Kathy

Looking for suggestions of where to spend a weekend within 3 to 4 hours DRIVING distance of Pittsburgh.

Plans for the weekend include a nice hotel and fine dining. No, we are not looking for skiing or other outside sports; just crashing........

Currently considering Cincinnati and having dinner at the Maisonette Restaurant. Nemicolin fits the distance, but be have been there several times.

Does anyone have any suggestions

x

What time of year?

Winter? I'd seriously consider skipping the above mentioned states and try priceline for a cheap airline ticket somewhere warm. I'd be pissed if someone took me to Ohio, Pennsylvania or West Virginia for my anniversary.

x

Sorry, hit send too soon.

In the fall both Pennsylvania and West Virginia would be beautiful. What about The Homestead or The Greenbriar?

Charlene

In the Hocking Hills of Ohio is a lovely Scottish Inn called Glenlaurel. Pricey, but romantic and beautiful. The food is exquisite and the owner will help you make reservations at other local inns with gourmet chefs. My daughter was engaged at the inn and we had her wedding there. This is just the "best" in the tri-state area! Take a look at Glenlaurelinn.com

xxx

Golden Lamb in Lebanon just north of Cincinnati.

http://www.goldenlamb.com

xxx

New Hope Pa. Country living, romantic country feel. B&B's. Inn at Philips Mill for a nice restaurant. BYOB. French Country ambiance. Great food. On the Jersey side, across the river is Lambertville. Antique shops and more nice restaurants.

Kathy

Dear Mr/Ms "X"

Couldn't help but get a smile from your responses. You're right - I also would
not be excited about an "anniversary trip" for a weekend to any of the three states I mentioned in the middle of winter. It's cold, gray, and dreary.
However, we are looking at the three states because we live near Pittsburgh and want to drive somewhere close just to get away from home. Can't plan a long drive as we don't know what the weather will be like

We don't want to fly anywhere because we spent a long weekend visiting parents in Florida in December and will be going on our "real" vacation to Scottsdale, Az at the end of March. Our closest airport is Pittsburgh (1 1/2 hour drive) and are limited in "cheapo" flights since it's a US Air hub. After the weekend trip to Florida, it's not worth all the hassles to fly for only a weekend.

I'm going to check the websites recommended to see if any are available and possible. Thank you for the suggestions; I was not not aware of any of the places mentioned

Janet

I've heard alot about a place called Glendorn in Bradford. Check their website

yyy

If you can make it from Pittsburgh to New Hope in less than 4 hours, you are one speedy driver!

xxx

"yyy" oh I guess I didn't figure that right. Oh well, doesn't sound like she is interested in it anyway. My girfriend goes to Pittsburgh and does it in about 4 hours so she says. Maybe 5 hours hey? I am from Philly.

Lindsay

There is a wonderful bed and breakfast in Somerset, PA, called Quill Haven Inn. Check out their website at www.quillhaven.com. My boyfriend and I just spent two days there, and it was great! Reasonable prices too. It's about an hour's driving distance from Pittsburgh.

Patti

Kathy

Have you hear of the Nemacolin Inn? It's not far from Pittsburgh and is just a gorgeous place. They have a lot of activities, great dining, and it's such a gorgeous place. They also have a website and it's probably within 1 - 1 1/2 hours from you.

Lynn

Kathy,

Another spot you could consider is The Homestead in Hot Springs, VA. It probably would be approximately 4 hrs. from Pittsburgh. We came across this resort while driving home from the Greenbrier two summers ago. (www.thehomestead.com). It appeared to be on par with Nemacolin and the Greenbrier. Also, my own personal opinion is that the Greenbrier is overrated. I noticed they lost their Mobil 5* rating when we were there in 2001. I am curious where you live--as I am within 1 1/2 hours also from PIT--and we sure don't get any great airfare prices from USAirways! If nothing else, check out the Homestead website.

w

It is just outside your driving range but you'll find nice hotels and great dining in Washington, DC. You can take the train from Pittsburgh but it is quite a bit slower (can be fun, though, and a great way to see the mountains).

I'd second the idea of The Greenbriar if it fits your budget.

Another alternative would be Toftrees near State College which will be cheap in the off-season. There are also several nice resorts around the Aurora, Ohio area which you might like to try.

I would also consider Cleveland. You can stay downtown at the Ritz Carlton, be totally pampered, and find some great restaurants.

Finally, I'd suggest going to the local library or book store and finding a book or two on B&B's for your area. This will give you more information and more ideas.

Christina

I'm from Ohio, but have many relatives in Pittsburgh/Wva and now live in DC -- so I drive from DC to Pittsburgh quite a bit and it's only about a 5 hr drive, so I would suggest DC, also. Otherwise, the Hocking Hills place sounds good. I would just want to do something different and interesting. I've been to (through) Lebanon and would not want to spend a weekend there at all, but I suppose if you really don't care about anything but crashing, it might be okay. You might look into the Md/W Va panhandle area around Harpers Ferry or Shepherdstown, I'm sure they must have some inns and decent restaurants there, although I don't know names--that would definitely be an easy drive from Pittsburgh across 70 and down 81. Cincinnati sounds like a good idea, but I would have thought that was as far as DC. My Rand McNally says it is about 40 miles farther, actually.

carol

Kathy, Here is another vote for Glenlaurel. It is a Scottish Inn in the Hocking Hills. My husband and I spent a weekend there. Michael, the inn's owner attends to every detail. The food is amazing. It is a 45 min. drive southeast of Columbus.

Kathy

Thank you for all your suggestions. You are really keeping me busy checking out websites and maps. This morning, I was even in Amtrack looking at the options (that was a good suggestion that I never would have thought of)

After all your recommendations, I am looking at The Homestead, Greenbriar and Glenlaurel. I think the bottom line will depend on which is a closer drive, what type of highway (in case of snow) and availability.

Since the library was closed yesterday, I checked out B&B's at www.bedandbreakfast.com which has a listing for all states

Thanks for mentioning New Hope; it is definately on my list for a summer weekend.

Now to get the maps out...........

shannon

NIAGARA FALLS.....stay on the canadian side....
even in winter it is nice

and less tourists...there are the typical tacky tourist things but there is cheap shopping, gambling, butterfly sanctuary (favorite part)...

cheap NICE hotels...even the ever popular HOT TUB rooms...plenty of dining choices...

don't forget to stop at the duty free border shops on the way out for 1/2 price libations!

we can get there in around 3 hrs from Pittsburgh depending upon traffic/speeding ;-)

Ann

If money isn't an issue, then I'd head for the finest dining on the east coast: The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia. It's about an hour outside DC, so it falls into your range. Dinner there is supposed to be an amazing (and very expensive) experience. The inn is supposed to be lovely, too.

I've never eaten or stayed there, unfortunately, but I've heard so many good things about that I had to mention it.

CT

My advice--go to Shawnee State Park and Resort in southern Ohio. It was recently renovated and they offer great deals in the winter.

http://www.atapark.com/