Recommendations for things to do near Seven Springs, PA?
June 21, 2011 10:05 PM Subscribe
Recommendations for things to do near Seven Springs, PA?
I am going to be in the Seven Springs, PA area for a weekend and I am looking for recommendations for things to do. Seven Springs is located about 1.5 hours southeast of Pittsburgh near several state parks. I am also going to visit Falling Water.
Which of the state parks are worth visiting?
Any particularly good hikes nearby?
Any other must see places or things (I am already going to Falling Water)?
Any unique recreational activities?
I am going to be in the Seven Springs, PA area for a weekend and I am looking for recommendations for things to do. Seven Springs is located about 1.5 hours southeast of Pittsburgh near several state parks. I am also going to visit Falling Water.
Which of the state parks are worth visiting?
Any particularly good hikes nearby?
Any other must see places or things (I am already going to Falling Water)?
Any unique recreational activities?
Minor note: It's Fallingwater. All one word.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:32 PM on June 21, 2011
posted by Chrysostom at 10:32 PM on June 21, 2011
Ohiopyle, which is maybe 20 minutes from 7springs, is the birthplace of commercial whitewater rafting. The Lower Yough is a class III river, and there are lots of options for how to get down it if you're interested (though I can't recomment tubing). There are also harder rivers within a 30-minute drive of Ohiopyle, if that's your thing. I raft guide and kayak a lot in the area, so if you want more info, let me know.
As a whole, Ohiopyle will be very crowded in the summer, but there's tons to do other than the whitewater. There's mountain biking of various difficulty, easy bike riding along the Allegheny Passage trail, rock climbing, short hikes to beautiful waterfalls, etc.
Falling Water isn't the only frank lloyd wright house in the area - there's also Kentuck Knob. Not as famous, but worth a look if you like architecture.
posted by Metasyntactic at 10:36 PM on June 21, 2011
As a whole, Ohiopyle will be very crowded in the summer, but there's tons to do other than the whitewater. There's mountain biking of various difficulty, easy bike riding along the Allegheny Passage trail, rock climbing, short hikes to beautiful waterfalls, etc.
Falling Water isn't the only frank lloyd wright house in the area - there's also Kentuck Knob. Not as famous, but worth a look if you like architecture.
posted by Metasyntactic at 10:36 PM on June 21, 2011
Falling Water will take a good part of a day. The hiking around there is OK. You can even start around the resort and follow the trails really far.
posted by zephyr_words at 11:04 PM on June 21, 2011
posted by zephyr_words at 11:04 PM on June 21, 2011
There's a natural waterslide at Ohiopyle that's really fun.
posted by Raichle at 11:20 PM on June 21, 2011
posted by Raichle at 11:20 PM on June 21, 2011
I actually prefer the Kentuck Knob experience. It's a good counterpoint to Fallingwater, but the current owners are fairly serious collectors of outdoor art, and you have the option after the tour to shuttle bus back down to the parking area, or to hike back through the art installations. (I'm an Andy Goldsworthy fan, so I always do it to go check out the piece they have there.) The tour guides we've had don't hold FLW in quite the reverence that the Fallingwater guides do, so as I've said, good counterpoint.
That said, there are several kinds of tours of Fallingwater - so check those out depending on your budget. I've wanted to do the extended one if for no other reason than to see the kitchens and other off tour areas.
posted by librarianamy at 4:50 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
That said, there are several kinds of tours of Fallingwater - so check those out depending on your budget. I've wanted to do the extended one if for no other reason than to see the kitchens and other off tour areas.
posted by librarianamy at 4:50 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Of the falls in Ohiopyle, one of my favorites is Cucumber Falls. It's got the easiest hike, and will probably be the most crowded with swimmers, but it's EXCELLENT people watching.
A little bit further southwest from Ohiopyle are the "Laurel Caverns." Sort of cheesy but again, a variety of tours. I remember going there as a kid and being able to find fossils (but that was a long time ago).
If you're into history, there's the Fort Necessity National Battlefield. There is some hiking to be done in that area as well.
(You'll also be fairly close to the Flight 93 memorial.)
And if you want to get fancy pants for dinner, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort has some of the highest rated restaurants in our region. (When the G-20 was in Pittsburgh, a lot of the "people of power" stayed there.)
posted by librarianamy at 5:05 AM on June 22, 2011
A little bit further southwest from Ohiopyle are the "Laurel Caverns." Sort of cheesy but again, a variety of tours. I remember going there as a kid and being able to find fossils (but that was a long time ago).
If you're into history, there's the Fort Necessity National Battlefield. There is some hiking to be done in that area as well.
(You'll also be fairly close to the Flight 93 memorial.)
And if you want to get fancy pants for dinner, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort has some of the highest rated restaurants in our region. (When the G-20 was in Pittsburgh, a lot of the "people of power" stayed there.)
posted by librarianamy at 5:05 AM on June 22, 2011
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posted by tully_monster at 10:14 PM on June 21, 2011