Festivals/Events – Who doesn’t love a good party? Year-round, Erie, PA has plenty of festivals, fairs, expos, craft shows and celebrations to keep you busy. So unpack those lawn chairs, reserve your space, shake out your blankets and snag a seat. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s in store:  Roar on the Shore (July 17-19), Discover Presque Isle Days (July 25-27), Beer on the Bay (July 26), Art Museum Jazz & Blues Fest (Aug 2-3), Celebrate Erie (Aug 14-17), Wine Country Harvest Festival (Sept 26-28), ZooBoo (Oct 17-30) and Festival of Trees (Nov 26-30).

Presque Isle State Park/Lake Erie – With sandy beaches and endless outdoor recreation for every season, Presque Isle State Park, a National Natural Landmark, is one of Pennsylvania’s top vacation destinations. Visitors flock to Presque Isle for its distinctive blend of natural beauty and recreation including swimming, boating, biking, picnicking, [...]

Erie, Pennsylvania’s fourth largest city, is on beautiful Presque Isle Bay, one the world’s best-protected harbors, surrounded by a seven-mile peninsula. As a Great Lakes City, Erie has an extensive maritime history, and boasts the state’s only seashore. Central to the Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo triangle, Erie is within 500 miles of more than half of the U.S. population and is accessible by automobile, boat, plane, train, or bus.

The sandy surf beaches at Presque Isle State Park along Lake Erie help to make tourism Erie’s second largest industry, next to manufacturing. Sailing, swimming, hiking, biking, kite flying and fishing are popular on the lake. Presque Isle, a National Natural Landmark, is known for its ecological diversity with rare and endangered species of wildflowers and over 428 species of birds. Just outside Presque Isle is the Tom Ridge Environmental Center (TREC), a [...]

“The valley that changed the world” is just the place for your family getaway. Located in northwest Pennsylvania, we are less than 100 miles from either Erie or Pittsburgh.

We have something for everyone here with 60+ miles of paved biking and hiking trails. Canoe, kayak or fish in the scenic Allegheny River.

Two Mile Run County Park boasts the 144-acre Justus Lake with camping, boating or swimming. The campground opens in late spring with 72 secluded campground sites.

Oil Creek State Park is open year-round and has 52 miles of hiking trails, as well as canoeing and fishing in Oil Creek. Bring a picnic to enjoy!

The Allegheny GeoTrail is a family favorite with caches hidden throughout the region. You can earn a Geocoin by finding just six caches.

And for history lovers, there’s Drake Well Museum, [...]

Erie…Feel the Lake Effect

Erie is Pennsylvania’s only Great Lakes Port City and boasts a wealth of natural beauty and fascinating history. Erie is situated along picturesque Presque Isle Bay, one of the world’s best-protected harbors surrounded by a 3,200-acre peninsula, Presque Isle State Park. Enjoy Presque Isle State Park with 7 miles of sandy beaches, trails and plenty of outdoor recreation.

Travel downtown for Broadway shows, theatrical performances, philharmonic delights, and comedy club entertainment. Explore acres of vineyards at local wineries. Enjoy dinner and a show at unique interactive dinner theatres. Shop till you drop with NO TAX ON CLOTHING OR SHOES. Root for our professional sports teams: Erie Seawolves AA baseball, Erie Otters OHL hockey or the Erie Bayhawks NBA D-League basketball. Splash around at Splash Lagoon Indoor Water Park or put your skies on for downhill or cross-country outdoor fun.

Find [...]

Winter outdoor activities abound at Pymatuning State Park! The Park is open every day for cross-country skiing and there is also the five-mile Fries Road Trail that is perfect for snowmobiling. Additional trails are found all over the Park for winter hiking, skiing, snowmobiling and sledding. For Park information, call 724-932-3142. www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/pymatuning.aspx

Avalanche Xpress Snow Tubing Park in Meadville is the most exciting place to “get air.” It’s the newest, longest and steepest snow tubing park in northwestern Pennsylvania! Their four 7-story, 900 foot tubing runs will take you back to your childhood sledding days! When you’re done, you can take the chill off by relaxing with a hot drink in front of their fireplace or play table and arcade games in the clubhouse. No snow? No problem! Cutting-edge snowmaking machines keep the hill white even if the weather doesn’t. Call 814-333-2827 for hours, rates and more! www.golfwhisperingpines.com/avalancheexpress/

Indulge your wild side with designed hunts [...]

Welcome to the Best WesternPLUSBradford Inn “The Host of the Alleghenies” !

Whether planning a one-day or multi day visit, we are your perfect “home base” for visiting the AlleghenyNational Forest region and its many attractions. We’re just 20 minutes south of the Seneca-Allegany Casino, featuring over 1,800 Reel and Video Slot Machines as well as Vegas-style gaming like Blackjack, Roulette, Poker, Spanish 21, Craps, and Keno.

The Zippo/Case Visitors Center & Museum, (just 1 mile away), features extraordinary displays, histories and hundreds of purchasable items of two beloved American Icons, the Zippo Lighter and the Case Knife.

Other nearby attractions include the Crook Farm (an 1840’s farm and one-room schoolhouse),Penn-BradOilMuseum(featuring an 1890’s wooden oil rig), Eldred World War II Museum and many antiquing opportunities.

Best WesternPLUSBradford Inn

100 Davis Street

Bradford,PA 16701

www.bwbradford.com

814-362-4501 or 800-344-4656  ¤

Are you seeking a Pennsylvania family vacation filled with beauty, renowned historic sites and breathtaking natural scenery? Then, Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands is your next Pennsylvania destination.

In the Laurel Highlands, you’ll discover dramatic mountains and Pennsylvania’s deepest river gorge. You’ll be surrounded by clear, glassy ponds, lakes, and streams.

Get your hiking shoes ready as you take on a 150-mile trail. The Great Allegheny Passage, an award-winning 150-mile unpaved rail trail for hiking and biking, runs south/southeast through, over, around and even under some of the most beautiful mountains, forests and rivers you’ll ever see.

For the thrill seeker in you and your family, the Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier awaits you! It offers everything your family could ask for – seven individual themed areas of fun, two roller coasters, dozens of other rides, an antique merry-go-round, a wet and wild water park with 11 different attractions of its own and so much more!

Do [...]

Do you enjoy learning about America’s past, present and future?

Then on your next PA family vacation, you must visit Pennsylvania’s Great Lakes Oil Region. It’s rich with history.

Leave your worries behind as you indulge in the natural beauty, historic structures, Indian heritage, festivals and recreational opportunities of the Oil Heritage Region.

The family will love visiting the Drake Well Museum, the site where the world’s first commercial oil well was drilled!

Do you want to see the oldest well in the entire world that’s still producing oil at its original depth? McClintock Well #1 awaits you.

Listen to old oil boom tales as you take part in a murder mystery dinner on the Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad!

If you love music, then you must shimmy on over to the DeBence Antique Music World. This one-of-a-kind collection of over 100 old-fashioned automated musical instruments is known as the “see and hear” museum. You [...]