Stanton Daily Grind
814 US Route 119, New Stanton, PA 15672
The Laurel Highlands trail cluster goes deep into the Laurel Mountains—part of the Appalachian chain. To get ready for the trip, swing into Stanton Daily Grind (1) for a cup of joe and peruse the artifacts and images from when the location was a rolling flour mill. The coffee shop, owned by the same family who owned the mill, still sells its famous buckwheat pancake mix and other locally made goodies.
West Overton Village
109 W. Overton Road, Scottdale, PA 15683
A short distance away is West Overton Village (2), the land where industrialist Henry Clay Frick spent his childhood. Although his adult years were spent in coke, coal, and steel, his grandfather’s farm was the birthplace of Old Farm Pure Rye Whiskey. A leisurely walk through the nineteen buildings here will take you back to a time when rye was king in Western Pennsylvania.
Saint Vincent Gristmill
300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650
Swing over to Latrobe for a visit to the Saint Vincent Gristmill (3). Built in 1854 by the monks at the monastery, this grist mill has a small museum and grains and loaves of bread for sale. The bucolic setting near the Winnie Palmer (as in Arnold’s wife) Nature Preserve is ready for a walk through the natural habitat after your shopping.
The Lincoln Corridor Museum
3435 US-30, Latrobe, PA 15650
Driving down Route 30, remember that the Lincoln Highway (dedicated in 1913) is the first transcontinental road for cars in the country, traversing over 3,000 miles from NYC to San Francisco. The Lincoln Highway Corridor Museum (4) in Ligonier offers insight into the birth of touring by car and the history of the Lincoln Highway, and admission gets you a slice of pie and a cup of coffee in a restored diner.
WildFire Bread
3478 PA 711, Ligonier, PA 15658
Time it right on Fridays, and WildFire Bread (5) on Route 711 will be open to purchase the best loaf of naturally leavened sourdough and some house-made granola.
The Original Pie Shoppe
1379 US-30, Laughlintown, PA 15655
Then, make a quick stop at The Original Pie Shoppe (6) for a giant chocolate gob (whoopie pie to some) and a cinnamon roll. The same cinnamon roll recipe is used today as when original owner Melvin Columbus began making them using rations on his Navy battleship during WWII.
Linn Run State Park
770 Linn Run Road, Rector, PA 15677
Before retiring for the night at a cabin (one modern or nine rustic) in Linn Run State Park (7), hike down to see the lovely Adams Falls, or try out their fantastic trout stream for your evening entrée.
