We are traveling this Friday and stopping over in Breezewood, PA just to sleep, at the Holiday Inn Express. I googled the restaurants near Breezewood and it is all Chain Restaurants.
Any suggestions? We are traveling from NJ and will be picking up 76 after Harrisburg - so a bit East of Breezewood could be OK also.
Thanks anyone,
Baz

There might be someone who lives in that area who could help you but remember that Breezewood isn't a real town. It is motels, gas stations and chain restaurants. The exit just west is Bedford and a very nice dinner can be had there at the Bedford Springs Hotel. You could travel on to Bedford and stay in a motel there instead of Breezewood. It is about 1/2 hour further along.

Breezewood! Hoho! Sometime in history, someone very powerful managed to put a stoplight on an interstate and Breezewood was born.

Take Susie's advice or go a little further.

BTW: What is your final destination? Coming from Baltimore we would avoid the Penn Tpke whenever we went west, going via I70 and then 64 as far as we could. The stretch west of Hagerstown gets very pretty and there are some wonderful Amish/Mennonite restaurants past Frostburg. Wouldn't make sense if you're heading due west from NJ, but consider it if you aren't time-pressed.

Susie -
Thanks for the tips. I ended up reserving in Breezewood because it seemed the only decent, available hotel (Holiday Inn Express) was there. I did look at Bedford...


I am thinking now I should get used to the idea of fast food or try to find something as we circle Harrisburg.

Soccr -
We are coming down 78 Past Allentown and then joining 76, as opposed to picking it up north of Philly - we are hoping to avoid some of the worst traffic bottlenecks that way.
I am familiar with those beautiful roads you mention, but we are headed to Pittsburgh - the Breezewood is just a pit stop for us merely because of location.
We are renting a car and loading up our bikes - starting at McKeesport and doing the GAP (Great Allegheny Passage) bike trail, then joining up to the C & O Canal Towpath - ending up in Georgetown.
Looking forward to it - it should be beautiful, but what a physical challenge!
Thank you for your ideas,
Baz

I travel the stretch of the turnpike between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh and unless you go at least a few miles off the highway, all you will get is chains, chains, and more...you guessed it: chains.

Useless factoid no. eleven -

"Breezewood" is a "term of art" in traffic planning and highway design circles.

As in, "Frobisher, you idiot, with that alignment of the interchanges you'll make it a #@%& breezewood."

Bazonia,

Please, post a trip report. I've done the entire C&O canal towpath from end to end, and I'd love to hear about the Great Alleghany Passage. How many days is your trip?

Dining choices are very limited outside chains. Considering the limitations, we did have a good experience at the Eat'n Park in Somerset.

Eat 'n Park is a Western PA area chain that does have decent, inexpensive food.

Is there an Eat'n'Park at Breezewood? I guess I never noticed it. If there is one there, that would be a great place to go. Its basically the equivalent of a Bob Evans.

Don't believe there is an Eat 'n Park in Breezewood. Been thru there a million times too.

Author: like_2travel
Date: 05/24/2008, 07:03 am

Bazonia,
Please, post a trip report. I've done the entire C&O canal towpath from end to end,




Hey like_2travel, that sounds
very interesting! Can you tell
us more and post some
sites?

I hope Bazonia
posts a trip report, too.

Why would someone worry about eating in a chain restaurant when they don't seem worried about sleeping in a chain hotel?

Chain hotels/motels seem to many of us to be held to higher standards than independents (depending on the chain, of course -- you can't get me anywhere near a HoJos), while many chain restaurants seem to be held to lower standards than independents. SOME of the newer, more upscale chains seem to be raising the bar a bit; but in places like Breezewood, the expectation is that it's all fast food or (sorry) Denny's-level stuff. I think it was fair to ask what restaurants around Breezewood might possibly be something different from what all Interstate Travelers confront around the off-ramps.

Wanderluster, Bazonia, and all who would like to bicycle the C&O Canal Towpath from Cumberland to Georgetown, 184 miles:

To start the planning, the first place is study the map http://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisi...hohparkmap.pdf
Hiking/Biking Information:
http://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisi...gandbiking.htm

I've found excellent planning information on bikewashington.org
http://www.bikewashington.org/canal/index.php
and it includes trip reports!

The towpath surface is dirt or gravel, so this trail is best suited for a hybrid or mountain bike. Basically any type of bike except a racing bike would do just fine.

Most people cycle from Cumberland to Georgetown. We did it over a 3 day weekend. Drove to Cumberland Friday evening. Spent Friday night at the Quality Inn of Cumberland. Saturday we bicycled 90 miles, Sunday 55, and Monday 40 (Monday was a holiday).

We went as a Scout/Venture Group with about 30 total, about half adults and the youth were 14 and up. Except 2 very fit 13 year olds. We had some very very good planners. Two adults were SAG vehicles, and they met us at designated points along the trail with snacks or sandwiches. We camped two nights at the KOA in Williamsport, but I've heard that Little Orleans is better.

Happy trails!

Some random pictures of the trail and trip:
http://picasaweb.google.com/filiz893...ey=z9Nb2khsq7Q