Where should my wife and I go for a long weekend in December from Pittsburgh?

November 6, 2012 8:16 AM

My wife and I are looking for ideas for a long weekend getaway from Pittsburgh in early December. What would you suggest?

We are planning to go Nov. 30th-Dec. 3rd. We like the outdoors, food, beer, and cultural things. Shenandoah National Park has come up in our discussions, possibly spending some time in Charlottesville and then driving Skyline Drive and spending our last night in Front Royal.

posted by sgo to Travel & Transportation (10 answers total)

Skyline Drive is great! Used to go there a lot as a kid (native Pittsburgher here). My family also went to Cook Forest a lot in the winters, and of course, Nemacolin (expensive, but amazing food and lots to do onsite) and Seven Springs. The nice thing about western PA is that you'll find lots of historical things close to basically anywhere that you go, of course.
posted by anotheraccount at 8:21 AM on November 6, 2012

Best answer: My husband and I spent New Year's at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort a couple years ago. It's huge and old and very comfortable. There's hiking and other outdoor activities you can do, but since we were there when everything was covered in snow, we didn't explore much outside. I know it doesn't meet all of your criteria (outdoors-yes, food-yes, cultural things-not really, unless you count pretending to be an 1800s tourist as cultural), but it's an easy drive from Pittsburgh, and a nice place to spend a relaxing long weekend.
posted by Meg_Murry at 8:52 AM on November 6, 2012

Berkeley Springs, West Virginia!
posted by jgirl at 8:54 AM on November 6, 2012

I'd take a trip to see the bunker at the Greenbriar in White Sulphur Springs, WV.

If you have lots of money, you could stay there. If you don't, plenty of lower priced options in Lewisburg. As in any trip through West By-God Virginia, it should be gorgeous.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 8:59 AM on November 6, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks for all the great options so far! I can't wait to hear what else others come up with!

Nemacolin and Omni Bedford Springs are definitely both out of our price range (we were hoping to keep it below $150/night for lodging).

The Bunker at Greenbriar looks neat, but what else is there around there?

Seven Springs reservation website doesn't seem to be working, is there enough to do there for a Friday-Monday trip and does it fit in our budget?
posted by sgo at 9:40 AM on November 6, 2012

Best answer: My husband, dog, and I spent 4th of July weekend at one of these cottages. We didn't leave the cottage all weekend, so I'm not sure what else is nearby in terms of restaurants or culture. It's a little above your price range, but it was nice and relaxing.
posted by jrichards at 11:33 AM on November 6, 2012

Response by poster: Wow, those cottages look BEAUTIFUL, and it's not a problem that the price is a little higher since we wouldn't be doing a lot of other things. Unfortunately they are booked the weekend we want to go.
posted by sgo at 11:56 AM on November 6, 2012

Greenbriar is about 40 miles from Watoga State Park in WV. I've stayed in the CCC cabins there a couple of times and it was full of rustic marvelousness. Also good hiking if that's your thing. There's a lot of neat outdoor stuff in WV.
posted by readery at 12:10 PM on November 6, 2012

We spent a lovely weekend at the Inn at Brandywine Falls this April. You can hear the falls from the rooms - we stayed in the Granary, a bit more $$ than you're looking for perhaps, but the other rooms may be more in your range. It abuts the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, so plenty of hiking/biking opportunities. We still talk about how good the breakfast was. The only downside is that they don't have an online reservation system, and I'd suggest calling versus email. Nice folks though, and I suspect we'll go back again. We left Pittsburgh on a Friday night after work and were in town in time to do a late dinner before getting up the next morning to hike.
posted by librarianamy at 6:20 PM on November 6, 2012

Best answer: If you're interested in a more urban excursion DC is a fabulous 4-5 hours from Pittsburgh. Stay on the metro line (Tyson's Corner perhaps) and you may be able to get a hotel for $89 on weekend nights (see Courtyard Marriott or Embassy Suites for example). Shuttle ride to metro, 1/2 hour metro to city. Metro to VA to eat (Clarendon stop) or to Georgetown. Lots of culture, food, and beer. Not so much "outside".

Lots more driving on the Shenandoah trip, be sure of the weather/snow forecasts first. Monticello is a big favorite in Charlottesville as is UVA. South should get you better weather also.

Toronto is a super option, weather is a big factor here. There are some really neat parks between the US line and Toronto - some with great hiking and rocks to climb not to mention stopping in Niagara Falls to see it if you want. Tons of beer (we tried two breweries last time), food, culture.

If you can leave your options open until you know the weather that would be helpful.
posted by kimmae at 7:06 AM on November 8, 2012