In October my mom came out to visit Kevin and I for my birthday. We decided to take a fall road trip to the Laurel Highlands, PA which is located about an hour and a half outside of Pittsburgh.

The Laurel Highlands is a mountain region in southwestern Pennsylvania with beautiful forests and farmland. The fall foliage was in full effect during our trip and the autumn scenery was a welcome change from the city.

WINERY FESTIVAL

Our first stop on our trip was the fall festival at Greendance winery. The festival included food, music and craft vendors. 

We took a walk through the winery grounds and stumbled upon a campfire area equipped with seating and supplies to make smores. The fire area overlooked a small pond on the property and was right next to the wedding amphitheater. 

The property was very beautiful and well kept so it was a nice stroll.

I also tasted some of the best apple cider I have ever had in my life! They were pressing the cider on-site so it was very interesting to watch it being made. 

Of course, we did some wine tasting which was a new experience for me. This was my first wine tasting ever! I am more of a rum and Dr. Pepper kind of woman. However, I ended up purchasing two bottles: blackberry and the Isabella blush wine. 

Although there were tons of food options we did not eat the winery and decided to find something to eat closer to our next destination.

LUNCH 

We stumbled upon Paint Room Pizzeria on Mill Run Road. I love pizza and the Paint Rooms pizza was so good! The restaurant was absolutely spotless. Truly one of the cleanest pizza shops I have ever seen. The customer service was also fantastic. Definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. 

FALLINGWATER

After filling up on delicious pizza we headed to our final destination: Frank Lloyd Wrights Fallingwater. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect and designer who integrated the environment into his buildings.

Fallingwater is one of the most well-known of the private residences from Wright. He designed and built the home in 1935 for the Kauffman family who owned Kauffman’s department stores. 

One of the main reasons for the Fallingwater’s popularity is because it was built over a waterfall. Hence the name, Fallingwater.

This is the part of the day I was most excited for! I have wanted to visit this home since I was in high school.  I first heard of the home from a documentary in art class. So after 10 plus years of waiting, I finally made it. 

We took a 60 minute guided tour through the home and the guest house. After the tour, you are permitted to walk through the grounds so we made our way across the creek from the house to get a view of the home over the waterfall.

The home was stunning! Mostly all of the interior furniture and decor are original and well preserved. It was amazing how Wright brought the outside woods into the home and literally made the environment part of the home (I won’t give away how he did this so you will need to see it for yourself). 

I enjoyed seeing the home in the fall with all the beautiful leaf colors and would love to go back again maybe in the spring.

No photography is permitted within the home and to be honest I don’t believe that a photo would do the justice this historic home deserves. 

The minimum ticket price is $ 30 for the 60-minute tour so it is a bit pricey. You can get a grounds pass without taking a tour of the home but you really cannot grasp the beauty of the home without seeing the interior. 

Conclusion

I had a great time with Kevin and my mom on our amazing fall road trip to the Laurel Highlands. I definitely plan on heading back to that area as there is so much more to see such as Ohiopyle State Park, Laurel Caverns, and several historic battlefields. 

If you have any other attraction suggestions in the Laurel Highlands area feel free to leave them below in the comments.

Until next time,

Rachel