Longtime journalist who is now focused on telling the world about all of the amazing opportunities in the Laurel Highlands of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
This user has not added any information to their profile yet.
A magnificent mountainous region, the Laurel Highlands spans 3,000 square miles in southwestern Pennsylvania. Located an hour’s drive east of Pittsburgh, the beautiful four-season destination offers spectacular natural scenery, outstanding outdoor recreation, historic sites and attractions, family activities, and world-class resorts. Notable destinations within the region include four architectural masterpieces by Frank Lloyd Wright – Fallingwater®, Kentuck Knob, Mäntylä and Duncan House – Nemacolin, Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Flight 93 National Memorial, Idlewild and Soak Zone, whitewater rafting in Ohiopyle State Park, and more.
Located within 200 miles of the major metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Washington D.C., Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands can be easily accessed from exits 67, 75, 91, and 110 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
The Great Wright Road Trip
On this Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired road trip, you’ll experience the romance of the open road that culminates in feelings of awe, appreciation and wonder as you tour nine sites designed by America’s greatest architect.
The Great Wright Road Trip will allow you to easily explore the career-spanning breadth of Wright’s genius - from the epic grandeur of his mid-career masterpiece at Fallingwater to the burst of the brilliance found at Kentuck Knob that was a highlight of Wright’s final years to the Darwin D. Martin House, the largest Prairie-style house he designed.
Lovingly for homes, restored masterpieces, reinvigorated landscapes, posthumously-built projects, stunning vistas, and furniture from the imagination of the master himself can all be found on this memorable road trip between the Laurel Highlands of Western Pennsylvania and north to Erie, Pennsylvania, and Buffalo, New York.
Do You Dare to Enter Buffalo Bill’s House?
If you watched the Academy Award-winning film, The Silence of the Lambs, you definitely remember Buffalo Bill. And now you have the chance to stay in his home—if you dare. The house where the movie was filmed, which was built in 1910, is now available for overnight stays, and all you have to do is be brave enough to book it. Filled with vintage furnishings, movie memorabilia, and some super scary surprises, the Perryopolis home even comes stocked with Bill’s favorite body lotion.
Ponfeigh Distillery and Whiskey Museum
In the late 18th century, the mountains of the Laurel Highlands were the birthplace of American whiskey production and the tumultuous era of the Whiskey Rebellion. Upon opening its doors in late 2022, Ponfeigh Distillery will celebrate the region’s local legends, lore, and spirits with its large new distillery, tasting room, and a new museum dedicated to the region’s whiskey heritage.
A Leaf Peeper’s Paradise
Mountain vistas, historic highways, fertile farmlands, and thousands of acres of unspoiled state parks, Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands is the ideal destination for a fun fall leaf-peeping getaway. The region’s towering trees are ablaze in a spectacular palette of red, orange, yellow, russet, and bronze colors. Take a drive under a canopy of colors on scenic byways and through picturesque covered bridges. In addition to the wonderful foliage, autumn also brings fantastic fall festivals, harvest goods, haunted amusements, corn mazes, and more.
Cheers to the Laurel Highlands Pour Tour
From moonshine, rye whiskey, and IPAs to cider, mead and fruit wines, get a taste for southwestern Pennsylvania on the Laurel Highlands Pour Tour! The passport-based tour leads you through the region’s rolling farmland and towering mountaintops while sampling flavors as the region’s diverse landscape. Every drop and flavor tells the story of the Laurel Highlands – its history, heritage, agricultural diversity, and entrepreneurial spirit.
© All Rights Reserved.
*Are you a NATJA member? No need to sign up! You’re subscribed to our members-only newsletter.