Fallingwater and...?
 

My husband would like to visit Fallingwater; he is a Frank Lloyd Wright fan. We would be coming from AZ so need some suggestions for other places in the area to visit. Not sure when we would visit but thinking of either April 2007 or Oct 2007. Which month would be preferable in terms of weather, and where else should we visit in the area Thanks.(We like small towns, scenic drives).

Ohiopyle State Park. It is just down the road from Falling Water. with 19,052 acres of park. There are beautiful waterfalls...a main, beautiful and large falls on the main highway, and one that is called Cucumber Falls within the park. There is hiking, kayaking, white water rafting, and swimming, picnicing, and general just relaxing. PA doesn't have an ocean, but we have beautiful Ohiopyle. The Youghiogheny River Gorge passes through the park. www.ohiopyle.com Directions are on the web site.
If you are a Frank Lloyd Wright fan, well, then you must visit Kentuck Knob Chalk Hill, PA very close to Ohiopyle. Actually, a few miles southwest of his masterpiece, Falling Water. It is another Frank Lloyd Wright property and building: www.kentuckknob.com
When visiting the area find an information place where they give out pamplets, booklets. There is a visitor's guide: PA's Laurel Highlands magazine that is free. There is an article in there on Kentuck Knob. And, tons of information about the area. I always pick one up for upcoming events and the articles. We pick them up at Eat N Park Resturants in the area.
You aren't far from:
1. Seven Springs Ski Resort
2. Hidden Valley Ski Resort
3. Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
4. Yough Dam
5. The quaint, historic town of Ligonier
www.laurelhighlands.org

Enjoy, it is a wonderful area!

Oh, to answer your month question: I would think October would be best. The leaves peak sometimes around the 10th of October. That would be a beautiful time for you to see PA.

Do a web search for Pittsburg. While I have not been there, I have friends who have had wonderful experiences there. There is a tram (not right name) ride to top of a mountain with wonderful views of the 3 rivers plus other things that I cannot remember, but I plan to do it one day myself.

Try this tiny link: http://tinyurl.com/mt233

Or this link to what Fodor's has to say:
http://tinyurl.com/lgfjk
(When I preview, the links are printed twice...tried to clean it up to no avail...edit screen does not show double, but preview does. Sorry! Soooo...only cc the first part.)

OK...posted version is correct...forget my parenthetical comment.

When my brother and I were there a couple of years ago we were staying at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. We had a great time at both the resort and Fallingwaters. We also visited the Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Mount Washington Tavern. These are from the French and Indian War. We were there in August.

I hope this helps.

All are good ideas, but if you are driving all the way from Arizona continue on to Amish country around Lancaster and Bird-in-Hand, etc. If you are a history buff, visit Gettysburg and other battlefields.

I visited Fallingwater in March of 2005 and had wonderful weather, but it is unpredictable. Keep a flexible schedule, and go on the nicest day because there is some walking through woods and a sloping path.

It's probably a bit too far from Pittsburg...but there are six or 7 Frank Lloyd Wright homes and buildings in Buffalo - and New York State is gorgeous in the fall.

Pittsburg is not in Pennsylvania. Pittsburg<b>h</b> is.

October would be a great time to go. If April, then end of April.

Pittsburgh and Fallingwater are at the least a two hour drive away from one another. Lancaster is about four hours from Fallingwater.
I thought of another place right beside Fallingwater, Bear Run. It is a group of trials for hiking. And, the large barn holds exhibits of PA wildlife interest.
I had mentioned Ligonier. It would only be about a half hour drive from Falling Water. On Oct. 13-15, in the town center they have &quot;Fort Ligonier Days&quot; www.ligonier.com It is a quaint town with many shops and on Fort Ligonier Days there is special tribute to the fort there. With many food booths, arts, crafts, and music. It is very, very nice and quite large.
Fall Foliage and Harvest Celebration will be at a winery near the second Kentuck Knob FLW property that I mentioned to you. This is on Oct. 15th. www.cwklaywinery.com
I mentioned Seven Springs Resort to you. They have a huge slide that travels down the main slope in the off season. Oct. 1,7,14,21, and 22 is Autumnfest. Springs Folk Festival is Oct. 6-7. www.springspa.org
;)
Pittsburgh doesn't have a tram, but two inclines that travel up the mountain side to Mt. Washington. At the top you have a breath taking view of downtown Pittsburgh and the stadiums.
Johnstown, PA also has an incline. It is interesting, but not the view. You aren't far from Johnstown from Falling Water...Ohiopyle, Somerset County. PA
Enjoy!!

MrsKiss, if I were traveling from Arizona to SW PA to see Fallingwater, I would probably be interested in seeing more than just SW PA.

In fact, I HAVE planned potential trips just to see Fallingwater - but am definitely interested is seeing more than just the SW corner of PA after I get there.

Maybe the OP doesn't. Maybe the OP does. If OP likes small towns and scenic drives, well, that pretty much describes Amish country to me.

Just options out there for the OP to choose from.

PS, orangetravelcat, October in that corner of PA should be gorgeous.

Really? Fallingwater is 2 hours from Pittsburgh? I don't doubt you since I only visited once but I sure don't remember it being that far.

I agree that October would probably be the nicer weather, and that you should definitely either visit Pittsburgh, or Gettysburgh and Lancaster County. It should be a very nice vacation.

MrsKiss...ty...I knew tram was not the right word, but the word 'incline' just WOULD NOT pierce my senior moment. :-)

And yes! Lancaster is a wonderful place to visit but it never occurred to me to recommend because it is on the other side of the state. Assuming that someone visiting Fallingwater would fly into Pittsburg'H' (excuse me mrwunfrl, but you did know which city I was referring to?) I was trying to think of things close by.

If you are not trying to keep your touring confined geographically, you might google 'pa route 6'. That search will point out the sights along the highway that trasverses northern PA and takes you through many quaint little towns. Among the sites we most enjoyed on that trip was the PA Grand Canyon (which is VERY different from Arizona's GC) and the trestle at Kinzua Bridge State Park west of Smethport. October (early) would be the perfect time for a Route 6 drive.

*PA Grand Canyon: http://tinyurl.com/gyr5a

Another link:

http://www.visitanf.com/

Thanks for your suggestions. I think we will try and plan this for October (2007) but will start doing my research now. Amish country sounds intriguing.

Email me @ [email protected] (That is my 'throw-away' email address and I dont check it frequently) if you are looking into Lancaster. I live about 2 hours away and we often drive there for day trips; sometimes overnight. I cannot recommend lodging, but I do know much about the area. Maybe I can help.

orange:

good idea to come October 2007 instead. I remember hiking in Ohiopyle October 9-10 in the 1990s and the leaves are brilliant. I would suggest the best view for fall colors is on the bike trail from McConnellsville to Ohiopyle.

Suki is right Fallingwater is about 50-60 miles from Pittsburgh there is no way I've ever spent that amount of time to get there. It is about 1 1/2 hours to Oil City/Franklin, PA and 2 hours to Erie.

It's about 1 hour 44 minutes from Pittsburgh airport to Fallingwater. About 20 minutes less from the Point.

Which also means that PIT is 20 minutes from the burgh, where there is lots to see and do.

Just about everything I planned to write is now on this thread. I will add my favorite restaurant in the Nemacolin Woodlands resort, and the one that is reasonably priced. It is called the Caddy Shack and is quite good in an area of not too many good places to eat at reasonable prices.

Laurel Highlands State Park has some great walking trails that even a full out weakling like me can enjoy. Huge rock formations. You can find good walks in the park at the Laurel Summit entrance.

Be aware that there is some crazy traffic during Ligonier Days. Plan early or late, or just relax while you wait for parking.

Just to piggyback on the Buffalo suggestion, it would be around a 5.5 hour drive from Fallingwater. Here is a link detailing the FLW homes in Buffalo:
http://ah.bfn.org/a/archs/wright/buff/index.html

Also, the city just broke ground on the FLW Boathouse. I'm not sure when it is scheduled for completion.

Buffalo has great architecture (I live about 8 miles away). East Aurora, a suburb about 15 miles southwest of the city, is a town built around the leader in the arts and crafts movement - Elbert Hubbard. The Roycroft Inn is a beautiful B&amp;B if you end up in the area:
www.roycroftinn.com

There are many other things to do in the Southern Tier of NY - the Chautauqua Institute, Letchworth State Park etc.

Also Buffalo has several - (maybe 7?) parks designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who designed Central Park. If you go to Chautauqua this year, you can stay at my empty house.

I saw a tv documentary once about a church in Pittsburgh with outstanding stained glass windows. mrwunfl or others in the know, do you know the name and/or location? I believe the glass was Tiffany; the church was located downtown; and one of the points of interest in the documentary was that a nearby building was being 'imploded'; therefore, there was concern about saving the windows (which they did!). I would love to put that location on my list for when I make it to Pittsburgh.

My husband and I just visited Fallingwaters ... We stayed at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort (in The Lodge), which I would highly recommend. It will really make your stay very enjoyable. You've gotten some great suggestions from posters here ... should be enough to enjoy the area.

One suggestion -- Be sure to get tickets for the extended Fallingswater tour (which you need to reserve ahead of time) -- It's around $55 per person, but well worth the cost.

Also, in addition to the above, you're not too far from the memorial site for Flight 93 that went down in Pennsylvania on 9/11/01.

Definitely plan on Oct versus April ... The area will be absolutely beautiful with fall colors.

I only live a a few hours from Falling Water and Pittsburgh and have never been. I was just thinking it might be a nice long weekend fall getaway (probably next year) so thanks for the helpful post! :-)

Sorry, I don't know the name of the church. I grew up in Pittsburgh and have family that live there but have not lived there myself for 27 years. I have never visited Fallingwater, but maybe the next time I visit my sister in Chalk Hill I will.

pollyw, would this be it?

First Presbyterian Church, Sixth Avenue, Downtown, 412-471-3436. Tours include 13 Tiffany stained-glass windows, available after Sunday service at 10:45 a.m. Group tours by appointment. Free.

source = good website with lots of ideas for things to do in Pittsburgh

I think it's Calvary on the North Side of Pittsburgh that has those famous windows. Here's an article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about them:

http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/20020...ws0922fnp1.asp

Calvary Methodist is not far from the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. Andy Warhol Museum and the stadiums, as well as the very cool Mattress Factory gallery, where they show installation art, are all on that side of Pittsburgh. If you add St Anthony's Chapel, you have a full day of sightseeing just on the North Side.

I have had the opportunity to show a lot of folks around Pittsburgh in the past year, and it is really a great destination in combination with Fallingwater and the mountains.

starrsville...I think you've got it! And tuscanlifeedit, looks like you found a winner too. Bookmarking them for future reference. Thank y'all so much!

I suggest you visit Shanksville, PA., where United Airline Flight 93 crashed on 9/11/01.

It is an undeveloped historic site, staffed by volunteers from the area, and full of tributes. A very unorganized place and therefore the most inspiring site I have ever visited.

Visit before the Park Service ruins it with their $100 million interpretive center.

Wonderful suggestion gaegrand.

You know, I've been talking about driving up to Fallingwater for a year or so. I just did a mapquest route - and adding Shanksville is the impetus I need to make this trip.

Thanks.

Well, it always takes me the better part of two hours to get from the south hills of Pittsburgh to Fallingwater - it's not like there is a highway to take you there, lots of 35 mph roads and considerable traffic near the city of Pittsburgh.

For anyone who plans to visit Fallingwater, I can't emphasize enough the already mentioned suggestion to visit Kentuck Knob - even though it is less architecturally &quot;important&quot;, I enjoyed the tour even more than Fallingwater.

Another vote for a fall visit rather than a spring visit - it's likely to be cold and wet here in April.

Not McConnellsville, it is Connellsville....live near...very near.

Oh, posting about Connellsville lead me to think about Dawson, PA. Linden Hall is a wonderful historic place to visit. It is 38 miles South of Pittsburgh. It has a rich history with a mansion to tour, golfing, dining, recreation, and lodging. Also, connected with the mansion and the history is a beautiful victorian home in Dawson, and a church: Cockran Memorial Methodist Church in Dawson that is unbelievable. You have to see it to believe it. www.lindenhall.com

Oops. www.lindenhallpa.com

Connellsville! My mother was from Connellsville (Dutch Bottom) and her sister and sister's DH still live in Connellsville. Dad was from Scottdale.

The Ohiopyle area is beautiful. My absolute favorite place in PA. We live close so we spend a lot of time camping there. The river has incredible trout fishing and a wonderful bicycle trail that can be walked easily if you aren't into biking. I'll second Ligonier as a quaint little town. Although Pittsburgh is not a small town, there are many scenic neighborhoods and it is only about 1.5 hours away. I would vote October since the leaves will be turning, and it's usually drier.

Never got to take the trip to Fallingwater as my husband had alot of medical problems. But now, I have some time off fromOct 29-Nov 4, and FW is one of the options we are looking at. I know the weather probably is not ideal then, but that's the only time we would have available to go this year.