Yellowstone officials warn of dangerous behavior with bison
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A man reaches over a railing to pet a bison on the head in yet another example of dangerous behavior by visitors to Yellowstone National Park. A video shows the bison stepped away from the man standing on a crowded boardwalk near a thermal area. Nobody was...
Police patrol Rome’s Spanish Steps to enforce sitting ban
ROME — Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn perched there without a care in the 1953 film “Roman Holiday.” But the Spanish Steps in Rome are no longer a place for sitting. Enforcing an ordinance that took effect last month, police officers patrolled the famed stone staircase Wednesday to tell locals...
Travel tip: Gettysburg Rocks festival helps kids with cancer
If Gettysburg has a soundtrack, it’s a fife, drum and banjo, right? Not during Gettysburg Rocks, scheduled for Aug. 9-11. Held in February and August, the semiannual music festival features about 150 bands playing a variety of music genres at 20 area venues. Founded in 2014, the event benefits Four...
Video: Shark sinks teeth into charter captain aboard boat in Outer BanksVideo
A charter boat captain was helping an angler land a blacktip shark on the deck when the fish bit into his leg and wouldn’t let go. Rick Caton’s group was having great luck with Spanish mackerel and bluefish on Tuesday when they headed toward a school of blacktip and sharpnose...
Get hooked on some great spots for fly-fishing
Take part in a family fly-fishing adventure and you’ll wake up in some of the country’s most pristine places. Here are five fabulous places to consider: 1. Jackson Hole, Wyo.: For an extraordinary angling experience, consider an overnight trip on the South Fork of the Snake River. On day one,...
Moscow’s Metropol: Elegance to revolution and back again
In 1991, as the Soviet Union collapsed around him, Alexander Mishakov was summoned to a place that was off-limits to most citizens — the Metropol Hotel. Newly graduated from a technical institute, the 24-year-old had scored an interview for a breakfast chef position. Catching the first morning train into central...
Travel tip: August brings blues, jazz and bicycles to Erie
Blues, jazz and bicycles will fill the streets of Erie during the first weekend of August. The Great Lake-side city will host the Lake Erie Cyclefest, featuring six rides for bicyclists of all ages and abilities, from Aug. 1-4. Rides include a sunrise circuit of the Presque Isle peninsula, a...
Hersheypark’s tallest, fastest coaster, Candymonium, coming in 2020Video
Another marquee roller coaster is coming to Pennsylvania. Following on the heels of the opening of Kennywood’s Steel Curtain roller coaster this month, Hersheypark announced Wednesday that Candymonium is coming next summer. Billed as the “World’s Sweetest Coaster,” Candymonium will open in summer 2020 as part of Hershey’s new Chocolatetown...
Travel tip: Allegheny National Forest named No. 2 camping spot
Western Pennsylvanians have one of the nation’s best spots for camping right in their own back yards, so to speak. According to Hipcamp, an online marketplace where people can find and book camping experiences, the Allegheny National Forest ranks second for 2019 in the top 10 most popular camping areas,...
Staycation destination: Carrie Blast Furnaces in Rankin
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. For those who want to see a part of Pittsburgh area’s heritage as the center of the nation’s steelmaking, there is no better...
Riders stuck for 2 hours on Six Flags coaster in Maryland
BOWIE, Md. — Roller coaster riders were stuck atop a hill for nearly two hours at a Six Flags amusement park in Maryland when the ride malfunctioned. News outlets quote Six Flags America spokeswoman Denise Stokes as saying the ride came to a stop at the top of the lift...
Preparation is key to a safe, happy car trip with your dog
We’ve always considered our pets to be members of the family, and now those pets — particularly dogs — are increasingly allowed out of the yard and into public spaces. That makes it easier to take them along when we travel. In fact, 45% of respondents to a recent OnePoll/Quaker...
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...
