty, musty air, so some finds are possible.
- Population: 14,660
- Drive time: 45 to 60 minutes.
- Why go? The Westmoreland Museum of American Art.
Indiana
See it: The Jimmy Stewart Museum (835 Philadelphia St.) is dedicated to the late actor. Another good stop is the Kipp Gallery at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (403 S. 11th St.). The Clark House (200 S. Sixth St.) is a Victorian mansion and genealogical-research library with rotating exhibits (closed Sun.-Mon.).
Photograph it: Harmon’s Covered Bridge (1128 Blue Spruce Road) was built in 1910.
Hike it: Blue Spruce Park (1128 Blue Spruce Road) has 6 miles of trails and a 12-acre lake that make it a great spot for picnics, bird-watching and people-watching.
Walk it: The campus of Indiana University of Pennsylvania may inspire you to take a graduate course or two.
Watch it: See a movie at the Palace Gardens Drive-in (225 Indian Springs Road). Built in 1950, it’s still open on summer Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Eat it: There are lots of choices, including Josephine’s Pizzeria & Enoteca (1037 Philadelphia St.), where the pasta and sauces are great but it’s the specialty pizza pies that tantalize.
India Grill (1047 Philadelphia St.) has just four tables, but you can take out the lamb curry and more. Cafe Amadeus Roast & Brew (628 Philadelphia St.) serves coffee with pastry and panini.
- Population: 15,055
- Drive time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why go? The hometown of actor Jimmy Stewart.
Harmony
See it: Harmony Museum (218 Mercer St., closed Mon). Plan to spend an hour learning about the Delaware Indians and George Washington and seeing how the Harmonists, a small religious cult from Germany, lived and why they became celibate.
Tour it: The Harmonist and Mennonite cemeteries are great for pondering the passage of time.
Drink it: Harmony Inn (230 Mercer St.) offers an Old World atmosphere with house-brewed beers and decent German food.
Eat it: Wunderbar Coffee and Crepes (253A Mercer St.) serves hot chocolate, coffee, pastries and crepes that are so good.
Buy it: Bottle Brush Gallery (539 Main St.) includes the work of 85 artists and craftsmen who live within a 50-mile radius. Les Cadeaux Gift Shop (253 Mercer St.) is an elegant little shop. Whimsy Antiques (243 Camp Run Road) has cool furniture and more. Porter House Brew Shop (114 Perry Highway, closed Mon.) sells beer- and wine-making supplies.
Paddle it: Connoquenessing Creek awaits your canoe or kayak.
Taste it: The Enchanted Olive (120 N. Perry Highway) is an olive oil- and vinegar shop.
Next stop: Nearby Old Economy Village, the last place the Harmonists settled.
- Population: 877
- Drive time: 30 min.
- Why go? The antiques, baked goods and log cabins.
Wheeling, West Virigina
See it: Oglebay Resort & Conference Center (465 Lodge Dr.) Start with a self-guided tour of the Olgebay estate/museum. It will give you a nice primer on Wheeling’s history. During the winter holiday season drive through the resort’s six miles of Festival of Lights covering 600 acres with holiday decorations. In town, head to Center Market Historic District. Two old stockyard buildings that locals say were once used for the slave trade now house mostly food stalls and art galleries. It’s a quick walk through if you don’t stop to eat. On either side of these buildings are plenty of gift and antique shops to explore.
Do it: While at Oglebay there are several seasonal activities to enjoy including skiing, horseback riding, hiking and golf.
Eat it: Coleman’s Fish Market (2226 Market St.) is legendary for its fish sandwiches, which means you will probably stand in line. It is worth it. Mehlman’s Cafeteria (5100 National Road, St. Clairsville, Ohio) is a permanent Throwback Thursday — a 1960s-ish real cafeteria.
Chance it: Wheeling Island Racetrack and Casino is a cavernous space on Wheeling Island. I would rather go look at the Indian mounds in nearby Moundsville, W.Va., but taking home a pile of cash would be nice, too.
- Population: 28,009
- Drive time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why go? Oglebay Resort and Center Market district.
Comments
Login Register Logout