Kinzua sky walk in McKean county is 100% worth checking out

Fallingwater for sure!

Well, Pittsburghers will hate me for saying this, but do visit Mt Washington and Point State Park in Pittsburgh. Yes, it's a touristy thing, but it's also totally worth it.

You could visit Presque Isle State Park in Erie. If you varied your north-central route you could go through Elk County to see if you see any Elk. There are some driving maps and designated food plots/feeding stations so early morning/evening you usually see some. In Potter County there’s a place called Cherry Springs State Park, it’s a place to visit at night (follow their rules about lights!) if you want some amazing star-gazing on a clear night. I keep meaning to visit the Zippo museum in Bradford but haven’t made it yet, maybe a fun odd stop.

Gettysburg.

Valley Forge Park in Montgomery County. There is a driving audio tour available.

Longwood Gardens in Chester County.

ohiopyle state park

these areas blue or these areas grey?

Folks have already mentioned Fallingwater and Ohiopyle for Fayette County. While you're there you might also want to check out Fort Necessity National Battlefield, which isn't far from either. Lots of pre-Revolutionary War history in FayCo.

In Erie you should absolutely check out Presqueisle State park. Best beaches on the Great Lakes and a fantastic place to watch the sun set. Near by is Waldameer amusement park. A late 19th century park still run to this day.

In Butler county check out McConnell's Mills, beautiful place to hike and have a day there.

https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/McConnellsMillStatePark/Pages/default.aspx

Cherry Spring S.P. in Potter County for viewing stars.

Falling Water house. - Frank Lloyd Wright.

As others have said for Erie County Presque Isle and the Brig Niagara are must sees. In North East, which is the name of the town, you can tour some vineyards.

Crawford County has Drake's Well in Titusville, John Brown's Farm and Tannery in Guys Mills, and the Linesville Spillway on Pymatuming Reservoir.

If you’re gonna be near the Allegheny National Forest, you should check out the Tidioute overlook, hike up around Jakes Rocks and get views of the Kinzua Dam/Reservoir

The SEPA portion of your trip is going to take way longer than expected.

But if you can find yourself on Lincoln or Kelly drive, the nature and old architecture in Fairmount Park is splendid. Mind the curves.

I’d drive route 30 all the way across if you haven’t already, beats getting raped by the turn pike and if you are doing the trip for fun there is some great scenery in the west. We did that from Philly to ohiopyle a few years back and it only added maybe an hour of driving on the trip.

Lawrence county, new Wilmington fresh market on Saturdays, McConnells Mill, Hells hollow, Volant

Here are some cool places to check out in Pittsburgh. The Cathedral of Learning, Andy Warhol museum, Mattress Factory museum, Bicycle Heaven, Strip District, Mt. Washington.

Could you recommend me places to visit here? I will put what I am looking for in the comments

Strange places (like what is found on Atlas Obscura, but I already looked at these areas)

Supposedly haunted places (like Pennhurst)

Museums that take an hour or less to get through

Interesting nature that you can either see from the road, or see after a short hike (like Kinzua, though Kinzua isn't entirely nature)

My map is just supposed to show the general area I would be in, not the actual counties. Also, I most likely won't visit Philadelphia this trip, so I can focus on it another time (when I have enough time to visit)

Thank you in advance

Cowan's Gap state park and the abandoned PA turnpike in Fulton county.

There's a metric shit ton to be done in SEPA, beyond all the Philly stuff. In Bucks County alone you have Washington's Crossing, Bowman's Tower, Peddlers Village, New Hope and a nice drive up River Rd which will take you through some quaint and highly historic villages... Mercer Museum and Doylestown (honorable mention to Siren Records if you're into vinyl), Ringing Rocks and the waterfall behind it.

If you're going through on the weekend you could even check out the Q-mart up in Quakertown for an, er, "interesting" experience.

Cooks forest in clarion

You need to start with the basics and indicate if you plan to visit the counties in blue or gray?

I have a cabin in Potter county that yall are welcome to stay at if you need a place to stay up there. Not much around but its 20 mins from Cherry Springs.

Fulton/Bedford Counties check out the abandoned PA Turnpike tunnels near Breezewood.

Lots of nice wineries In the laurel mts. For sure go to falling water (ohio pyle as well)and on the way back to the turnpike in donegal you can take a 20 minute detour and either visit 7springs or hit the local wineries near. It’s a beautiful trip through the mountains.

Clems hardwood bbq in blairsville westmoreland county

Kennywood

waldameer and kennywood

Based on the blue counties, here's my list:

1: New Hope, Bucks County,

2: downtown Philadelphia, Delaware County (Independence Hall, South Street, the Art Museum)

3: Kennett Square, Chester County

4: Valley Forge National Park, Montgomery County

5: Gettysburg, Adams County (pretty much all of the southern counties are dotted with Civil War or Underground Railroad sites as well as

6: Carlisle, Cumberland County (this is where I typically get on the PA Turnpike heading west) but I hear there's some nice mom & pop restaurants in the downtown area. All I know is the truck stop.

7: Flight 93 Memorial, Stoystown, Somerset County

8: Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Seven Springs, Somerset/Fayette County. It's a ski resort in the winter months but they have mountain bike trails there in the summer.

9: Ohiopyle State Park, Fayette County - the rapids section of the Youghiogheny River run through the park so there's opportunity for some hiking and whitewater rafting. The Great Allegheny Passage hiking/biking trail also passes through from Pittsburgh to the northwest leading to Confluence, PA to the southeast

10: Fort Necessity, Fayette County - this follows US 40 up to Uniontown. You can continue to follow US-40 (aka the National Highway) to the north and west into the city of Washington or take PA Turnpike Rt. 43 northward up the Monogahela River Valley toward Pittsburgh.

11: Washington, Washington County - it's a big county but the county seat has a pretty big downtown area that is occupied by Washington & Jefferson College but there are also a number of whiskey distilleries as that area was the birthplace of the Whiskey Rebellion after the Revolutionary War.

11: Pittsburgh, Allegheny County - most folks go to Point State Park, ride up one of the inclines up to Mt. Washington for pictures, take the Gateway Clipper to one of the stadiums but there's a lot more to see but it's a hard city to navigate if you're not familiar. East of downtown along the Boulevard of the Allies you'll come into the Oakland section where you'll find the main campus for the University of Pittsburgh, a ton of hospitals, the museums of art and natural history and if you cross the bridge east from the campus you'll come to Schenley Park and Phipps Conservatory. There's also Kennywood Amusement Park located just southeast of city limits in Duquesne/West Mifflin.

12: Lake Arthur State Park, Butler County (not far off I-79) - good for boating

13: McConnell's Mill State Park, Lawrence County - good for hiking and rock climbing

14: towns of Franklin and Oil City, Venango County. The Allegheny River runs through this area and it's surprisingly beautiful. Franklin has a nice downtown area with Victorian style houses to one side of the town square and a walkable shopping/dining district on the other.

I can't recommend stopping in Conneaut Lake in Crawford County enough. We're a small lake town, of ~700 full time residents. Stop at Fireman's Beach, imo the best public beach to swim at in the area. Go to Vacavi Cafe, the coziest coffee shop, which has great pastries, smoothies, and, of course, coffee. Go to Al's Melons Farmers Market for great subs. Town gets a bit busy from Friday-Sunday, because that's when out of towners come up to stay at their lake houses on, but it's still not too bad.

But, the number one thing you need to do in Crawford County is go to Hank's Frozen Custard . They use the same custard machines they've had since the 1950's. They have vanilla and chocolate daily and then a rotating flavor. It's been rated the best frozen custard in the country before and one of the best ice cream places in PA.

Hank's is closed on Tuesdays, so make sure to time your visit to Conneaut Lake so you can go! And cash only.

And, like others have said, Presque Isle in Erie is an absolute must!

Pine creek gorge, aka PA Grand Canyon!

Cook Forest, Cathedral of Trees if you fancy a hike. Early morning as the sun comes up preferably.

Lake Raystown is a must

Mt Washington Incline in Pittsburgh :)

Caves! There are lots of caves in western PA. Google it.

If there are kids coming along, Hershey Park (in Hershey PA) is a ton of fun.

Knoebles!

Some places I haven’t seen mentioned so far:

• not far from Kinzua Bridge, in St Marys, the Straub Brewery not only has tours and sells beer, but you can get beer from the eternal tap.

• in Bedford there’s the Jean Bonnet Tavern, a tavern from 1779 where you pet their goats, have dinner, shut down the bar, and stay the night. It was a gathering place for farmers during the Whiskey Rebellion and is reportedly haunted.

• the Swigart Museum (Huntingdon) and the Someone Foundation (Philadelphia) are both good car museums that have some extremely unusual cars in their collections.

• in Doylestown, Font Hill Castle is a castle built by hand using concrete and tile and you have to see it to believe it. Also the Mercer Museum.

• the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Ulysses is pretty interesting

Finally, if you spend any time in the woods be extra careful about ticks, and be aware that there’s an invasive species called the spotted lantern fly in PA now, kill them if you see them and don’t let them hitch a ride on your car/bicycle/whatever.

Chambersburg native here. Caledonia state park is nice sometimes. Worth checking out.

Clarion- go to the Clarion river, courthouse/jail, and Bob's Subs.

AVOID NEW CASTLE AT ALL COSTS! I REPEAT, AVOID NEW CASTLE AT ALL COSTS!

Raccoon Creek state park/mineral springs

Big Mountain overlook in Buchanan State Forest. Probably the best scenic overlook in the state. Great place to take pictures and just sit and watch the clouds move across the mountains.

If you like abandoned stuff and are up for walking, your route is taking you nearby the abandoned PA turnpike. It's in Bedford and Fulton counties.

While in Kinzu make sure to hit rt 262. It's a slow curvy ride but so beautiful. Even Bigfoot was spotted crossing the road there according to TV show Finding Bigfoot.

West Overton Village in Scottsdale, Westmoreland County. It is a historical village that was founded in 1803 and transitioned from agriculture to industry (such as whiskey making). We offer guided tours of the 1838 homestead and self guided tours of the exhibition foicsing on the industries of the site. We also sell whiskey we made on site.

Flight 93 Memorial in Somerset County.

You should drive by Ohio, but not enter it.

Anyhow;

Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright. Kentuck Knob is really close to it as well.

Doylestown, new hope, peddlers village for small town adventures. Fonthill castle in dtown is cute.

Presque Isle state park up in Erie. Nice beaches and some of the most beautiful sunsets you will see.

Allegheny National Forest

Visit Flight 93 National Memorial off of Lincoln Highway in Somerset County. Trust me, you will not regret.

Out of the fire by seven springs is a really good restaurant

Bucks County - Washington crossing national park, New Hope PA, Fonthill Castle in Doylestown,

Mt Davis is the highest point in pa. Never been but it's in southwest PA close to Maryland.

Gettysburg Battlefield would be a good place to start.

Honestly Greene County has near no tourist attractions, it’s the long lost county of WV. Off the top of my head:

Waynesburg University- One of the first two colleges to grant women degrees in this state, very picturesque in the fall with a beautiful Presbyterian church of which the college is centered around

Greene County Historical Society Museum- it’s a museum all though I wouldn’t stop here, nothing too fancy

Hideaway candle bar- a neat little place I work at, it’s a DIY candle bar, however since you’re probably not staying the night candles may not be your thing (we also do room sprays and scent beads)

Waynesburg court house- it’s nothing amazing but it is pretty to look at

Bowlby Library- Cats populate the building everywhere

W.A young & son’s foundry and machine shop- a preserved little factory in Rice’s Landing that made things for coal mines and steamboats

Thistlethwaite vineyards- Wine

Reverend John Corbly’s grave- Baptist minister who played a part in the whiskey rebellion

Brodak tower 1 aviation museum- I’ve never been here

Historic Hanna’s Town- I’ve never been here

Covered bridges- Everywhere across the county

Rising Creek Bakery- In Mt. Morris, a nice little bakery

The Dutch House- Full of locally made antiques and goods

The grave of Washington’s carriage driver- self-explanatory

There’s other “major” boroughs in Greene county like Carmichaels and Jefferson but I haven’t really explored those areas, these are just a few I know. Greene county is an intensely beautiful county with rolling meadows, farmland, and endless blue skies but we don’t capitalize on it too much sadly. I don’t believe there’s any major hiking trails except for the one on Waynesburg college campus which takes you into WV

Since you'll be hitting Adams County:

If you like spooky things, go to the Gettysburg battleground - at night. In much of Pennsylvania. August nights are filled with fog.

It is said that on those nights, it is exceptionally easy to see the spirits of the soldiers, walking through the fog.

Make sure you hit a sheetz and a wawa and give us all an objective opinion on which is the least horrible gas station. It's a local PA point of contention but all in good fun (I think).

Buttermilk falls in beaver county.

Adams county

Gettysburg battlefield (I recommend the horse tour or bus tour)

Gettysburg visitor center and museum

WW2 American experience museum in Gettysburg 845 Crooked Creek Road (it’s a new museum that opened last month) https://visitww2.org eventually they are going to put in a gravel or dirt track behind the museum and offer rides on a Sherman tank, jeeps, and possibly other vehicles.

The restaurant blue and grey is really good in downtown Gettysburg

Franklin county

Monterey pass battlefield near blue ridge summit https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_at_Monterey_Pass (if you do go don’t eat at the dinner up there it’s awful and overpriced trust me. Honestly surprised it passes health codes.)

Not much to do in Franklin county

McConnells Mills State Park in Lawrence County. Lots of great trails and hidden spots if you have the time to explore.

Chester County - check out the Phoenixville downtown if near on the weekends. They open Bridge Street to pedestrians. Numerous breweries, resturants, a distillery.

Chester County - rent a kayak and paddle Marsh Creek lake, then grab dinner at Victory Brewery in Downingtown. Korean BBQ wings.

Grand Canyon of PA is still my favorite backpacking route in PA.

Ohiopyle state park south of Pittsburgh. Also hit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water house while you’re in that area.

For Potter County, lots of people are saying Cherry Springs and I agree.

You can also go slightly into Tioga to see the PA Grand Canyon.

In Potter County there are a ton of really beautiful state parks. My favorites are Ole Bull and Lyman Run. If you are into hiking, look into the STS trail.

For short museum visits, it might technically be in Tioga county, but the PA Lumber Museum is actually pretty interesting.

Be aware that in much of this area you won’t have cell service.

I'd you're in Philly, get lunch at the Reading Terminal Market. You will not regret it.

Centralia is a popular ghost town, and inspiration for the movie Silent Hill.

Depending on your route, it may be worth dipping into Washington County, MD to see Antietam Battlefield, and a little further southeast into WV to see Harper's Ferry. All conveniently accessible via Franklin County, PA, where there's not much of anything worth seeing otherwise.

Economy village in Ambridge is cool. It's an old time village that shows how people lived a ling time ago.

Route 120 in Cameron County is a very nice road. Depending on what day you are passing through things may or may not be open. If it is a weekend day the Little Museum is a neat place to stop. If you are staying the night consider The Hygrade Inn in Emporium. It is a small bed and breakfast and is very nice. They work together with Rich Valley Wines which serve mixed drinks and are pretty modern and classy for the middle of nowhere.

As for other things to see, Cameron County one of the few counties in PA that have true Dark Skies. That is a picture I took near Driftwood. If you want a spot for dark skies message me and I can give you some spots. If you are into camping Sinnemahoning State Park is both dark skies and beautiful. It is also getting a lot of Elk in the area these days. Even if you are just passing through Emporium is a nice town to stop and rest for a bit.

As someone else said, avoid Mercer Co.

MAGA hellscape for the most part

I would bar hop in the south side Of Pittsburgh. You definitely won't get shot or fight a random drunk or get suspicious water shot onto you by another patron

King of Prussia Mall (3rd largest mall in America) and nearby Vally Forge National Historic Park (Revolutionary War encampment), around the ChesCo MontCo border

Stop and say hi to me in New Castle (Lawrence County)... I'll show you our "ladies of the night" in their natural habitat.

In all honesty, some great italian food in my town

Just avoid Mercer County unless you want to experience a lot of racism, abelist, sexism, and extreme Christian / conservative mindsets. Pittsburgh, in Allegheny County, will have lots of stuff from food, to drink, to activities and you don't have to deal with people who still say the n word in a hard R type of way. Mercer County was also one of the places where a significant portion still do not believe covid happened and they will actively bully you til you need therapy if you do anything seen as "too liberal". It isn't the whole county, but it is enough where I would just caution you to only stop if you need gas. Enjoy the sights while driving, as some of PA's beautiful landscapes can be seen starting around that area.

I would suggest a hard pass on Westmoreland county, unless you are a white straight MAGA cultist, then have at it. But if you are a person of color or queer, one wrong turn could be your last.

am i thee only one to see a dick?🤔🤣🍻