We are heading to Pittsburgh to stay for a couple of days in August to check out the town but was wondering if there is a neat place to stay between Pittsburgh %26amp; Philly for a couple of days to check out or just relax. We are a family of 6 with kids between the ages of 5 %26amp; 15. Thanks!
A place to visit between Philadelphia %26amp; Pittsburgh
Hershey would be a sure bet for the kids.
A place to visit between Philadelphia %26amp; Pittsburgh
I second the Hershey Park idea.
If they are history buffs, you can also look at Gettysburg.
Another option is to stay near Ohiopyle State Park. Falling Water is a beautiful Frank Loyd Wright designed house that we enjoyed visiting. At Ohiopyle, we did white water rafting or you could rent bikes and ride around. The park also has a natural water slide everyone said we should check out but we ran out of time.There are several nice hotels nearby such as the Summit Inn and Nemacolin Resort. We had a very nice dinner at the Summit Inn on the veranda and watched the sunset. In Uniontown, not far away, there is a great Hampton Inn, very reasonable and breakfast is included.
One word of caution on the White Water rafting: My family has been doing this for years and our 16 year old is an Eagle Scout but I was very surprised to find that a ';guided raft trip'; does not really include a guide. Have never run across that but maybe it is a Pennsylvania thing.
Falling Water%26#39;s website states that children must be 6 or older to accompany parents on the tour. From friends of ours with smaller children, we have been told that they are very strict with this rule.
Good point and as beautiful as it was, a 5 year old would probably not enjoy it.
Interesting point about the ';guided'; rafting trip at Ohiopyle State Park. My daughter discovered the lack of guides when she went rafting there with the University of Pittsburgh Outdoor Club. Fortunately, her raft had a student who had done the trip before and knew what to look out for on the river. The second time she went, SHE was the experienced guide!
Based on what she told me about those trips, I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;d be taking any young children. There%26#39;s a famous rock on the river (whose name I can%26#39;t remember) and you have to be very good or very lucky not to tip over at that point.
I think it%26#39;s called Dimple Rock and we hit it head on and 2 of 4 of us in the raft fell out and went under. Thank God for those jackets and helmets but my daughter and I are still sporting some bruises 1 week later. And forget it about it if you are not in good shape.The ';guide'; was supposed to be up on a rock giving us signals but unfortunately for us, they miscounted the number of rafts, and we were on our own. Next time we will be make sure ';guided'; means just that, not hand signals from the nearest rock!
It%26#39;s dimple rock. I grew up in Uniontown. We leave the rock there for the tourists. ;)
The old saying is that PA has Pittsburgh on one side, Philly on the other and a whole lot of Alabama in the middle. Hershey, Gettysburg and maybe Lancaster are worth visiting. Other than that, keep the pedal down and have fun on the turnpike.
Hershey is great but if you are on a budget do some homework regarding where to stay.
Ligonier Idlewild Park, Laurel Highlands
Seven Springs may have some specials because of it being summer. They have a slide that meanders down the mountain, swimming pool, restaurants etc
Gettysburg is wonderful and a great history lesson but not sure how the 5 yr old would enjoy.
www.hersheypa.com
www.7springs.com
www.ligonier.com
www.idlewild.com
Greetings from Ohiopyle, First to clear the air on the ';guided raft trip'; I am the owner of a rafting company, so take what i say with a grain of salt :) The standard format on the Lower Yough is ';Guide escorted';, that is the way it has been since 1963. When our company was the first company to offer ';guided'; rafting east of the Mississippi, so in some ways we created the definition, anyways there is the option of going ';fully guided'; just be clear when you are making a reservation. Other things to do in the area: check out Ligonier, there is a fort, lots of shopping, and Idlewild Park, although they have a water park, your 15 yr old may be a little bored. Check out the Ramada ligonier, they tend to have package deals with Idlewild. Fort Necessity, is close to Ohiopyle, has a great new visitors center, this was the first battle of the French %26amp; Indian War. Altoona is also an option 1/2 way across the state, big railroad museum and a minor league baseball team ';The Curve';. Have a great trip
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