The last weekend of July, we journeyed to southwestern Pennsylvania. On Saturday, the first stop of the day was Fort Necessity Battlefield. We arrived just before 10am and nearly had the place to ourselves. We took the path to the fort without anyone in sight. Once in the fort, we were met by a man dressed in period clothing. He told us a little history about the fort. Just as he finished, another couple walked in, and as I walked around the inside of the fort another couple approached, and by the time we exited a third couple arrived. On the walk back to the visitor c enter, families and groups were arriving. Looks like we had the perfect timing and were able to explore the area before the heat of the day and the crowds.
Lieutenant Colonel George Washington had the structure built as a storehouse for supplies and named it Fort Necessity. A battle was fought on July 3, 1754, during the French and Indian war.
It may be a small fort, but there is a lot to see and do, scan and listen as you walk to the fort. The visitor center has many displays and a themed play area outside for the children.
Fort Necessity Battlefield is located at 3 Washington Parkway, Farmington, PA. You can find more information at https://www.nps.gov/fone/index.htm
The next stop was at Laurel Caverns. No luck missing the crowds here, it was packed. There was a line to purchase tickets. When it was our turn, we decided not to do the guided tour and explore on our own. We were told the guided tours were groups of 30 or more. At the time, we did not realize the cost of the tours were the same, guided or not, the cost was $17. We were taken into a room and shown a map and briefly given little information about the cavern. As it turns out, since we didn’t do the guided tour, we were not permitted to see that part of the cavern, yet we were still charged full price. I think that would’ve been nice to know when purchasing the tickets. So, now you know you’ll be charged the full fee but will not get the full walking tour of the cavern. As far as not getting caught up in the big crowds, that was wishful thinking. It was so crowded and noisy that I simply did not enjoy the experience.
One cool thing I did notice as I was looking through our photos and videos from the trip, is what looks like a head protruding from the cavern wall. Or is it a figment of my imagination. You can take a look for yourself, watch out video from this weekend getaway. https://youtu.be/6Fkg8x6h0rM
It was not time for lunch, we stopped for BBQ, but that was not to be. We were told there would be a considerable wait and the time given would probably increase. So we decided to try our luck elsewhere.
The third, planned stop of the day, was not to be. We had planned a short walk to see a waterfall and hopefully a hike, but the parking area was full, there were also cars parked along the road for quite a distance with people walking the opposite direction of the waterfall. As we got closer to the small town, there were huge crowds everywhere and not a parking spot to be found. So we continued to drive toward the hotel we had booked for the night.
As it turns out, there is a beautiful covered bridge between Farmington and Somerset, PA. It wasn’t a planned stopped but a nice surprise. It just goes to show, when one plan doesn’t work out, there is always something else to take its place. This is Kings Bridge and is located off Route 653 in Somerset County, PA.
On to Somerset where we checked in to the hotel, relaxed and cooled off for an hour before heading out to dinner at Pine Grill. Luckily we arrived before the crowd, by the time we left it was at full capacity with a line waiting to get in. The food was delicious and so was the key lime pie martini…yum.
Sometimes when on these trips, the food can be hit or miss. I am very happy to say Pine Grill is a hit. I loved the Seafood Alfredo and Vince really enjoyed the Oak Barrel Marinated Sirloin. If we are in the area again, this will be on the list of stops.
Sunday, we slept in about an hour later than we had planned, which really wasn’t a big deal. Our plan was to beat the heat and the crowds. We drove to the Flight 93 National Memorial. Again we were fortunate to arrive before the crowds, but as we were leaving the people began arriving.
We have been here before, but not since they added the Tower of Voices. It is a 93-foot tall musical instrument with 40 wind chimes. The wind wasn’t blowing hard enough to ring the chimes on this day. It is a stunningly beautiful monument near the entrance to the memorial. Flight 93 National Memorial is located at 6424 Lincoln Highway, Stoystown, PA. You can find more information at https://nps.gov/flni/index.htm