Travel: See Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands for the (Frank Lloyd) Wright stuff

The world’s most immersive and sophisticated architectural experience can be found in the most unexpected of locations: rural, leafy and bucolic Laurel Highlands in southwestern Pennsylvania.

No other place on Earth offers the opportunity to experience the magic of the master, Frank Lloyd Wright, from so many angles.

Fallingwater, Wright’s jewel in the crown of residential creations, is the centerpiece. The house, unquestionably the most famous private residence ever built, is bucket list material and a must-do when visiting the area. However, an immersive tour of the home, its interiors and resplendent surroundings, is only part of the picture.

Nearby are additional Wright homes, which visitors can tour and even spend a night, or several, before capping their trip with dinner in Wright-inspired pods set atop a forest of ferns. As if this was not enough for a vacation, this stunning area, unhurried, unspoiled and untouristy, beckons with myriad more attractions.

Fallingwater refuses to grow old. The house is pushing 90, yet remains fresh, elegant and innovative. Designed in 1935 for the Kaufmanns, owners of Pittsburgh’s largest department store, Fallingwater sits in a storied setting of mature forests, massive sandstone boulders, a free-flowing stream, waterfalls and a forest understory where rhododendrons, laurel and Appalachian wildflowers thrive.

The Kaufmanns were surprised when Wright recommended their new weekend house rise above a waterfall rather than face it. Fortunately for architectural history, they acquiesced, thus sealing Fallingwater’s fame.

A half-hour away from Falllingwater is Polymath Park, where visitors can explore Wright’s Usonian dream of architecture made affordable for the masses. Wright coined the term from United States of North America.

At Polymath, visitors can tour four Usonian homes and dine the Wright way in a Wright-style treehouse before settling in for an overnight stay at two of the architect’s homes in the sprawling, wooded complex.

The Balter and Blum residences, the first two homes on the 130 acres of farmland that comprise the original site, were built by Wright disciple Peter Berndtson, who studied with the architect at his Taliesin studio and worked with him on projects such as the Guggenheim Museum.

In 2006, Wright’s Duncan house became part of the enclave after it was transported to the site from its original location in Illinois. In 2019, Wright’s Mantyla house joined the three others. The home was originally built in Minnesota.  Another Wright Minnesota house, Birdwing, has been saved from demolition and is awaiting installation at the property.

Guests can tour the houses and stay overnight to fully immerse themselves in Wright’s vision for living. There is no television to infringe upon the quiet evenings listening to the sounds of nature while watching the stars above.

The complex offers on-site dining at the Treetops restaurant, where a recent addition is a set of private treehouse dining “pods,” every one of them tucked within a forest setting. Treehouses, open April through October, can be reserved for tapas and wine events, mimosa brunches and a special five-course meal that follows a tour of the homes.

Fifteen minutes from Fallingwater awaits yet another Wright masterpiece, Kentuck Knob.

After many visits to their friends’ Fallingwater vacation home, Bernardine and I.N. Hagan decided they, too, should own a Wright house on their 80 acres of mountaintop in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

At the time, Wright was 86 years old − and working on the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the Beth Shalom Synagogue in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, and on a dozen other home plans, yet despite his advanced age and busy schedule, the architect agreed. Kentuck Knob was one of his last designs.

The Hagans, who moved into the home in 1956, lived there for three decades.

“There is a sense of beauty, comfort, serenity and harmony in the house and all of its surroundings,” said Bernardine Hagan.

Laurel Highlands has the Wright stuff when it comes to architecture, but it is also a mecca for outdoor sports, abundant natural beauty and some rather eclectic attractions.

The 20,500 acres that comprise Ohiopyle State Park attracts millions of visitors seeking some of the best whitewater rafting and kayaking in the eastern United States, framed by endlessly spectacular scenery. For a tamer experience, sit in the creek bed and ride the water through two natural waterslides, or gaze at impressive Ohiopyle Falls.

Fall foliage is as colorfully vibrant as New England’s, but without the crowds, the cost and the traffic. Winter brings pristine snow for skiing at Laurel Mountain Ski Resort and snowmobiling in 116 miles of trails at Forbes State Forest. Spring and summer provide a green backdrop for visits to unexpected waterfalls and turn-of-the-century covered bridges or to attractions such as The Ruins Project, a mosaic art installation amidst the ruins of a former coal mine. Located on the Great Allegheny Passage, this outdoor museum retells Western Pennsylvania’s rich coal mining history through the lens of art created by artists from around the world. The works range from petroglyph-type renditions to portraiture so realistic that they seem ready to pop out of the canvas.

The 150-acre Somerset Historical Center preserves the rich rural history of the area and includes the Adam Miller Log Farm and an 1860 Maple Sugar Camp among its outdoor exhibits.

The Flight 93 National Memorial honors the courageous, doomed passengers and crew who thwarted the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The Lincoln Highway Experience is the largest museum in America dedicated to the first coast-to-coast highway.

In addition to the Wright homes, other overnight accommodations are equally as out-of-the-ordinary. Nemacolin offers Forbes five-star dining at its Lautrec restaurant, two championship golf courses and a world-class spa.

More:Travel: The wine is fine in Charlottesville, as is the rest of the place

More:Travel: Horseless carriages take guests through Mount Dora in elegant style

More:Travel: Virginia resort is still 'Dirty Dancing' 35 years later

Fans of “Silence of the Lambs” can enjoy lodgings a la macabre at the house that played a pivotal role in the horror classic. Buffalo Bill’s 111-year-old Queen Anne Victorian home is filled with vintage furnishings, movie memorabilia and some surprises, including Bill’s Skin Suit Soft Lotion.

The Good Ol’ Days House returns guests to vintage Americana with rotary phones, LPs, board games and complimentary fixings for a family-style spaghetti dinner.

Historic Summit Inn, one of the last remaining “grand porch” hotels in America, is a step back to 1907, a time when nearby Uniontown, thanks to the coal mining industry, boasted one of the largest rates of millionaires per capita in the world.

As for the food scene, Laurel Highlands dishes up plenty of the unexpected. The Darlington Inn, a Transylvania-Hungarian restaurant in Ligonier, serves fried pierogies, those delectable sweet or savory dumplings, as both appetizers and entrees.

A apprentice pharmacist in the city of Latrobe is credited with inventing the banana split. Today, a banana split statue marks the spot where it was first served at the former Tassel Pharmacy in 1904.

At the Big Mac Museum in North Huntington, you can enjoy a classic combo while learning the history of the iconic sandwich.

At Main Street Sweets in Greensburg, pick up retro candies and unicorn milkshakes before posing for selfies with mannequins whose outfits are completely crafted from candies.

The Dalai Lama once suggested that “once a year, go someplace you’ve never been.” In Pennsylvania, Laurel Highlands would make a perfect candidate to commence or continue with such a philosophy of travel.

See golaurelhighlands.com for more information.  

Maria Sonnenberg is a Melbourne-based freelance travel and lifestyles writer.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Southwestern Pennsylvania boasts great architecture, old-fashioned charm