The Laurel Highlands was recently voted the second-best destination for fall foliage by USA Today. While it clearly has spectacular leaf peeping, it offers much more than a fall visit to ogle the deep red, rusty orange, and vibrant yellow trees. Keep reading to discover the best things to do in the Laurel Highlands.
I, Kathryn Anderson, recently had the pleasure of visiting the Laurel Highlands with a group of five other travel writers. I will be your host for this adventure. Together, we will share our favorite moments and top attractions. I hope you enjoy this insider’s guide and that it inspires wanderlust for a future visit.
Dining in the Laurel Highlands
My friend and fellow travel writer Jan Schroder from The Travel 100 is here to share everything you need to know about dining in the Laurel Highlands.
I had two of the most incredible meals of my life in Laurel Highlands: a multi-course dinner in a treehouse at Polymath Park and a gourmet experience with wine pairings and perfect service at Lautrec at Nemacolin Resort. I’ll tell you more about those incredible dining experiences later, but one elegantly plated dish is pictured below.
While other meals may not have involved a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright homes or being surrounded by art worth $6 million, I had several other memorable meals during my visit to Laurel Highlands, including breakfast in a retro ‘50s diner and gochujang cauliflower at a brewing company. Here are my recommendations for dining in Laurel Highlands.
6 Restaurants To Try in the Laurel Highlands
Opened in 1960, Summit Diner in Somerset serves diner foods in a setting that makes me feel like I’ve stepped into Happy Days and waited for The Fonz to stroll in and hit the jukebox. The menu includes burgers, salads, sandwiches, and an all-day breakfast.
Bittersweet Café in Farmington is a beautifully decorated, homey café that serves handcrafted coffee, tea, and smoothies. Everything for the breakfast and lunch items is made in-house.
Champion is home to Helen’s Restaurant, a fine-dining establishment housed in the original hunting lodge of Helen and Adolph Dupre, who bought the Seven Springs Mountain Resort in 1932. My fabulous four-course dinner included a crab bisque made from Helen’s recipe, curried shrimp and scallops, and a Key lime crème brûlée.
The extensive menu at El Diablo Brewing Company in Greensburg includes salads, pizzas, sandwiches, and entrees like blackened mahi mahi and poke bowls. I especially loved the spicy gochujang cauliflower appetizer.
At Out of the Fire Café in Donegal, smoked salmon is the signature dish, along with steak and seafood. The patio has a gorgeous view and is perfect for catching the sunset.
After I took a photo with the Mr. Rogers statue in his hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, I headed to 512 Coffee and Ice Cream to indulge in a decadent banana split in the town where the treat was invented by a creative pharmacist in 1904.
Fallingwater: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Natural Masterpiece
It’s time to work off all those delicious calories by visiting Fallingwater, one of the most famous sights in the Laurel Highlands. Here is Stacey Wittig, the travel writer behind UnstoppableStaceyTravel.com, to tell you what to expect.
Although autumn colors make for a stunning show, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater is dazzling at any time of year. Our guide confided that winter is her favorite season to experience this UNESCO World Heritage site.
Widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest buildings and an architectural masterpiece, Fallingwater attracts architecture enthusiasts to Laurel Highlands from mid-March through December.
Fallingwater Visitor Center
While waiting in the visitor center, which opens to the surrounding forest, I noticed other guests speaking in hushed tones as if anticipating a sacred space. The sound of birds chirping and the aroma of cedarwood fostered the serene atmosphere as we waited expectantly for our docent to guide us around the grounds and into the heart of the home.
“Right this way,” smiled docent Karen O. — indeed, a Frank Lloyd Wright scholar. Upon stepping over the threshold, I felt a sense of compression, a signature aspect of Wright’s design, intended to create a feeling of lightness and airiness once you transition from the confined entry into the more expansive living space.
Fallingwater and Nature
The soothing sound of water followed me throughout the home—in its living and dining rooms and bedrooms—drawing me to the outdoor terraces. Although I’ve read many books on Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture, the walking tour allowed me to experience Wright’s harmonious blend of nature and design firsthand.
Fallingwater is remarkable — inside and out — for its integration with the rocky Laurel Highlands landscape. Large, cantilevered terraces extend over the waterfall, stunning in its own right. From outside, the multi-level home seems to cascade down the falls.
Indoors, Wright designed features to integrate the family’s lifestyle, such as the living room fireplace, which was created on the exact spot where the family picnicked before construction began. Wright is known for his organic architectural style, which I experienced on the guided tour of the home and at other Frank Lloyd Wright houses in Pennsylvania.
Flight 93 Memorial: A Somber Tribute to Heroes
Fallingwater is an absolute must when visiting the Laurel Highlands. After spending time there, you will leave feeling relaxed and calm. It’s time for a different set of emotions at the somber but historically important Flight 93 Memorial. Here is Marni Patterson to tell the story.
Seeing the Flight 93 Memorial is an experience similar to visiting Pearl Harbor, the American Cemetery in Normandy, or Masada. You’re on hallowed ground where heroes showed extraordinary courage under duress.
The Story Behind Flight 93
At 9:28 am on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked United Flight 93, which was en route from Newark to San Francisco. It was the fourth plane hijacked that day by Islamic jihadists in what would become the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history.
The hijackers planned to crash the plane into the U.S. Capitol or the White House. They never got the chance, thanks to the heroic actions of the 40 passengers and crew members onboard.
The passengers and crew used Airfones to contact friends and family when the hijackers weren’t looking. When they learned about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, they stormed the cockpit. The terrorists rocked the aircraft to throw them off balance. When that didn’t work, they decided to crash the plane.
In 2005, the Flight 93 Memorial was built on the crash site to commemorate the passengers’ and crew members’ bravery and sacrifice.
In the Visitors Center, we saw a chronological account of what happened that day and the aftermath. Listening to phone messages passengers and flight attendants left for friends and family they’d never see again was particularly heart-wrenching.
At Memorial Plaza, we walked along the northern boundary of the crash site to see the Wall of Names, which consists of 40 white marble stones—one for each passenger and crew member. The forest is a final resting place for the heroes of Flight 93. The only people allowed in the woods are family members to pay their respects.
Tower of Voices at the Flight 93 Memorial
Our final stop was the Tower of Voices, a bell tower with 40 wind chimes that represent the voices of the passengers and crew members. The wind started blowing, and we could hear them speaking to us from the grave.
©Kathryn Anderson
Nemacolin Resort: Whimsical Luxury
Next, I will lighten the mood with a tour of one of the top attractions in the Laurel Highlands: the incredible and whimsical resort of Nemacolin.
Nemacolin is a luxury resort where opulence meets whimsy. It’s five-star luxury without any stuffiness.
Nemacolin’s Hotels
Nemacolin comprises three different hotels: The Chateau, Falling Rock, and The Grand Lodge, as well as private homes and estates for guests who require more space. We began our tour with a champagne welcome in the lobby of the main hotel, The Chateau. It was modeled after The Ritz in Paris.
The grand lobby entrance shines with its elegant chandeliers lighting up the room to showcase a harp surrounded by colorful floral arrangements.
Once inside, you’ll discover hidden nooks and rooms. The Bleu Room is hiding behind a door barely discernible from the pale blue wall it sits in. It’s worth searching for because the room is stunning and the ideal place to have an intimate gathering or a decadent high tea.
Each of Nemacolin’s hotels offers a unique experience and varying amenities, but all are luxurious and charming in their own ways. When staying onsite, you are free to explore each of the hotels, their restaurants, bars, and amenities.
©Kathryn Anderson
Throughout the resort, you’ll come across imaginative art installations, including one-of-a-kind pieces from well-known artists. With over 1,600 pieces scattered across the resort, you’ll even find fanciful sculptures on their world-class golf courses.
Activities at Nemacolin
Over 300 activities are available at Nemacolin. Guests can challenge themselves at the adventure center with ziplining, off-roading, climbing walls, and, of course, golf and spa treatments.
Some of the more unique activities guests can look forward to include horseback riding, archery, paintball, axe-throwing, cosmic bowling, and more. During our tour, we were told that if guests can dream it, they will do their best to accommodate and make that dream come true.
©Kathryn Anderson
After touring through the resort and its hotels, we enjoyed one of the best meals of our lives. Our four-course meal was artfully plated and each dish was as decadent as it was stunning. It was truly a Michelin-worthy experience and one I’ll never forget.
Polymath Park: Frank Lloyd Wright on a Budget
Speaking of incredible experiences, here’s travel writer and nature therapy guide Judy Karnia to tell you all about Polymath Park.
Although a visit to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater drew me to the Laurel Highlands area of Pennsylvania, I was just as eager to visit the lesser-known Polymath Park.
While living in Oak Park, Illinois, and Scottsdale, Arizona, I have often visited Wright’s grand homes, which he built for himself and his wealthy clients. Polymath Park presented an opportunity to experience a collection of the Usonian homes he intended for people with moderate incomes.
In the 1960s, the Balter and Blum families bought 130 acres of land outside their home in Pittsburgh and hired Wright apprentice Peter Bernstein to design their houses. In 2003, the Papinchaks purchased this property, which neighbored their new house. They called the area Polymath Park in reference to the wide range of knowledge that Wright and his followers sought.
Three years later, they moved the Wright-designed Duncan House to the land from Lisle, Illinois. Then, in 2017, the Lindholm family agreed to have their house, Mantyla, relocated to the park from Cloquet, Minnesota.
Duncan House and Mantyla
When our group drove through the woods and arrived at the Duncan House and Mantyla, I noticed that while less grand, the buildings still embodied the architect’s dedication to fitting a home into the natural environment. The low profile and sloping roofs led my eyes to the trees swaying beyond.
Inside, the rooms contained Wright’s signature Cherokee red color, horizontal lines, and built-in furniture. The architect used abundant wood built-ins and paneling to warm the stone and cement walls and floors and give these spaces a cozy feeling. The spacious windows drew my eyes to the broad terraces outside, with their views of nature. Wright lovers can reserve one of these two homes to stay overnight.
After our tour, we enjoyed spending more time immersed in nature with dinner at Treetops Restaurant. Individual treehouses give diners a private experience surrounded by green. We enjoyed fresh, healthy food, and the waitress provided me with delicious gluten-free options. This was another memorable dining experience and one of the best things to do in the Laurel Highlands.
Rye Time: Pennsylvania’s Spirited History and Present
And with that, it’s time for our final stop on this adventure–a whiskey tour and tasting. I hope you’re ready for your nightcap because here is Dawn Damico from VitaBella Magazine to tell you about the rye revival in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands.
Most people would be surprised to learn that there was Pennsylvania rye before Kentucky bourbon dominated American whiskey. So, when you enter a Pennsylvania distillery, you are witnessing the revival of an almost forgotten piece of American history.
From West Overton’s Whiskey Museum to Somerset’s cutting-edge Ponfeigh Distillery, Western Pennsylvania is working to reclaim its title as America’s original whiskey region.
In the late 1700s, colonial farmers in Western Pennsylvania discovered that their thin, acidic soil was perfect for one robust and hardy crop: rye. This abundant grain became the foundation for Monongahela Rye Whiskey, a spirit that would help define a nation.
Fresh off the American Revolution, the country sought something characteristically American that reflected its new spirit of independence. Rum fell out of favor partly because it was the preferred drink of British nobility and partly because a tax on molasses cut off the supply of rum’s key ingredient from the Caribbean.
When taverns from Boston to Charleston and New Orleans looked for an alternative, they turned to western Pennsylvania, where farmers grew so much rye that it quickly filled the void.
The journey of Monongahela Rye is one of remarkable highs and devastating lows. At its pre-prohibition peak around 1900, Pennsylvania boasted 73 distilleries producing 7.2 million gallons of spirits annually. Some larger operations had six warehouses that could hold over 100,000 barrels at a time.
By 1990, there was one distillery in Pennsylvania.
West Overton Village’s Whiskey Museum
The story about what happened in between is told at West Overton Village’s Whiskey Museum, where visitors step into an 1800s distillery town. A guided tour of West Overton Village includes the original distillery, which serves as the museum, and a converted livestock barn housing the current distillery and tasting room.
The museum showcases over 275 historic whiskey bottles and tells the remarkable story of “Mon Rye,” while the tasting room offers samples of the spirit that started it all.
Ponfeigh Distillery
The story continues just down the road in Somerset, where Ponfeigh Distillery leads the Monongahela Rye revival. Along with distillery tours and tastings, including 120-proof Rye-Shine, visitors enjoy ample space inside and out to linger with a cocktail and friends.
Their flagship 95 percent rye whiskey honors the traditional Monongahela style, while their Maryland-style blend (60 percent rye, 30 percent corn, 10 percent malted barley) nods to historical alternatives. Don’t miss Ponfeigh’s newest addition, “Rumski,”—a rum finished in rye whiskey barrels that combines the best of two storied American spirits.
Between West Overton’s museum and Ponfeigh’s cutting-edge distillery, the Laurel Highlands offers an immersive blend of Pennsylvania whiskeys past and present. And the story of Monongahela Rye is far from over.
Today, you’ll find 150 distilleries in the state. Like the hardy grain that once turned poor soil into liquid gold, Monongahela Rye refuses to die. Pennsylvania’s moment to reclaim its place as the birthplace of American whiskey has arrived.
Conclusion – 6 Great Things to do in the Laurel Highlands
And that concludes our virtual journey through the Laurel Highlands in Pennsylvania. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this insider’s guide and that it has inspired you to plan a visit. There’s so much to see and do no matter what time of year you visit.
Go Laurel Highlands sponsored our visit.
You might also enjoy
- 7 Things I Learned By Drinking a Lot of WhistlePig Rye
- Getting An Insider’s Look at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West
