Ohio roundhouse displays a century of locomotive history
Jerry Jacobson was a young boy in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, living near the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, when he first fell in love with steam trains. Fast forward more than 50 years, and dozens of objects of Jacobson’s affection are on display in a new tourist attraction, the Age of...
Travel tip: Edinboro festival highlights Appalachian roots
The Edinboro Art and Music Festival is an annual showcase of Appalachian-roots art, music and culture. Scheduled for May 16-19 at venues throughout the Erie County borough, the festival includes live music, stringed instrument workshops, health and well-being workshops, professional and student art shows, food and beverage vendors, art market...
Still most visited place, Orlando had 75 million visitors
ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando had 75 million visitors last year as the theme park mecca continued to be the most visited destination in the United States, tourism officials said Thursday. Orlando in 2018 had 68.5 million domestic visitors, a year-to-year increase of 4.1%, and almost 6.5 million international visitors, a...
More visitors could hike The Wave in Arizona
SALT LAKE CITY — A new proposal could mean bigger crowds at one of the most exclusive hiking spots in the southwestern United States. The federal Bureau of Land Management proposed changes Wednesday that would increase daily visitor limits from 20 people to 96 people per day at The Wave,...
Adult-only resort in Key Largo destroyed by massive fire
A spectacular blaze on Sunday destroyed the main building of a new resort in Key Largo, Florida. No one was injured as flames engulfed the Bungalows resort just before 5 a.m., reported the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s Office deputies responded along with multiple Upper Keys fire/rescue stations to a...
Travel tip: Website invites hikers to share trail information
Tired of taking the same old hike along the same old trail? Maybe it’s time to check out myhikes.org. The website is billed as an independent platform on which hikers and backpackers can share information on their favorite trails by importing GPX files from apps and tracking devices. MyHikes currently...
Can’t get to Fallingwater? Experience it in 3D
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater is arguably only one of the most incredible architectural achievements of all time. And Western Pennsylvania is home to it. Bravo, for us. There’s no substitute for visiting the iconic site, built in 1935 for the Kaufmann family. And if you haven’t been there — we...
Record-breaking roller coaster Yukon Striker opening at Canada’s Wonderland
Yukon Striker at Canada’s Wonderland, proclaimed to be the world’s tallest, fastest and longest dive roller coaster, opened last week to a few lucky riders. The Striker bills itself the fastest dive coaster, reaching speeds of 80 mph; the longest dive coaster at 3,625 feet; and the tallest dive coaster,...
Travel tip: These three cities make for great weekend getaways
Weekend trips are big thing for 2019, according to Elle magazine. Driving the “bite-sized travel” trend are factors like cheap flights and diverse transportation and accommodation options. Where to go from here? These three cities are within easy travel distance of Western Pennsylvania and offer more than enough to do...
Like to take pictures of wildlife? You can help scientists out.
For one week in January, passengers aboard Le Boreal, a cruise ship operated by the French company Ponant, soaked up Antarctica’s wildlife. They stood on the ship’s decks to marvel at three types of orcas, or killer whales, swimming seamlessly in groups. They stayed up late to watch humpback whales...
Travel tip: Tiny Jim Thorpe welcomes annual indie film festival
Nestled in the mountains of Carbon County, quaint little Jim Thorpe has been called one of America’s most beautiful small towns by Rand McNally, USA Today, Culture Trip and Architectural Digest. In addition to the natural beauty, visitors come for the annual Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival, set this year...
Old Joliet Prison offers tour-goers a ‘ruin-porn’ experience
At the start of “The Blues Brothers,” the 1980 comedy classic, “Joliet Jake” Blues walks out the front gate of Joliet Correctional Center, a looming, limestone fortress built in 1858. Now, for the first time since the facility closed in 2002, tourists can walk in through that gate. The Old...
Popular national park hub to start charging for parking
BAR HARBOR, Maine — A popular hub for visitors to Acadia National Park is going to start charging for parking. Bar Harbor, Maine, has set time limits on parking in much of the downtown village for many years, but it plans to begin charging to park next month. The Bangor...
Airlines could someday weigh passengers like luggage
In the name of fuel effeciency among airlines, a British start-up is looking into the idea of weighing passengers — just like luggage — before flights. The more a plane weighs, the more fuel it will need to burn to complete its flight. This is why your luggage is so...
Western Pa. gets a shout-out on ‘SNL’s’ Weekend Update
Don’t expect a bump in tourism from this late-night skit featuring Western Pennsylvania Saturday night. Saturday Night Live’s satirical news segment Weekend Update featured a Spring Break travel segment that took a comical wrong turn. Host Michael Che welcomed guest commentator Carrie Krum, played by Aidy Bryant, to present some...
Westmoreland County Visitors Center grand opening planned
The new Westmoreland County Visitors Center will hold a grand opening April 29 at its New Stanton site. Westmoreland County officials will join representatives of the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau at 10 a.m. as the center opens at 814 Route 119, in the plaza with Stanton Daily Grind coffee shop...
Pa. closing scenic but dangerous Glen Onoko Falls hiking trail
One of the most popular trails in Pennsylvania has become too dangerous to hike. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is closing the main Glen Onoko Falls trail in Jim Thorpe starting May 1, reports the Associated Press. View this post on Instagram #glenonokofalls #dangerzone #hiking A post shared by William Canning...
’World’s Largest Duck’ coming to Erie this summer
The World’s Largest Duck is reportedly coming to Northwestern Pennsylvania. Erie News Now reported that the 61-foot tall duck, known as “Mama Duck,” will be part of the festivities at Erie’s annual Tall Ships Festival, taking place from August 22-25. Festival organizers announced Tuesday that “Mama Duck” will be joined...
An art critic mourns the cultural tragedy of Notre Dame
In October 1793, anti-royalist citizens of Paris stormed the cathedral of Notre Dame, grabbing ropes and pulling down stone sculptures from the monumental facade. The mob mistook the royally garbed biblical kings of Judah for ancestors of the French monarchy, and they had had enough. The Catholic Church held the...
Make the most of the National Mall with these visitors’ tips
Millions of visitors to Washington, D.C., descend on the National Mall every year, touring the U.S. Capitol, posing for photos in front of the memorials and picnicking on the Washington Monument grounds. With so many people jostling for space in the strip of green running between the Capitol and the...
Travel tip: Easter Bunny Train will roll on Lancaster County tracks
If you can’t find the bunny trail, catch the Easter Bunny from April 19-21 on Strasburg Rail Road’s popular Easter Bunny Train. The steam train departs the station in Ronks for a 45-minute ride through the scenic Lancaster County countryside with the long-eared conductor aboard. The special Easter train rides...
Cedar Point offering deluxe ticket to ride often — it’ll cost you about $1,000
Waiting is the hardest part. Especially at amusement parks on hot summer days, where people can wait for more than an hour for a minutes-long ride on a popular roller coaster. Cedar Point, the huge amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, is offering roller coaster enthusiasts the chance to skip the...
Travel tip: Rough Guides offering tailor-made adventure trip service
British travel information service Rough Guides is best known for guides aimed at backpackers and adventurers who want cheap travel and don’t mind roughing it (obviously) in hostels and other budget digs. Now, recognizing that older travelers — while still up for adventure — tend to prefer cushier accommodations, Rough...
Let the buyer beware when booking a vacation rental property
With staged photos and flowery language, the vacation rental descriptions you find online often promise everything you could possibly want. But the rentals don’t always deliver. If you’ve ever booked a rental house or apartment online, you probably know what I mean. Wide-angle lenses make a condo appear roomier than...
Transportation Security Administration releases video of ‘most unusual finds’Video
Transportation Security Administration officials may think they’ve seen everything. But there are some creative passengers out there keeping them on their toes. Some may try to sneak liquids in containers over the mandated 3.4-ounce minimum on board. More than a few seem to “forget” about that loaded firearm in their...
