Outdoor attractions pushed as Pittsburgh region's tourism industry copes with covid-19

Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands is known for outdoor activities in scenic settings. Such outings have taken on an even greater appeal for tourists amid the social distancing guidelines of the covid-19 pandemic.

During the health crisis, families and friends “really want to stay together as a close group,” said Ann Nemanic, executive director of the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau. “They want to have that same group of folks have experiences outdoors.

“We have been blessed with a glorious weather pattern that’s been very conducive for any type of outdoor experience.”

Among those searching for information on the bureau’s website, three outdoor attractions have received the most hits: Ohiopyle State Park, the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail and the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail.

“Being able to rent a bike in Ohiopyle and travel the GAP over to Confluence and back is a really nice day trip,” Nemanic said, adding, “The Heritage Trail in Westmoreland County is a new biking experience many might not have tried before.”

Sections of the latter trail are open between Trafford and Saltsburg.

Keying in on the advantages such attractions offer during the pandemic, the Laurel Highlands bureau has prepared a billboard and social media campaign, #Fresh Air Fun, Nemanic said, explaining, “the emphasis is on outdoor activities and natural spaces.”

Given changeable covid-19 case trends, and resulting restrictions on social and business activities, flexibility is a necessity for tourists and the establishments that want them to visit.

Many attractions that rely on retail sales have added online merchandising.

“Those trends I think will continue,” Nemanic said.

Statler’s strives for safe, outdoor fun

Statler’s Fun Center, which features go-karts, miniature golf and batting cages in Unity, started its season late this year, near the end of May, because of pandemic-related restrictions.

“We certainly lost all of April and most of May, so we’re definitely looking at a reduced season,” President Dan Statler said.

He took the opportunity to make some landscaping improvements.

“We added a lot of new plants,” he said. “Whenever you’re trying to pay attention to the small details, I think that people really can see that and appreciate it.”

As with many other businesses, Statler’s has refocused a lot of its attention on sanitizing its facilities and equipment.

“We’ve been disinfecting and cleaning every go-kart between every race, and we also do every golf club, every golf ball, every bat and every helmet,” he said. “Everything the customers come in contact with is sanitized between each use.”

Under the most recent state guidelines, Statler requires all visitors to wear masks inside the center’s arcade, but he said social distancing, reinforced with signage, provides a sufficient safeguard for those enjoying the other amenities.

A round of miniature golf at Statler’s was a welcome outing Thursday for real estate agent Neisha Macasaet of Derry Township and her children, Danilo, 10, and Mila, 6.

Macasaet, who has a compromised immune system while battling Stage 4 lung cancer, avoided certain activities when the pandemic hit.

“It was scary at first,” she said. “I didn’t go grocery shopping.”

She’s since returned to stores, with the added protection of a mask and gloves, and noted she has no concern about virus exposures when she’s in an outdoor location such as Statler’s.

As for her chemotherapy and medical scans, she said, “all is looking good.”

Gabby Palmer, 13, of Ligonier Township has been using Statler’s cages several days a week to brush up on her batting skills while playing on the Laurel Highlands Intensity softball travel team based in Meyersdale. The team’s normal practice location, a school field, hasn’t been available because of pandemic-related closures.

“This year is odd,” father Jeff Palmer said. “With the covid stuff, we didn’t get a lot of practice time in, so that’s why we’re using the pitching machines.”

Alle-Kiski winery adjusts as situation changes

Because of social distancing guidelines, Wooden Door Winery has placed more emphasis on its location in Allegheny Township, were there is room for up to 170 people to enjoy wine and food outdoors, compared to the 55 outdoor seats available at its Vandergrift site.

The latter site features an indoor event center, but pandemic restrictions have cut the seating capacity in half, to about 75, and several bookings have been canceled, owner Jeff Pollick said.

“The spring time is very busy for us, so the (pandemic) shutdown was very devastating,” he said.

Wine tastings have been suspended at Wooden Door, which draws visitors from as far away as Washington and Indiana counties on weekends, Pollick noted.

The winery could see a pickup in business from closer to home since a surge in covid-19 cases prompted officials in neighboring Allegheny County to order a temporary closure of bars and restaurants after banning on-site consumption of alcohol at establishments.

“In the last few days, we’ve had phone calls from Pittsburgh, people looking to get away because of the closures in Allegheny County,” Pollick said Thursday.

Pittsburgh expects more ‘staycations’

Experts at AAA project a little more than 700 million Americans will travel from July through September. That’s down 14.6% from the same period last year and represents the first such drop since 2009, during the Great Recession.

Recognizing that many families are staying closer to home during the pandemic, tourism promotion organization Visit Pittsburgh recently rolled out the campaign #RediscoverPittsburgh, targeting residents of the city and surrounding areas.

“After just two weeks, we’re seeing a lot of interest from people in finding out what there is to do,” said Tom Loftus, Visit Pittsburgh’s chief marketing officer.

A 100-mile radius from the city “is a really good market for us,” he said. “The data is showing us that two-thirds of travelers will first travel to a destination they’ve been to before or are familiar with.

“Wer’e pretty confident that Pittsburgh is going to rebound quickly, but first it will be the regional and driving market that is going to push people to Pittsburgh.”

The lack of theatrical productions and summer sports that people can attend is “a huge loss,” Loftus said, adding, “It’s fortunate that we have the three rivers. That never goes away.”

The Gateway Clipper fleet, which had reopened to offer river cruises, notes on its website it is temporarily closed because of the Allegheny County health directive, as is the National Aviary.

Loftus was encouraged by the late June reopening of the city’s Carnegie museums, joining the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium — one of the first major local attractions to welcome the public under new pandemic guidelines.

“We needed something to promote,” he said.

In accordance with recent state and county directives, visitors to the zoo must now wear masks both indoors and outdoors and timed tickets are required for admission on weekends. The Carnegie museums are holding visitor attendance to 10% of the building capacity. Seating in The Rangos Giant Cinema at the Carnegie Science Center is limited to just 24 people.

Nemanic, of the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, is expecting tourists from Maryland, Washington, D.C., and eastern Pennsylvania to join locals in checking out the attractions her organization promotes in Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties. She anticipates the visitors to stay up to three nights.

Primarily, “we’re a drive-to destination,” she said. “The only thing we’re not seeing is motor coach travelers. A number of our local tour operators do anticipate the return of folks by coach — probably around September, for the fall foliage season.

“It’s a moment of pause for our industry now.”