Where are Western Pennsylvania travelers headed this summer?
Western Pennsylvanians love their summer beach vacations. According to data compiled from AAA East Central TripTik requests, “the beaches of the Carolinas are the most popular destinations,” says Jim Garrity, the region’s public and legislative affairs manager. The AAA East Central region includes Western Pennsylvania and parts of Kentucky, New...
Summer road trip — the quintessential American experience
Few things are more quintessentially American than the summer road trip. Whether it’s a trip to grandma’s, the beach or our favorite amusement park, we love to pack up our cars and hit the road. And we have a lot of road to travel. Our nation currently boasts about 47,000...
You can spend a night in an Oscar Mayer WienermobileVideo
Looking for an interesting hot-dog-themed vacation or place to lay your head for a night? How about staying in an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile? To mark National Hot Dog day, happening next Wednesday, the hot dog company is making one of its famous hot-dog-on-wheels vehicles available to rent. You know we...
Travel tip: Kennedy Space Center events celebrate moon landing
TAKE A TRIP KENNEDY SPACE CENTER CELEBRATES MOON LANDING Visitors to Florida this summer may want to take a break from sand, surf and sun for a stop at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island. An ongoing series of events, exhibits, films and giveaways honors the 50th...
From flags to feathers, space waste will greet next moon walkers
The mission on the moon then over, astronaut Buzz Aldrin peeked out from the Apollo lunar module onto the powdery grey surface before him, the U.S. flag planted into it — just about the only color as far as the eye could see. But as the ascent engines on the...
Minnesota State Fair shoots down doughnuts paired with syringes
Minnesota fairgoers this summer will being dunkin’ their doughnuts instead of injecting them. One of the new foods slated for the 2019 Minnesota State Fair had been a batch of fill-your-own doughnuts. Well, those little spherical doughnut holes, actually. The filling were to be Bavarian cream, chocolate custard and Minnesota...
Surge of ‘sea lice’ are stinging swimmers at Virginia BeachVideo
Swimmers are getting a stinging surprise when they hit the surf at Virginia Beach. Lifeguards this week are seeing an increase in reports of people being stung by sea lice at the Oceanfront district, reports WTKR-TV News 3. “Sea lice” is the common name for these thimble jellyfish larvae and...
Pittsburgh International ranks 7th on Travel & Leisure list of best U.S. airports
Readers of Travel & Leisure magazine rated Pittsburgh International Airport as the nation’s seventh-best airport, according to a survey published Wednesday. The Findlay Township airport dropped two spots from 2018, when it ranked fifth in the annual rankings, according to the magazine. Airports were rated in terms of access, check-in/security,...
Outer Banks lowers speed limits as tourists arrive
Speed limits on some roads have been reduced as tourist season begins in the Outer Banks. The North Carolina Department of Transportation on Tuesday announced a drop in posted speed limits on two roads. The National Park Service requested the slower traffic between Avon and Buxton and between Hatteras and...
The Westmoreland plans tour of 3 noted Southern art museums
A September tour of three noted Southern art museums is being planned by The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. Featured museums include the Philbrook Museum of Art and the Gilcrease Museum, both in Tulsa, Okla.; and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark. Anne Kraybill,...
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse may have to move again as Outer Banks shoreline keeps shifting
BUXTON, N.C. — The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse might have to be moved again as the Outer Banks sands near the Buxton point wane and gain. The National Park Service on July 1 marked the 20th anniversary of pushing the 4,800 ton tower more than a half-mile southwest to save it...
Travel to Cuba is complicated by complex new regulations
Cuba has a mystique about it, so it’s no surprise that myths surround travel there. That may be even truer this month after regulations were changed by the Trump administration. Some of the regulations have been interpreted strictly, some more liberally. Here is our “myth, fact or unclear” primer on...
Travel tip: Summer tours available at Allegheny River lighthouse
Why is there a lighthouse in the middle of the Allegheny River in Forest County? Take the July 13 tour of the Sherman Memorial Lighthouse and find out. Hosted by Tionesta Lions Club, the self-guided tour is set for 1-4 p.m. at the 75-foot, privately owned structure located on Lighthouse...
Staycation destination: Polymath Park in Mt. Pleasant Township
Need a break? Looking for new adventure? There’s no reason to leave Western Pennsylvania. In this occasional series, we highlight “staycation” ideas found in our own backyard. Imagine being able to tour a Frank Lloyd Wright home — it’s easy if you try because Fallingwater is only an hour’s drive...
Taco Bell hotel sells out in minutesVideo
A Taco Bell-themed hotel in California sold out in minutes and fans will have to hope for another chance to experience the limited-time vacation getaway. The Bell: A Taco Bell Hotel and Resort, located in Palm Springs, California, sold out in just 2 minutes after opening at 10 a.m. Pacific...
Travel tip: Win a dream trip via ‘Vacation Do Over’ contest
The American Society of Travel Advisors is looking for someone who planned the trip of their dreams, only to have it turn into a vacation nightmare. The society will soothe the pain of plans gone wrong with a $10,000 dream getaway through its Vacation Do Over Contest. Best of all,...
‘Don’t panic’ is first rule when you lose your passport overseas
Passport problems can elicit very real physical responses in travelers. On a blazing afternoon in Jakarta a few years ago, I realized I didn’t have enough pages in my passport to get to my next destination beyond Indonesia. I had one of those skin-crawling, heart-racing moments of terror. Reason went...
Burning Man OK with attendance cap; will fight searches
RENO, Nev. — Burning Man organizers say they won’t challenge the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s plans to cap their attendance at current levels under a new 10-year permit but they will fight any move toward federally-sanctioned screenings for weapons and drugs at the counterculture celebration. BLM proposed in a...
Toxic bacteria outbreak sparks warnings on Mississippi coast
People along the Mississippi coastline are being warned not to swim or eat seafood. USA Today reports that the warning is in response to an outbreak of toxic bacteria known as cyanobacterium. Residents have been advised to avoid water that has a greenish-blue hue, which is said to cause rashes,...
Send that checked bag packing for a better travel experience
For me, packing for a one- or two-week vacation is often a tug of war. The desire to pack light competes with the temptation to fill a jumbo suitcase with a variety of outfits and accessories, plus some “maybe” ensembles (those that may or may not be worn to that...
Travel tip: Old Bethlehem steel mill hosts Blast Furnace Blues
Carrie Blast Furnaces in Rankin isn’t the only old steel mill in Pennsylvania that’s been repurposed as an arts venue. There’s also SteelStacks, once the home plant of Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem. Five idle blast furnaces loom over the 10-acre site offering concerts, festivals, food, arts programming, family fun and...
When that ‘rock’ is actually a horseshoe crab and the beach becomes a respite from the city
DEWEY BEACH, Delaware - It’s become a rite of summer, at least for children who have grown up near one of Washington, D.C.’s best-known dives. For the past 22 years, Bill Duggan, the owner of Madam’s Organ, has been rounding up kids - and now the kids of kids who...
Video: Tourists scramble as Outer Banks waterspout tips boats, rips off shingles, kills powerVideo
Vacationers were forced to run for cover as a fast-moving, violent storm hit the Outer Banks Thursday evening. The popular North Carolina beach vacation area lost power and had several trees toppled by the large waterspout, reports OBX Today. Shingles were reported ripped from roofs in Kill Devil Hills. WITN-TV...
Boaters spot whale off coast of Ocean City
Fishermen looking for sharks caught a glimpse of something bigger last week. Chasin’ Tides Charters shared a video of a whale surfacing near their boat off the coast of Ocean City, Md. “You never know what you may see while out on the ocean,” they wrote June 17. “Tonight while...
Daytrippers: Head to historic Harmony
Looking for a day trip replete with history, food and maybe a little weaving? Look no further than the little town of Harmony. Packed with early American history, Harmony offers visitors old-world German charm amidst specialty shops, eateries and preserved buildings. Tourists frequent annual Harmony events including a German Christmas...
