Things to do Near Pittsburgh & Erie

Of course there's lots to do in Pittsburgh. But combining all the towns and boroughs and counties around Pittsburgh, it all adds up to even more stuff to do, more than what was already discussed! One area of Pennsylvania that is fairly close to Pittsburgh is the Laurel Highlands region. There's so much there. There's a mixture of cities and boroughs, outdoor spaces and walking trails and acres upon acres of green space, ski resorts, and so much more. There's the Ohiopyle State Park, Seven Springs ski resort, Flight 93 Memorial, among other sites.

Erie is surrounded by areas that offer many activities no matter what time of year it is. For example, I grew up in North East my entire life where they host a Cherry Festival every year to help fundraise money for the local fire department. They bring in rides and games like at a carnival and have food stand that serve sausage sandwiches, fresh cut fries, and freshly made cherry pies. It is free to walk in but they offer ride-a-rama’s for people who want to go on rides as well as tickets to participate. The festival lasts from a Wednesday typically in the middle of July to the following Sunday. They always finish off the festival with a parade where the Cherry Queen and Princess are on floats and candy is passed out to the people watching the event. In the weeks leading up to the event, firefighters travel around to houses in North East to sell raffle tickets for cash drawings. It is a great event to look forward to every year!

While having some things to do within state lines, Erie is also extremely close to both New York and Ohio. Right over the state border into New York there are places like Findley Lake and Peek n’ Peak. Findley Lake is an extremely small town that is centered around, you can probably guess what’s coming, a lake! Within the town are multiple small businesses including a candle shop and a restaurant called Alexander’s that all the locals go to and love. Right up the road from the main area of Findley Lake is another restaurant called Pine Junction that is extremely popular during the winter months because of their closeness to snowmobile trails. The restaurant is inside of a large log cabin that is filled with memorabilia from various subjects including town history. Another place that is near the same area is Peek n’ Peak, a resort that has so much to offer no matter the time of year. During the summer months they offer golfing, miniature golfing, a ropes course with various difficulty levels, and a giant zipline that stretches about 2,000 ft! In the Fall, the resort hosts their annual Fall Festival that is filled with vendors and pumpkin cannons. And finally, in the Winter, Peek n’ Peak offers popular snow sports such as skiing and snowboarding down various levels of hills. If you enjoy being outside during the winter but don’t exactly enjoy being on a set of skis, they also have snow tubing, and they will light up the tubing hills at night and play music for those who are there! And to finish your visit off on a warm note, you can stop in at the various food locations and grab a nice, warm cup of hot chocolate and even grab a quick bite to eat. The resort also offers hotels and spas for those who are coming from out of town.