To: bovik@K.GP.CS.CMU.EDU Subject: Holiday info Date: Thu, 12 Apr 90 15:51:35 EDT Message-ID: <11406.639949895@CAD.CS.CMU.EDU> From: Rick Kazman Here is the result of my request for information on "rustic" holidays, i.e., cabins and cottages in the woods. I've decided to go to Seven Springs, which is a bit less rustic than I had hoped for, but has many activities, which will keep everyone happy (I hope). Since my group will have people ranging in age from 10 to 76, I had to find a place which had things to do for kids, as well as a wide variety of activities for adults. Seven Springs appears to fit the bill. I think that Hidden Valley would probably have served as well. rick ______________________________________________________________________ Subject: Re: trips around PA From: Kenneth Lee Two places we have been: Letchworth State park in western NY (about 3 hr from PGH). I have never actually stayed there just done day trips or stopped through on the way north, but I know they have lodging (which I think are cabins). There are hiking trails and three waterfalls along the Genessee River. I think there is also a lake. In the winter the ice formations around the falls are stunning, in the fall the colors are breathtaking. Millstone Inn, bed and breakfast outside Bedford PA in Bedford County. There are antique shops, covered bridges, and a lake at Shawnee State Park nearby. We have gone there in the fall during Bedford's Fall Festival Days ( I can't remember the exact name of the festival). Other places I have heard good things of, but have not yet been, include: McConnells Mill State Park in Lawrence County, Moraine State Park in Butler County, and the Grand Canyon of PA (not sure where it is). Hope you enjoy your trips. Ken ______________________________________________________________________ Subject: R & R From: tjm@SEI.CMU.EDU Rick, I know you were looking for something in the east, but....have you ever heard of Nemacolin Woodlands? They pride themselves on pampering their guests. They have a variety of things to do: horseback riding, fishing, grass tennis courts, etc. I hunt quite a bit down in that general vicinity (Fayette County, Yough Dam and River) and in addition to the things Nemacolin offers, there is Laurel Caverns (cave tours and individual exploration), the Kaufman's Falling Water designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (tours), and rafting on the rapids on the Yough River. I think the number for Nemacolin is 329-6190, and by the way, Nemacolin has been shown on "lifestyles of the rich and famous." Todd Miller ______________________________________________________________________ From: Alexander Stein Subject: PA Vacation My wife and I had a very enjoyable stay at the gateway Inn in the Allegheny State forest. The area provides considerable outdoor activity including canoeing, hiking etc. The Inn itself has a number of detached cabins in the woods. Our cabin was simple but had a bath and a small stove and refrigerator. -alex ______________________________________________________________________ Subject: Holiday From: Kurt Haverstock Rick- I would suggest Cook Forest State Park. It's just outside of Clarion, PA... about 2 hours Northeast of Pittsburgh. The State has camping facilities there as well as cabins for rental. The problem with the state cabins, though, is that they are generally booked about a year in advance. Not to worry...there are quite a few private rentals available in the general area. Plenty of State Forest with trails...canoeing on the Clarion River...flora and fauna.. waterslides...horseback riding. If you're interested I can try to dig up some paper on the place... if not I can at least give you a detailed overview. Kurt ______________________________________________________________________ Subject: PA Vacation Sites From: Michael Christel Hi Rick, After rereading your post I don't think that a lot of the suggestions you've received so far really qualify as central or eastern PA. I think that even Wellsboro, PA and "The Grand Canyon of PA" may be too far west, if you really want to split the distance between here and NYC. Wellsboro is about 4 hrs. from here, but I would guess that it is at least 6 hours from New York City. I mentioned Letchworth State Park in New York State, but that too is really in the western half of the state, about 3 1/2 to 4 hours from here, but probably 7 or more from New York City. It has better hiking and scenery than the Grand Canyon of PA since it has 3 scenic waterfalls, but it is in a remote location with little else to attract you to the area. A place that would be closer to NYC, of interest to your 10 year old nephew, and fun in the summer would be Lancaster/Hershey, PA. I've been there a few years ago and had a fun time at the HersheyPark amusement park, Hershey's Chocolate World, the town of Hershey with its Hershey kisses lightposts, and the Lancaster area with the Amish farms and museums. However, this really doesn't qualify as a "rural" area. US 30 in Lancaster is a built up tourist area with lots of motels and gift shops. Hershey is a relatively large city. There may be some nice state parks near here, but I'm not familiar with them. This area is about five hours from Pittsburgh, and I would guess about five from NYC as well. Another nice place in eastern PA is the Poconos, known more for their honeymoon packages and heart-shaped tubs than for family vacations. I went there a long time ago, but still remember that the scenery is beautiful, the hills high, and the area rustic. This would be a drive from here, maybe eight hours, but is next door to New York City. I've limited the rest of my PA travels to the western part of the state, including caverns, parks, museums, and quaint towns and festivals. If you're interested in what western PA has to offer, I highly recommend the "Go Guide", published by the Pittsburgh Press, to let you know what there is to do and see here. I can loan you mine for a few days if you're interested. Occasionally the directions are off in the "Go Guide", but it is a good source of information on what there is to see in a given direction. It works best with a good state map (or set of maps if you cross over into our neighbor states), and includes most of the attractions within 100 miles of Pittsburgh. It also has a brief section on weekend trips to more distant locations (Niagara Falls, Washington, etc.). Hope this helps! -- Mike ______________________________________________________________________ From: Howard Read Subject: camping/living/fun Although you didn't mention it in your post as one of your choices, I thought you might want to be aware of Maryland and what is has to offer. 1) Deep Creek Lake, MD (2-3 hours south of pittsburgh). This is a really popular place to recreate with people coming from D.C. and pittsburgh both. It is getting more populated from what I hear, but there are lots of houses/cabins around the lake which you could probably rent. It's a very nice area. 2) Grantsville/Cumberland, MD (2 1/2 hours S.E. of Psb.) I was just down in Grantsville at an old country inn called the Casselman Inn run by some Menonites . Now, you probably wouldn't want to stay there (more like a B&B than rustic camping) but we drove to a nearby state forest down there to look around. It had 9 or 10 BIG cabins set in a campground type place. It seemed very isolated from "real" world, as there really aren't a whole lot of people ANYWHERE around there. There was a huge lake nearby (fishing,swimming, canoeing also, I think) and lots of forest trails, etc... (birdwatching, perhaps?) It looked like a really neat place, but I'm not sure of any of the specifics. it looked like the cabins had indoor plumbing and electricity and also fireplaces. (didn't go in, just saw the outside of them.) I can't remember the name of the park right now, but it was definitely a STATE forest (I prefer these to privately owned R/V recreation grounds!) I'll send you mail as soon as I look on a map and figure out what the name of the park was. Oh, some PA places: 3) The Allegehny National Forest is always a good place to go. I stayed at a campground with no cabins last summer, but if you call: Allegehny National Forest: (814) 723 - 5150 they might be able to tell you about facilities like ones your looking for. 4) I've got a Pennsylvania Campground Directory (privately owned campgrounds) that you might want to look at. It lists loads of campgrounds (with maps of area) with lists of their facilities, (cabins, fishing, etc.) No recommendation system, but it might provide some helpful cluse as to what is available. I'll lend it to you if you want it, or write: Pennsylvania Campground Owners Assoc. c/o Beverly Snyder, exec. Sectr'y P.O. box 147 Emlenton, PA 16373 (412) 867-2472 $2.00 will get you a directory (within a week, I found.) ______________________________________________________________________ Subject: Seven Springs From: Karen Lewis After reading your post, it sounds like Seven Springs is a good place for your family. There is hiking, fishing, children's zoo (right at the lodge), game room, swimming, duck pond (you can also feed them), alpine slide, tennis, vollyball. I have just received brochures of all the package deals and so forth. If you are interested, please let me know. I have been going to Seven Springs for the past 10 years. kll ______________________________________________________________________ Subject: parks From: Jan Philpot Rick, Your post didn't mention West Virginia - but the state has wonderful State park facilities. My husband and I spent a weekend in a really nice cabin - 3 bedrooms, kitchen, porch, fireplace, etc. Beautiful grounds - big pine trees. The whole thing was like $60. It was only 3 hours away - and there are others even closer. If you are interested, I'll look for the info at home. Or, call the W.VA tourist association. Donn did about 9 mos. of consulting in the state and became very impressed with the State facilities. Jan ______________________________________________________________________ From: Mary.Shaw@sei.cmu.edu Subject: Rustic vacation Rick, It's in northwest PA, not central-or-eastern, but have you considered Cook Forest? There are two or three collections of log cabins, with kitchens. Hiking in the forest, easy canoeing on the adjacent Clarion River, lots of woods for kids to romp around in, probably birds, cycling on back roads (hilly in the forest, relatively level on the road along the river). Mary Shaw ______________________________________________________________________