If you are looking for an amazing place to go for a walk, I highly recommend the Dashield Dam. I…read moresee people walking it every day, no matter the weather, and they are all quite friendly. But I go here to watch the amazing birds. I see Eagles, Wood Duck, Great Blue Heron, Gulls, Kingfisher, and a whole lot more. Migrating waterfowl stop here frequently to relax and grab something to eat. It's a great place to fish, too. It's a little tricky to find, so follow your GPS or the helpful signs. It's unique and well worth the trip.

Historic house makes you feel at home. The owner is happy to share the history of this beautiful…read moreHarmonite home. Quaint in the Old Economy district of Ambridge, delicious home cooked breakfasts. Close to local restaurants and breweries too! Free parking. Convenient to main highways leading north and south including to Pittsburgh.

We have stayed in many B&B's and this was by far our best experience…read more Heslet House is a beaufully preseved gem in the Ambridge Historic District. The guest rooms were very clean beautifully appointed with period furniture and a super comfy bed. Breakfast was a multicourse daily feast prepared by Dennis (best eggs!) and Rosemary from locally sourced foods and fresh from the oven muffins baked daily by Rosemary. Dennis and Rosemary join us daily for breakfast where we had lively conversation on an arrange of topics, best being Dennis's extensive knowledge of historic Ambridge and the Harmony Society. The best part of our stay was meeting Dennis and Rosemary. They have created an environment that made us feel as if we were staying with family. Thank you Dennis and Rosemary we are already planning our next visit!

This is a nice library with a wide book selection. They host a lot of events for the community…read more Computers are available to the public. There is a free parking lot in the back with about 10-15 spots. Also a curb side book drop. Beware though, as of July 2023, the library is under construction for renovations and there is NO air conditioning. So it's hot inside! Some days they even close early if it's too hot so you may want to call ahead to check. Excited to see what it looks like after renovations because it is an old building.

Nice library! Staff was super friendly and helpful. My friend was able to sign up for a card and…read moretake out a few DVDs in just a few minutes. Outstanding collection of DVDs - thousands of movies and tv shows.

This place has been here since the whiskey rebellion. It has a deep historic roots involved with…read morethis place. In the 1770s, tracing ownership through the Swart and McDonald families. An ancestor named John Henry built the stone house between 1817 and 1823 on what was then called a plantation. An old will also refers to the dwelling as "the mansion house." They've since put a deck on the back of the place and redid the inside of the house. It's incredible and nicely snuggled inside of Mingo Creek Park and worth a visit.

Tony Vanoy and I went to the "Point of View" on Mt Washington in Pittsburgh PA on Sunday June 8th…read more The park is free to enjoy! There is no parking lot so you need to find some on street parking near by! The views are Amazing! Pittsburgh and all the buildings with the 2 Rivers and bridges plus you can see the Pittsburgh Steeler Stadium ! The statue is of George Washington meeting and talking with the Seneca Indian Chief! I definitely recommend you checking it out!a piece of history with gorgeous views! I definitely would go back again!

Take the Duquesne Incline to Mount Washington. Turn right upon exiting the incline house and walk…read moreup the sidewalk, slight incline, to the top of the hill. As many years as I lived in the area, I had never viewed this statue of Guyasuta and Washington. It was well worth the brief climb and presents a slightly different, but still arresting, view of the city of Pittsburgh. Interestingly enough, several days later we viewed "The Football Town" at the Kamin Science Center. Imagine our surprise to see that the final sequence of the film featured Pat McAfee speaking from, you guessed it, "Point of View."

Not a lot to see, but if you love seeing historical sites like I do, you'll want to stop by. This…read morecute little schoolhouse is just off of Brady's Run in Beaver. The actual museum is only open June-August on Sundays, but it's easy enough to peek into the windows if you're there during the off-season as I was.

If you haven't heard of the Woodville Plantation before, please read my previous reviews. This…read morehistoric plantation was established in 1775, and the house was built in 1785, and is located along Rt. 50 between Carnegie and Bridgeville. Although a lot of their events have been virtual over the past pandemic year, you can still tour the grounds in person, and soon they will be starting house tours and special events again later this season (check their website for details). This small piece of what once was a huge Virginia-style plantation, is like having a miniature Colonial Williamsburg right in our own backyard. The highlight this year is the new 1800s era timber-frame barn which is currently being constructed by an Amish crew (see photos). When finished, this barn will add an additional historical aspect to the property, and also provide more space for events. If you are a fan of history, do check this place out ... Cheers!

From the owner: Enjoy a guided tour of this National Historic Landmark and learn more about the Whiskey Rebellion,…read moreJohn Neville, and 18th Century Pittsburgh & Western Pennsylvania history. We also have special events. Open seasonally April through November on Sundays afternoons, 1-4pm. Self-guided tours of the grounds are available at all times.

While visiting friends in Ohio we discovered Lanterman's Mill, first built in 1845 and later…read morerestored in 1985. I am a lover of hiking, waterfalls, mills, bridges, gardens, historic places and tranquil spaces. Lanterman's Mill has all of this which makes a visit here nearly perfect. --- If you follow my reviews then you know I have a particular affinity for COVERED BRIDGES. When I discovered this place while doing a Google search of things to see in the area, I did not notice any pictures of a covered bridge. So it was beyond thrilling to walk behind the mill (where it is hidden from street view) and stumble upon it. For me, this was like finding a briefcase of money as I stood in total disbelief for several minutes. Not only was it a delightful surprise, it was beautiful and well maintained to boot, which is not always the case with covered bridges. Built in 1989, the covered bridge is not historic, but was designed in the likeness of other local bridges from the 1800's that farmers used to bring their grain to the mill. There is also a gorgeous arched street bridge that provides an excellent vantage point for photos of the mill & waterfall as well as another decorative suspension bridge just a half mile away. A 2-mile loop hiking trail known as East Gorge Walk and West Gorge Trail allows for wonderful views of the river gorge and leads you to the suspension bridge from the mill. These trails connect with the West Cohasset, East Cohasset, Axtmann and Old Tree Walking Trails and can more that triple your mileage as you explore the northern end of the park. --- OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST along the connecting walking trail are several ponds, small lakes, picnic pavilions, playgrounds and even a public golf course @ Mill Creek Metro Park. There is a Riverside Garden, Quarry Garden, Nature Center, and the ruins of a historic furnace built in the 1820's which produced approximately three to four tons of iron daily. Pioneer Pavilion, built in 1821 as a mill for carding and fulling wool is a rare surviving example of early 19th Century industry. It sits within view of the furnace. Cascade Gorge Natural Pool and an area known as THE FLATS round out some of the beautiful areas of interest near Lanterman's Mill. NOTE: The Flats are a lush grassy area surrounded by a horse fence. If you follow the fence you will notice an enormous tree in its path, which causes the fence to terminate and continue on the other side of the tree. Not sure what kind of tree it is, but it certainly seems to be very, very old based on the thickness of its trunk. It is easily more than 100 years older than any tree in its vicinity. FINAL THOUGHTS The Mill is a testimony to human determination. The current mill is the third incarnation. The first mill was built of logs and operated from 1799 to 1822. In 1823 the original mill was replaced by a second mill which operated until 1843 when a flood washed it away. A grinding stone from this mill can still be seen resting in the creek bed 500 feet downstream of the Falls. Lanterman's Mill ceased operations in 1888. [source: millcreekmetroparks.org] Lanterman's Mill itself is over 5-stories tall and has a very unique feature of having the waterwheel inside the basement of the mill. All the walking trails are free, but entrance inside the working areas of the mill are currently $3 for non-resident adults and $1 for students and seniors (July 2023). A butterfly garden is on site and during our visit we were graced with many birds, a groundhog, chipmunk and the largest most unusual forest mushroom we've ever seen. It is absolutely a stunning place in the summer. I can't even begin to imagine how magical it is in the Fall season as the trees change into their best outfits. Enjoy! BTW I've been trying my hand at TikTok & made a few videos of our visit to this mill if you care to see them: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8dqN8JM/ - https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8dVsHeW/ 2023 / 10

What a fun nice stop. It's so beautiful here. I remember we brought kids here when they were little…read moreand it had not been renovated. Now it's all fixed up and worth the tour and walk. Plenty of parking and a short walk to the mill. Then you can take a stroll along the creek and take history tour of the mill. They have a nice gift shop inside too. Take a picnic and enjoy the surrounding beautiful nature.

I recently learned that you should always be open minded to the suggestions on the billboards on…read morethe highway. We saw a sign mentioning the Palace of Gold on the way to Pittsburgh so we decided to make a detour and check it out. My first impression was how beautiful it was. Most of the building is indeed gold colored so there was no false advertising there. They also do tours of the palace so you can get an in depth look of the palace. The tour guide did an amazing job. What I really enjoyed was how quiet peaceful it was. There was a lot more to do than look at the temple. You could take a walk, visit the temple for worship and just enjoy the Mountain View. Everything was very relaxing. We loved it visit to the Palace of Gold. Such a hidden gem!

I'm a little torn on this review to be honest and it's kind of a hard one to write because the…read morePalace of Gold is definitely beautiful, but overall my experience wasn't the greatest. I visited in winter, which meant no flowers were in bloom in the gardens and the outdoor space was pretty gloomy with the exception of a very cool bug that I found on the steps. The seasons definitely change the atmosphere and I imagine that in spring or summer it feels much more vibrant and alive here. The palace itself is lovely with intricate details and ornate interiors and very much what I expected stylistically. However, it wasn't nearly as grand in scale as I had imagined. It was much smaller than I thought it would be. When you step inside the front lobby area, there are gorgeous stained glass windows and beautiful decor and I really enjoyed the light coming through into that space and being able to take photographs in there. The woman inside asked us on a few occasions if we wanted to take the tour and I wasn't sure until we saw the lobby area. Unfortunately, the biggest disappointment was for me was finding out -- only after paying -- that photography wasn't actually allowed inside. That was tough and had I known I definitely would have made a different decision. Personally, I would have been just as happy taking photos of the exterior and I would have saved myself a lot of money. The tour is a little costly considering that you're just accessing a very small area and although the information was somewhat interesting, I had already read the majority of it beforehand. After the tour I was excited to head over to where they keep the cows, which are considered sacred here, because I had read that guests are sometimes allowed to help feed them. Unfortunately (again) it's only during a specific time of day and there wasn't anyone around that I could talk to, but I was able to see the cows through the fence and they were absolutely adorable. We were advised during the tour that we were welcome to go to the lunch offering near the housing area and we did try to find what the tour guide had described, but there were no clear signs. When we did eventually locate the area where they were serving some food, it felt very uncomfortable, like we had wandered somewhere we weren't meant to be. We definitely didn't feel like we belonged there and left almost immediately. Overall, the palace itself is really beautiful and historically interesting and although I don't subscribe to the beliefs of the people here, I do respect what it represents to them. Between the cost and the no photo surprise and the general feeling of uncertainty throughout our visit, we just spent much of our time here wandering and feeling uncomfortable. The welcome center wasn't very welcoming, the peacock walk had no peacocks and the chanting and yelling of Krishna devotees can be a frightening experience to those new to it. This is worth seeing once, hopefully in a season where it's full of flowers and sunshine and beauty. I just suggest you manage your expectations and definitely make it clear that you are not there to be converted.