Located in the Town of Somerset, Somerset Co., PA on the corner of Centre and Union Streets. Built…read more1904-1906 architect was JC Fulton. Sits on 1 acre of land measures 146 ft x 112 ft and 135 ft tall. Made of Indiana Limestone, sits on Sandstone with terra cotta roof and copper dome on center tower. Gorgeous and free to go inside and look around. Beautiful building

I had recently heard that the Somerset County Courthouse is the highest court in all of…read morePennsylvania, elevation speaking. Makes sense as Mt. Davis, highest point in Pennsylvania, lies within Somerset County as well. It is quite the beautiful building, one of the first things you see when you drive into the area, proudly sitting on top of Somerset. Listed on National Registry of Historic Places and part of the Uptown Somerset Historic District basically tells you about the age of the structure. Inside you are greeted by security guards and metal detectors like you find in every government building today. Once you pass the checkpoints you are greeted then by the grand staircase that takes to exactly where you need to be. Three courthouses are housed within; one on the first floor and two on the second floor. All three are grandly ornate and distinct from one another. The biggest of the three is magnificent. I'm no architect, but I can respect the beauty of a nicely laid out building. The staircase is made of marble and splits at mid-level. If you cannot traverse stairs, you will be able to use the elevator in the building. Bathrooms are spread throughout with the main one being on the bottom floor. Also located on the bottom floor is a room with some vending machines, if you are here for an extended period of time that is a good thing to know. Many offices are located here that you would expect to find in a county courthouse. What you can't find in here they do have an annex building located across the street. The county jail is also located across the street. Everything from criminal and civil cases to jury selection happen here. I just so happen to have had the pleasure of serving jury duty and being able to do that here made my civic duty that much easier.

I recently photographed a wedding at the Scenic View. The grounds are really beautiful and the…read morelookout trumps all. There's a tower up a long, winding road, but you don't even need to go up into the tower to see the gorgeous mountain view. The landscape is breathtaking, I'm sure, during any time of the day. But we went up at sunset after a storm and it was nothing short of spectacular. I cannot wait to get back to Penn's Scenic View for the view alone!

Penn's Scenic View is such a beautiful place. My large family would go up every year and rent out…read morethe Stable Lodge there. Of course, I loved being with my family. However, I loved going for walks in the area. It's such an amazing experience. Peace, quiet, utter bliss... what more could you ask for? If you walk up this dirt road, you'll encounter a wooden tower on a hill. If you walk up the tower, you can take in the breathtaking view. A full 360° of trees. It's all picture-worthy. You truly won't be disappointed. You can continue to walk around to discover new things. There's a lake next to the Lakeside Lodge. I would always see weddings take place at the lake from the Stable Lodge. It was really nice to see something like that. Unfortunately, this place is private property. You can't just walk in willy-nilly. We rented out a cabin, that's the only reason we were granted access. The place is being sold. It's up for around $1.3 million dollars. Therefore, we can't rent out the Stable Lodge anymore. The whole place is gated off. I wish I could go back up there, just one last time. It's truly amazing. That place means a lot to me. My family has been going up there since I was a baby, and I'm 17. A lot of memories are kept there. It's also the place where I found myself. I would do whatever I could to go up there just one last time. I want to share the experience with my girlfriend. I would pay that $1.3 million to go back up there. If you're lucky enough to visit the 18 acres of pure scenery, you won't be disappointed for even a second.

This covered bridge is one of 10 covered bridges that currently exist in Somerset County…read more I included it on my list for a day trip driving from West Mifflin, PA (outside Pittsburgh). You can't drive through the bridge but there is space to park near it and you can walk inside it. It is a good photo opp, especially was on this blue sky day. It is within a quick 2 mile drive of Barronvale Covered Bridge so make sure to include that one while you are in the area.

Another great covered bridge we saw as a side trip on our trip to Gettysburg, Love covered bridges…read moreand they are a piece of history. this was built in the 1800s and repaired 1905

I was there on Monday, December 1. There was only about two or three other groups in the place so…read moreit was very quiet. Which was nice because this is a very solemn experience. I visited here probably 15 years ago when it was the temporary memorial in a tin shed. They've done a nice job with this. You cannot take any photos in the visitor center due to the sensitive nature of the objects. They have a station where you can listen to three of the recorded phone calls of the people on the plane. That was very emotional. The crash site in memorial area are also very solemn and done very nicely.

I could have sworn I reviewed this (& posted pics) the one and only time I went several years ago…read more It's quite a large area (as you would imagine) with memorials and tributes all about. There is also a visitor center as well. We stopped on the way back to Pittsburgh from one of our many DC roadtrips. It's located in Somerset County in a very small and rurl town called Shanksville which is about an hour and a half from Pittsburgh. The day of our visit was extemely windy and I understand that area because of the height of the land, etc. does tend to get windy. It was extreme that day. Even though it was busy with a lot of people, it was still eerily silent and at the same time peaceful. It was kind of surreal seeing the rock where it happened and having a full view of the crash site. Very impactful visit.

This was an enjoyable little trip up the mountain over Johnstown. Great views!! Gives you a great…read moreperspective of the city

Even though the incline was closed, we stopped to look since we were going to the adjacent…read morerestaurant for dinner. It was constructed as a "lifesaver" after the Johnstown Flood of May 31, 1889, the Incline has more than lived up to its original lifesaving purpose. I read that flood waters again swept through the Conemaugh and Stonycreek Valleys on March 17, 1936 and July 20, 1977. During both floods, the Incline carried men, women, children and vehicles to safety and help. It is one of the longest and steepest hoists in the world and one of the few transportation systems of its kind still in existence and has its place in the Guinness Book of Records as "The steepest vehicular inclined plane in the world." The incline is closed for refurbishments set to be completed in Spring 2023. We were thrilled to see a large American flag flying above the incline. The flagpole is 125 feet tall and is on the highest point above the valley. I am sure that this flag can be seen for miles.

DO NOT GO FULL SPEED ON THE SLIDES!!!!!!!! They are fun but…read moreREALLY fast and you WILL fly off if you don't drag your feet when sliding down. Especially for the curvier slide on the left. My glasses flew off of my face and I thought I was going to fly off of the edge, but instead landed on the ground with a nice bruise on my shin as a souvenir. The plastic "kids slide" is like going down a thin lobster tail and is bumpy on the way down. Anyway. Would come back. The slides are still fun even when moving at a reasonable speed. The rock scramble stairs and the cargo net to get back up are also fun. Yes, I am an adult.

I loved it here and my kids said they never wanted to leave…read moreAn the wild life is so beautiful And the surroundings there were all so peaceful and proper and wonderful and I wish I could live there

Truth be told, I doubt I would've driven from Downtown Pittsburgh to the Laurel Highlands just to…read moresee this house even though it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright toward the end of his life. Like most dilettante tourists, I came here because it's a scenic ten-minute drive from Fallingwater, Wright's unequivocal masterwork (review: https://yelp.to/dm_1LqdsKL). Did I regret making the detour? Absolutely not, Kentuck Knob definitely has its own merits. Built in 1956 for local ice cream tycoon I.N. Hagan and his wife Bernadine, this angular Usonian home sits on a hill that provides the structure its name. The Hagans were friends of the Kaufmanns, the owners of Fallingwater, and they were so impressed, they hired Wright to design their main house. Similar to Fallingwater, this house was integrated with the surrounding nature. It was built to look like an extension of the hill rather than residing on top of it. Unfortunately, photography was forbidden inside the house as the family still keeps their personal effects here. There were no right angles in the design. The dining room table has a trapezoid shape that could be separated into two parts. The kitchen reflects an irregular hexagonal shape with a large, matching skylight. The bedrooms are similarly angular, and in true Wright fashion, the hallways are very narrow with little room to breathe much less walk. A short walk away from the house provides a spectacular panoramic view of the Youghiogheny River gorge (Video). There's a shuttle between the house and the visitors center, which houses a gift shop and a cafe. Alternatively, I took the brief hike down the hillside because there were public art pieces to peruse along the way, including a piece of the Berlin Wall (Photo 7). It's worth knowing that Wright visited the site only once and never saw the finished house. RELATED - Exploring Pittsburgh? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/qN_tq21lnL

Truly amazing and beautiful place. We scheduled the in-depth tour with Luann as our guide and I was…read moreenthralled for the entire 90 minutes. Though it was pouring the day of our tour, I never felt like Luann was rushing through, even as we stood outside with umbrellas to see some of the details. My husband had so many questions and she was armed with an answer for every one, even knowing the history of the unique furniture pieces inside. You could tell she had a genuine interest in the house and was happy to share what she knew. The weather kept us from taking the woodland path back to the visitor center but I am excited to go back and walk the grounds.

Serendipitous - an adjective that describes accidentally being in the right place at the right…read moretime, like bumping into a good friend in some unusual location, or finding a hundred dollar bill on the ground [vocabulary.com] I've had people give me awesome compliments on yelp about the adventures I take my family on, but I should probably admit that my family doesn't always want to go. Rarely do they even get out of the car when I stop to see covered bridges and I think I maxed them out on this particular road trip because we saw about 15 on our 3 week adventure to Canada. Honestly I don't blame them, but sometimes my determination gets in the way of my common sense. A STORY OF A SERENDIPITOUS ENCOUNTER Take our drive to Packsaddle Bridge for example. Our navigation led us down Pine Valley Road from our comfortable drive on Interstate 70. There were lots of twists, turns and near death experiences to get to Pack Saddle Road and to be honest, Pine Valley isn't a road at all by city slicker standards. It was a mud & gravel pit of the worst uneven surface you would ever expect to find anything other than a SUV trying to cross. I bottomed the car out a few times! My wife gave me the stank-eye nearly the entire time we drove along this road as we were shaken around like we were inside a Mexican piñata. But I kept my focus straight ahead to avoid any eye contact (and of course to watch for any dip in the road that might get us stuck). What was worse is we lost our cell phone signal and were truly on our own on what had to be the back-woodiest road you may possibly find in all of the United States. If I blew a tire or hit a mud pit too deep I was gonna be in some serious stank eye trouble. So it was like an angelic choir began to sing when we finally made it back on pavement @ Pack Saddle Road. Within a few hundred yards the bridge came into view and I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that asking my wife and kids to get out and see it was gonna result in my decapitation. To be honest, I wasn't entirely confident they might not drive off and leave me there, so I took the keys with me! Hahaha There was an elderly gentleman parked in the tiny parking area near the bridge when I got out to explore and we exchanged hellos. I went about my usual business taking pics and writing notes about what I saw before heading back to my family. As I approached our vehicle, the elder gentleman struck up a conversation with me and told me all about the bridge and how he has been coming here since he was a tyke. He shared with me a beautiful picture he took several decades ago when the bridge was covered in snow. He asked if I was a bridge lover and I said "AM I EVER! So much so that I think I've gotten my family lost and upset with me for going so far off road to find this place." Well, to my surprise, the elderly gentleman handed me the picture and told me he wanted me to have it. He then asked me where was I trying to go and started his truck. After telling him our next destination, he turned his truck around and drove us far enough in the right direction that we would not get lost. Along the way he stopped and showed us a rehabilitation center for elephants, but unfortunately there were no elephants roaming where we could see them. How awesome would that have been! I goggled the place when I got home and found this article: http://www.post-gazette.com/life/lifestyle/2009/07/28/African-elephants-make-themselves-at-home-in-Somerset-County/stories/200907280205 After a few miles he pulled off to the side of the road. A honk of his horn and a wave of his hand informed us we were heading in the right direction and soon after our cell phone signal returned. How good was our fortune that he just happened to be at this bridge when we arrived! BRIDGE FACTS Year Built - 1870, rehabilitated in 1998 (after flood damage in 1996) Builder - Unknown Total length: 48 ft. AKA - Doc Miler Bridge Truss: Multiple Kingpost Crosses: Brush Creek in Fairhope Township Vehicular traffic: Yes Features: Small waterfall, an old outpost building and parking FINAL THOUGHTS To borrow from Forest Gump - Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get! My family was so excited about the elephant farm that they forgave me for nearly getting us lost and stuck in the middle of nowhere. Truly we had angels looking out for us on this day and I am grateful. Life indeed is a glorious adventure if you'll just drive!

We came on a Sunday and walked the grounds since the museum wasn't open…read more The grounds have a variety of things used during the rescue and descriptions to explain what they are. This was a unique place to visit, and worth the stop if in the area!

I has been a few years since I stopped here last. I guess you could say that a few things have…read morechanged. From the humble beginnings of this site it has grown into a much bigger thing. Yes, for those that will gripe about this, there is now a fee to enter. $7 is not a bad price to visit. This is now a foundation that oversees the care of the site and all the artifacts housed within. $7 is a decent price to pay in order to help maintain everything. I actually enjoyed the museum part of this very much. So much better than before when you showed up and just saw some outside areas with sparse descriptions. Inside there is an ongoing expansion of artifacts that are still trying to find their spots. Yes, it does feel a bit small in here, that is until you realize there is more downstairs as well. Upstairs you will go through a bunch of stuff. Some interactive exhibits, one in particular sticks out. One where you get pick up a telephone receiver and listen to the newscast from the day. It's a bit from a documentary, so it's not the whole thing, you get a snippet. The display cases are many in here, thoughtfully put together. There are uniforms worn on that day. Lunch pails that washed away underground. Tools. Newspaper articles from across the country. Photos. The most notable item upstairs is the capsule used that day to rescue the miners. And then you go downstairs. If you want you can take in a presentation. I did not do this, I did go through the area and look at the artifacts. The most awesome thing is the news van. This news van from WPXI Pittsburgh that covered the story as it was happening. This van wasn't only at the mine rescue site, it also covered the Flight 93 crash. (A little aside here, travel the few miles and visit the Flight 93 Memorial) Then go outside, if you haven't already. Not much has changed outside. The nine trees that were planted for the miners have gotten bigger, kind of overshadowing the nine boulders. It's quite beautiful.