Hills, Heart & Heritage
Which way? In the Laurel Highlands and Southern Alleghenies Region, any direction you take is the scenic route. Even the swiftest highways in the region are decked with blooming foliage, stoic mountain ranges and dutiful farmhouses that stand a quiet guard over the countryside. You can’t help but enjoy the scenery as it rolls by and appreciate its all-natural beauty.
Every August, re-enactors memorialize the Battle of Bushy Run in Jeannette, PA.One of magnificent accomplishments of engineering can be witnessed in Altoona at the great Horseshoe Curve, a railroad route that cuts along the edge of a mountain. Visit the places that George Washington explored during uncertain and exciting times at the start of our nation. Explore the coal industry by going into the depths of mines or taking Johnstown’s Incline Plane to the top where it overlooks the city.
From Old Bedford Village to the Bushy Run Battlefield, Fort Ligonier to Fort Necessity, history resounds within the region’s scenic hills and valleys.In search of modern times? Visit Fallingwater, one of the most heralded residential homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and just a few miles away lies Kentuck Knob, a lesser known yet still fascinating sister.From season to season, the region flourishes.
Mid-October is the peak of fall foliage, and the time when Bedford celebrates its rich heritage with a foliage festival that attracts visitors from hundreds of miles. They come to enjoy the sights at this historical town on America’s earliest “western” frontier. Bedford is also home to 14 covered bridges, and more bridges can be found throughout this southwestern region of the state.If you’ve ever felt pride in a hard day’s work, aspired to reach a mountain’s peak or dreamed of long, curving country roads, welcome to Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands and Southern Alleghenies Region!