Located within the heart of Pennsylvania’s Alleghenies, Altoona/Blair County offers a distinctive variety of authentic experiences including railroad heritage, history, outdoor recreation, and classic family fun!
America’s only interactive railroaders museum, the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum, tells the story of the railroader’s life and how the railroader intrinsically cultivated the fabric and culture of a hardworking community. The museum’s sister site, the World Famous Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark, is the only place in the world at which one can observe trains traversing a mountain range, the Alleghenies, in the literal shape of a horseshoe. Known as one of the eight engineering marvels of the world, it was built by hand by 450 Irish immigrants over a five-year period and was on the Nazis’ hit list during World War II.
Baker Mansion, the only Greek-Temple style home in Pennsylvania, is known as the site serving as an inspiration for the CBS series, Ghosts, written by Altoona native, Joe Port, who grew up in the same neighborhood as the Mansion. Another iconic historical site is Fort Roberdeau, America’s westernmost Revolutionary War site, which was built to protect lead miners during the War.
Discover Canoe Creek State Park, chosen by the PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources as one of “Twenty Must See State Parks,” with the historic, iconic Blair Limestone Kilns. It lies along the alignment of the September 11th National Memorial Trail which is evolving into an unbroken 1,300-mile system of roads, trails, and greenways that link the three national 9/11 memorials in NYC, DC, and PA.
Classic family fun includes DelGrosso’s Park and Laguna Splash Water Park, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Herschell Spillman carousel in 2024. The park is one part of a family of companies which is the oldest family-owned producer of pasta sauce in America and also boasts the only Italian themed water park in America, Laguna Splash.
For these experiences and more visit www.explorealtoona.com!
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