Seven Springs Mountain Resort

If you’re from Pittsburgh, you’ll know that winter is a very iffy season there. That’s because the type of weather always varies from year to year, or even from day to day. There are winters when it’s so cold you can’t feel your face, and so snowy you can’t get anywhere. And sometimes, there are winters where there isn’t a single drop of snow. That’s where Seven Springs Mountain Resort comes in. It’s one of the best places in the greater Pittsburgh area to ski, snowboard, and tube, provided it’s cold enough (even when there’s no snow). Not to mention, there are so many other things to do there besides winter sports. Seven Springs is a great place to have a great time indoors or outdoors, no matter what time of year it is.

Seven Springs Mountain Resort is located in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, about an hour east of Pittsburgh. It’s only about 45 minutes from my hometown, Johnstown. I’ve gone there several times, because not only is it near where I live but it’s also only about 15 minutes from Hidden Valley, another resort where my family has a mountain house. Hidden Valley, Laurel Mountain Resort, and Seven Springs are all under the same management as of 2014.

There are several people from Western Pennsylvania who will tell you that they absolutely detest the snow. But there are some people who absolutely love it, and make the effort every year to go out and enjoy it, and if you’re from Western Pennsylvania, there’s no better place to do that than Seven Springs. Seven Springs has some of the best skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing in the region. I come from a family that loves skiing; it’s something I’ve done from a pretty young age. Most of the time, my family skis at Hidden Valley, since we have a mountain house there. However, I’ve been to Seven Springs to ski quite a few times. Some were when I was really young, and some were with my high school’s ski club. Seven Springs has several options when it comes to skiing and snowboarding. There are 33 slopes, 10 chairlifts, and 8 terrain parks located throughout the resort. The slopes are open every day from December 1 to April 1, including holidays. You can buy tickets to hit the slopes either all day, only at night, or for an entire weekend. You can also buy Highlands weekend tickets, which allow you to go back and forth between the slopes at Seven Springs, Laurel Mountain, and Hidden Valley within a single weekend. If you visit often throughout a single season, it’s a good idea to get a season pass. Season passes allow you unlimited runs on the slopes without having to buy a lift ticket each time, and also give you special perks. You can either buy a Seven Springs Season Pass or a Highlands Pass. The Highlands Pass works at Seven Springs, Hidden Valley, and Laurel Mountain. My family used to rent skis, but ever since we got a mountain house at Hidden Valley, we’ve always bought our skis instead since it’s more convenient. However, if you do want to rent your skis, boots, poles, snowboards, etc., you always have the option of doing that at Seven Springs. It also has a shop where you can purchase your own skis and equipment as well. Seven Springs also offers lessons for skiers and snowboarders of all ages; no matter how old you are, don’t be embarrassed to take a lesson or two! You can sign up for either private or group lessons. Seven Springs also offers special rates for school groups, which include lessons, lift tickets, and equipment rentals. Groups can either come for a day or stay overnight. I love skiing at Seven Springs. From personal experience, however, one piece of advice about skiing and snowboarding here would be to avoid going on slopes that nobody else appears to be going on. There’s usually a reason why nobody is on these slopes, and most of the time it’s because the slopes are too steep or too icy. Snow tubing at Seven Springs is also lots of fun, and not too expensive either. I haven’t been snow tubing at Seven Springs in a very long time, but I recall it being a lot of fun. But matter what slope you go on, you’re sure to enjoy spending your winter skiing, snowboarding, or tubing at Seven Springs.

Even if you’re not hitting the slopes, there’s always something to do at Seven Springs. For example, in the winter, you can also go snowmobiling or snowshoeing. And any time of year, there’s several indoor activities available at Seven Springs, including swimming, bowling, mini golf, an arcade, and yoga. Seven Springs also has horses; in the winter, you can enjoy relaxing sleigh rides through the snow, and in the summer, you can take a horseback riding lesson or two. Some summer activities include paddleboarding, mountain biking, fishing, golfing, rock climbing, and more. And then there’s my personal favorite, the Laurel Ridgeline and Screaming Hawk Zipline tours. The ziplines opened in the summer of 2011. Since then, ziplining has become one of the resort’s most popular activities. My family and I did it in the summer of 2016, and we had a great time. I’m not a big outdoorsman, but I’ve always loved ziplining. I’ve done it several times on vacation and at summer camp. One of the greatest things about ziplining at Seven Springs is it gives you a whole new way to look at the Laurel Highlands. You can see the rest of the resort, and other buildings and mountains that are miles and miles away. You can also see a lot of the greenery and wildlife at Seven Springs, something you may only get to see there in the summer. I saw a lot of groundhogs, and while groundhogs seem like they’d be common in Pennsylvania, I don’t always see too many. And the best part is, you get to experience the view while feeling like you’re flying. The ziplining tours require advance reservations, which can be made at the Seven Springs official website. You can check out a video of a ziplining tour at Seven Springs below. If you want to relax, Seven Springs also contains lots of great dining options, both formal and informal, as well as a spa. Seven Springs is also a great place to go for events. Seven Springs holds events for several occasions, such as major holidays. These events range from big music festivals to blowout block parties to small dinners. You can check out the list of upcoming events at the website. Two events I’ve been to are the Fourth of July and Octoberfest. My family and I went to the Fourth of July celebration the same weekend we did the ziplining tour, although we only went to the Fourth of July celebration to see the fireworks. But the fireworks display is amazing; the fireworks are visible from anywhere within the resort, but the best place to watch them is on the snow tubing slope. Octoberfest is an AMAZING event; I went there about six or seven years ago. It’s held every weekend in October, and includes both outdoor and indoor activities. The outdoor ones include riding the alpine slide and riding the chairlift. They also have outdoor food stands and an indoor buffet with lots of amazing Fall food and drinks, like hot and cold apple cider as well as my personal favorite dessert, pumpkin pie. No matter what time of year it is, there’ll always be a reason for you to visit Seven Springs.

Can’t get enough of Seven Springs? Wish you could be there for longer than a day trip? Well, you absolutely can! Seven Springs has several options for overnight or permanent stays, so whether you want to stay a few nights at Seven Springs or live there permanently, you’re in luck. This is great if you come from far away and don’t want to drive to Seven Springs and back in the same day, if there’s a blizzard you don’t want to drive home in, or if you just need more than one day to check out all that Seven Springs has to offer! Seven Springs contains a hotel with several amenities, including free wi-fi, an indoor and outdoor pool, several restaurants and bars, and more. Like most mountain resorts, Seven Springs also contains condos and townhouses. These are great to rent for a week-long vacation or a weekend getaway, especially if you’re traveling with a large party. Or, you can simply buy property at Seven Springs, and be able to enjoy the resort as much as you want! If you buy Seven Springs property, the door is always open to you, whether you want it to be your second home or your permanent home. A reviewer on TripAdvisor said that the “condos and cabins areout of this world” and that they are “great for family gatherings.” The overnight options at Seven Springs are great for anyone looking for either a simple getaway or a new home.

Whether there’s a snowstorm or a heat wave outside, you’ll always find a way to enjoy yourself at Seven Springs Mountain Resort.

Let Your Imagination Run “Wild” at Idlewild & Soak Zone

Looking to ride some iconic amusement park rides? Or maybe a place to cool down from the heat in the summer? How about a place you can take your kids and find that there’s endless amounts of things for them to do? There’s one place I know that fits the bill: Idlewild & Soak Zone in Ligonier, PA.

Now, I should mention, Idlewild is not technically a part of Pittsburgh, per se. It’s located in Ligonier, which is in Westmoreland County (which neighbors the county where Pittsburgh is located, Allegheny County). However, it’s quite a popular attraction for people from all over Western Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh. So I thought to include it, and I may include other attractions that are not directly in Pittsburgh, but are still easily accessible from Pittsburgh, in future posts.

Idlewild & Soak Zone, also known as Idlewild Park or just Idlewild, is an amusement park that was opened in 1878 by the Mellon family, a wealthy and influential family that owns a vast amount of property in Western Pennsylvania. In 1983, it was purchased by the Kennywood Entertainment Company, which also owns Sandcastle Waterpark and Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh. This purchase led to expansions of the park, most notably Soak Zone, Idlewild’s waterpark. Idlewild is a place that’s very, very dear to my heart. While it’s a little over an hour away from the city of Pittsburgh, it’s only about 25 minutes from Johnstown, which is where I’m originally from. It’s very popular where I’m from, and I absolutely loved going there as a kid with family and friends. I went there often as a teenager as well, because my high school’s band used to do a private performance for our parents at Idlewild’s ball field every summer. We were able to do this because our band director was also the catering manager at Idlewild. A lot of my friends used to work at Idlewild as well. But anyway, I’m going to break down most of what Idlewild has to offer, based mainly on my own experience, because I’ve been there several times.

The most iconic area of the park is Olde Idlewild. This is my favorite area of the park because it just has a classic, theme park-like feel to it. It contains several of the park’s most popular rides, including the Wild Mouse and the Roll-O Coaster. The Roll-O Coaster was one of Idlewild’s first rides. It also contains classic theme park rides such as a Ferris wheel, a carousel, bumper cars, etc., as well as classic carnival games. The concessions stands in this part of the park are really good as well. Idlewild’s corn dogs are some of the best corn dogs you’ll ever have. The Hillside Theatre is also located here; this is where performances are held throughout the day, either put on by Idlewild or by local performance groups. Olde Idlewild is certainly fun for all ages.

If you’re going to the park with younger kids, you should definitely check out Raccoon Lagoon. It’s an area of the park designed explicitly for younger kids. They have rides that kids are sure to enjoy, such as go-karting or motorcycling in EXTREMELY small karts/bikes, and a teacup ride. You can also hop on or off the Loyalhanna Limited Railroad here, which is a quick way to get to or from Hootin’ Holler, another area of the park. This section of the park also contains a show and a ride based on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, a show on PBS Kids that was spun-off from one of my favorite childhood shows, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. I’m sure most of you have heard of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, but depending on where you’re from, you may or may not know that it was made entirely in Pittsburgh. Fred Rogers, AKA Mister Rogers, grew up in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, only minutes away from Idlewild. As part of the Kennywood Entertainment Company purchasing the park in the 1980s, a Mister Rogers-themed ride was added, courtesy of Rogers and the teams at both Idlewild and his TV show. The ride involved riding a trolley around the “Neighborhood of Make-Believe”, and inviting the various characters you meet to a “Hug-and-Song Party”, a party for “hugging and singing.” The trolley would stop at each of the various buildings from the TV show, and the riders got to interact with the characters, who appeared in animatronic form as opposed to the TV show’s puppets. The characters were voiced by Rogers himself, who played most of the puppets in the show, as well as the show’s other puppeteers. The ride was first opened in 1989, and it was closed in 2013, ten years after Rogers’ death. This was one of my absolute favorite rides at the park growing up. It may be the one ride in the park that I’ve gone on the most, in fact. A lot of my friends really enjoyed this ride as well; in fact, just to reminisce, we even went on the ride as high schoolers during one of our performance days with the band. The ride was closed to make room for the Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood ride. This ride has the same premise as the previous one, however the characters have been replaced with characters from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. The ride opened in 2015, and the area’s Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood stage show opened the previous summer. You can see a video of the original Mister Rogers version of the ride below; I won't be spoiling much by showing it to you since it's no longer there, but as I said, the Daniel Tiger version is set up almost the same way. Raccoon Lagoon is the best part of Idlewild for the kids and kids at heart.

Another area of the park is Hootin’ Holler. Hootin’ Holler is an Old West-themed area. One ride here is known as the Howler, and it allows you to control the speed of your car by spinning a wheel in the center. Another ride is known as Paul Bunyan’s Loggin’ Taboggan, and, as you may have already guessed, it’s a log flume ride. It’s not very big, so it’s great for young kids as well as older ones. It’s a great way to cool off even you didn’t bring your swimming gear for the water park. My mom and I used to wrap up our visits to Idlewild by riding Loggin’ Taboggan, since it would usually get really hot by late afternoon. Hootin’ Holler also contains Confusion Hill, a tour of a house containing several optical illusions as well as many other peculiar things. As I mentioned earlier, the Loyalhanna Limited Railroad stops in Hootin’ Holler as well. Time machines may not exist, but you can still travel back to the Old West just by visiting Hootin’ Holler.

Another area of the park that younger kids are sure to love is Story Book Forest. This area of the park doesn’t contain any rides, but it’s a great area nonetheless. It allows you to get immersed in your favorite fairy tales and nursery rhymes without even opening a book. You can check out buildings and structures from your favorite fairy tales, such as Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s house, and the Sword in the Stone. And you can also meet some of your favorite characters, from Little Red Riding Hood to Mother Goose herself. If you’re coming to Idlewild with young children and want to start off your day with something simple, I would definitely recommend coming here first. This is what my family and I always did when I was younger. This allows you to simply walk through and not worry about going on any rides or anything like that, and it only takes about 30-40 minutes to walk through the entire area. Story Book Forest is a great place to go if you’ve ever wanted to be transported into your favorite stories.

While Story Book Forest is probably the most “interactive” area of the park, Jumpin’ Jungle is probably the most “active” area. It’s basically a playground for kids. It contains ball pits, slides, jungle gyms, and more. And like Story Book Forest, it does not contain any rides. My recommendation is that you bring your kids to this area of the park last, which is what my family and I used to do. The reason being, your child is going to want to do a lot of running and moving around here, and if they do that too early in the day they may be too tired to enjoy the rest of the park. For a place for children to play and adults to relax, check out Jumpin’ Jungle.

Finally, we’ve come to the last main section of the park: Soak Zone. One thing that makes Idlewild different from its sister parks, Kennywood and Sandcastle, is that it contains both an amusement park and a water park. The Soak Zone waterpark contains two body slides, one tube slide, one mat slide, and one group raft slide. It also contains a tipping bucket, which is probably the best way to get soaked in the whole park. There’s also a lazy river called Float Away Bay. There’s a kid’s play area and a kid’s pool. And finally, there’s the Wowabunga Wave Pool. Previously, this was just a regular swimming pool, but it was converted into a wave pool in 2011. Soak Zone contains both beach chairs and cabanas that you can purchase, as well as lockers that you can rent for your personal belongings. Just like with its sister parks, Kennywood and Sandcastle, you can rent cabanas at Idlewild online. One of my best friends actually used to be a “cabana boy”, if you will, at Idlewild. Soak Zone is a great way to cool off at Idlewild. 

Now that I’ve covered all of the areas of the park, here’s some recommendations to know when planning to visit Idlewild. First of all, like I mentioned in my Sandcastle post, it’s definitely worth getting Season Passes to Idlewild. They get you lots of perks and discounts within the park. They also get you unlimited visits to the park throughout the season. Some of the perks include souvenir cups, meal deals, merchandise discounts, and free admission for your friends on certain days. They also get you free admission to Dutch Wonderland, an amusement park in Lancaster, PA, that is owned by Palace Entertainment, which co-owns Idlewild, Kennywood, and Sandcastle. They also get you admission to Kennywood and Sandcastle for only $15. And just like Sandcastle and Kennywood, Idlewild will be introducing the All-Season Dining Pass in 2018. You can redeem this pass for two combo meals and one snack per visit. Also, Idlewild is GREAT for groups. Many of the trips to Idlewild I’ve gone on have been with groups from school or daycare. Group visits are fun because you can hang out with a lot of close friends or family. Plus, a group ticket is less expensive than a general admission ticket. Some groups also get perks such as special dining passes. If you’re going to Idlewild with a group, it’s best to reserve a pavilion. You can split up for the day, and reconvene at your pavilion for a picnic. This is great for field trips, parties, and more. Plus, the pavilions have volleyball nets and basketball hoops to use as well. And with Halloween not too far away, it seems only appropriate to take about Hallowboo. Hallowboo is an annual event held every weekend throughout the month of October at Idlewild. Not every ride/attraction is open during Hallowboo. However, there are lots of Halloween-related events, such as specific shows, specific meals, and trick-or-treating through Story Book Forest. There are also events that only go on once during every Hallowboo weekend, so check out Idlewild’s website for the schedule of events. I’ve never been to Hallowboo, but what’s great about it is that it’s much cheaper than a regular season general admission ticket, plus you can go unlimited times with a Season Pass. Idlewild also has various other events that go on throughout the season, so check out the website for those as well.

If you and your kids looking for a day of fun a little ways outside of Pittsburgh, Idlewild & Soak Zone is the place to go with your friends, family, or groups.

PNC Park

Looking for some top-notch baseball? How about some fireworks, even when it’s not the Fourth of July? How about a concert? How about a baseball game and a concert? Well, if you’re looking for any or all of these things, PNC Park is the place for you. 

PNC Park is located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, on the side of the parkway opposite to Stage AE and Heinz Field. It is perhaps best known as the home of the MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates. As I mentioned in my Heinz Field post, the Pittsburgh Pirates previously played at Three Rivers Stadium along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Panthers. Three Rivers Stadium was split into two separate stadiums in 2001, PNC Park and Heinz Field.  

I have been to a lot of Pirates baseball games at PNC Park, and they are certainly a lot of fun. I must confess, however, that I’m not a huge baseball fan. But there’s so much more to enjoy at a Pirates game than just the sport. The atmosphere at a Pirates game really makes you feel like you’re at an iconic baseball game. There are guys who walk through the aisles selling cotton candy, popcorn, beverages, etc. There are also lots of giveaways that go on throughout the game, with prizes courtesy of the team’s sponsors. For example, if the Pirates score a home run during a certain inning, everyone attending the game can go to a participating Denny’s restaurant and get a free Grand Slam. Once during every game, the team’s mascot, the Pirate Parrot, and his assistants launch t-shirts into the crowd. I have come to learn that, ironically, you have a better chance of catching a t-shirt the farther away your seats are from the field. In fact, my stepfather got a box reserved a few years ago at a game for a company party, and I caught a t-shirt all the way from the box seats. There is also an event that goes on between the fifth and sixth innings called the “Great Pierogi Race”, which is sponsored by Mrs. T’s Pierogis and involves a few people wearing pierogi costumes racing each other around the field. And one of the most iconic traditions at any Pirates game is when the entire audience stands up and sings “Take Me Out to The Ball Game” during the seventh inning stretch. Pirates games also have special event days. These event days include free admission for kids, fireworks after the game, a FanJam concert after the game, etc. I’ve seen the fireworks, and they’re pretty amazing. And I’ll be honest, even though the baseball aspect of a Pirates game is my least favorite part, even that can be enjoyable, such as when the team scores a home run. No matter what your favorite part is, there’s always something to enjoy at a Pirates game for both sports fans and non-sports fans.  

In addition to Pirates games, another great thing to check out at PNC Park is a concert. While some of these concerts are private, ticketed events like most concerts would be, some of them are part of the Pirates' FanJam concert series. The FanJam concert series is one of the event days held throughout the season. As part of the series, some of the biggest names in music do an exclusive concert after a Pirates game. For a FanJam concert, you can see the concert as part of your admission to that game, or you can pay extra to go onto the field and be closer to the performance. Artists/groups that have done their own concerts at PNC Park include Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, and Billy Joel. Artists/groups that have performed as part of the FanJam concert series include Daughtry, Flo Rida, and Gavin Degraw. One reviewer on TripAdvisor who attended Billy Joel's Summer 2016 concert said that it was "fantastic" with "good acoustics and a great view from our seats behind the 3rd base dugout up about 15 rows." If you ever want to go to a great concert or just want something exciting to do after a game, get tickets to a concert at PNC Park or check out a concert as part of the FanJam concert series. 

Like I did with my Heinz Field blog post, I'm going to make the food at PNC Park its own separate paragraph, because there's so much you could say about it. PNC Park probably has more of a variety of concessions than Heinz Field. Most of the concession stands serve different types of food. You can get burgers, ice cream, frozen yogurt, hot dogs, Mexican food, and so much more. Just make sure you have some cash on you, because the food at PNC Park is pretty expensive. And of course, there's always the option of getting snacks such as cotton candy, popcorn, etc., from the guys that come through the aisles as well. I should mention that just like at Heinz Field, PNC Park has a Primanti Bros. concessions stand, where you can go to get an iconic Pittsburgh sandwich. Also, if you get to the stadium early and want a bite before the game instead of during it, Atria's, a Pittsburgh-based chain Italian restaurant, is attached to PNC Park and is located right by the entrance gate. This is a great recommendation, because I love Atria's, plus you have the option of sitting outside on the sidewalk and watching the pre-game excitement build up as you're enjoying your meal. Another great recommendation is to check out Chickie's and Pete's, my personal favorite stand. While there are many stands to choose from, I love Chickie's and Pete's because they have some of the best cheesesteaks, as well as fries, that I've ever had. Forget the "peanuts and crackerjacks", you have so many more choices for getting food when you come to PNC Park.  

Whether you're looking to watch some baseball, to see a concert, or just want to watch some perogies running around (which is definitely worth seeing, because you truly won't see it anywhere else), then PNC Park is the place to go.