Message-Id: <YYHXODy00UobI5g4o=@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: Thu, 20 Apr 89 15:59:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: Chris Koenigsberg <ckk+@andrew.cmu.edu>
To: +dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr0/postman/CampusLists/cmu/market.dl@andrew.cmu.edu
Subject: Spring Weekend summary
Cc: Bovik@cs.cmu.edu

Here are the essential replies I received to my question, "What are some good
places within a 3-4 hour drive from Pittsburgh to spend a spring weekend?" I
note that there is also a recent (March 29) post on the Computer Science
departmental market bboard about cabins in nearby state parks.

Thanks to everyone who replied to me, especially Susan who recommended
Pymatuning Lake, where we ended up going! Here are the replies:
-------------------------
Over Spring break, I visited North Bend state park.  This park is located just
outside of Harrisville, West Virginia.  I believe that it's about a two hour
drive from Pittsburgh.

The park has a lodge as well as camping area and lots of nature trails and
wildlife.  There are also private cottages (very nice) that are rented out for
~$300/week.  This place is in the "outback" of WV and there's not much more
than what I've just described.  It is, however, very beautiful in the Spring.
-------------------------
I've been to Conneaut Lake a few times - a friend has a summer home on the
lake (many Pittsburghers have cottages up there). It's a wonderful place for
waterskiing and boating, not too bad for swimming (although the water, like
most other lakes in PA, isn't exactly crystal clear). The other 'big'
attraction is the amusement park, which isn't as large or modern as Kennywood.
Conneaut and surrounding communities are all small towns in a fairly rural
area, which means a) not much in the way of nightlife, b) great sports and
camping, and c) lots of pickup trucks with monster tires out on the roads.
There's an old, quaint looking hotel in the amusement park (which sits on
the shore of the lake), and many camping grounds near the lake.
There is a place in West Virginia that I've heard good things about - Oglebay.
(I've never been there, so this is all secondhand info). The (or one of the)
parks has cabins that rent out fairly cheaply. It's supposedly lovely - real
picture-postcard West Virginia scenery with forests and mountains, etc.

If you belong to AAA, I'd recommend picking up their tour books on PA and WV.
They have a lot of logistical info on these places.
-------------------------
cook's forest is nice, lots of woods, rivers, lakes, etc. there are lots of
cabins to rent, from various people. some friends of mine go there twice a
year; i could have them call you with more info if you like.

oglebay (pronounced o' guh bee) is also nice; kind of an oasis on the edge
of wheeling: woods, sweeping vistas, big lodge, cabins. best to go in the
late winter/early spring, 'cause it gets crowded in the summer.
-------------------------
I've been to Conneaut Lake a number of times.  It's ok, but until the park opens
in the summer, there's not much to do except fish and walk around the lake.  It
is very close to Pymatuning, which has a little more going for it.  There are
nature reserves, wildlife refuges and the place where you "Walk on the Fish" ...
 a spawning area for carps that's pretty wild to see.  Since it's probably the
most popular attraction up there, you wouldn't have a tough time finding it.  We
stayed at a place called Green Acres Motel, which is in Kinsman, Ohio - about 10
minutes from the Lake. The rate was something like $35.00/night.  The phone
number is: 216-876-4501.

Deep Creek, Maryland is also a pretty neat place.  You take Route 51 to
Uniontown, then make a right and you're there in no time.  It's probably about 2
- 2 1/2 hours from downtown.  They have a real big lake, a very rustic skiing
lodge (Willow Wisp ?) and a waterfall with a nature trail (I forget the name of
the falls).  Cheat Lake is near by, too.

Moderate to Expensive housing: Alpine Village
Cheap Housing:  Dreamland, and a bunch of others that I can't remember the name.
 You should be able to just go down and find a place.
-------------------------

You said in your post your were looking for a place 4-6 hours away.
My favorite spot on the earth is the Finger Lakes in New York
and that takes 6 hours from Pittsburgh to reach.  What is there?
A bunch of big lakes (but small enough you can see the other shore),
many, many wineries that all offer free tours and tastings, pretty
rolling hills, and nice quiet surroundings.  I recommend
Watkins Glen.  You can hike down and up a wonderful gorge that
has waterfalls and everything.
-------------------------
Try Oglebay.  Nice lodge, pool, dinning, walks, etc.  A little hokey,
but runs $75/weekend.  See staff council about discounts through PEAA
-------------------------
-------------------------
And finally, here's what we ended up doing, after all this advice: we drove up
to Pymatuning Lake, and stayed at a motel in Linesville (the Linesville Camp
Motel) which I would NOT recommend; although it was only $27 a night, there were
other nicer-looking hotels in the area which were probably the same price. There
was only enough hot water for 1/2 of one shower!

Pymatuning is a large lake; there were lots of people fishing. It was fun to
watch the fish and ducks at the Linesville Spillway. One drawback we noticed is
that the Pymatuning Lake area seemed to be all sportsmen/women and farmers; thus
everyone either lived there on a small farm, or was there to hunt or fish. No
one planted any flowers, which was real strange - there were no flowers in the
woods and none around any of the houses!

When I asked about Pymatuning, AAA gave me a brochure from the Linesville
Chamber of Commerce which gave the number of the motel we stayed at.....I would
not stay there again though. For places to stay, next time I would skip
Linesville and try one of the motels or cottages in Ebdysville right near the
Causeway on route 258 which crosses from Pa. over the lake into Ohio. There's
also a boat livery right there which rents canoes, rowboats, and motorboats.

Or, stay near Conneaut Lake and drive over to Pymatuning - they're 15 miles
apart. For eating, the Driftwood Inn in Linesville had decent breakfast and
lunch. But your best bet is to eat in the Conneaut Lake area. Everything in the
Pymatuning area is geared towards deep-fried home-cooked sort of fast food, but
there are some good restaurants around Conneaut Lake.