Nov 5, 2017 6 min read

Despite Mother Nature working against fall foliage fans this year, we decided to make a gas tank getaway road trip to take in the display. Though leaf colors were limited and late in arriving, our drive through Western Maryland and Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands was stunningly scenic and full of wonderful sights and places to stop.

Here’s an itinerary you can do from Southwestern Pennsylvania during a long weekend, using just over one tank of gasoline.

Take the

National Road

We headed out along the National Road through Scenery Hill and Uniontown before making our first stop in Chalk Hill just before Fort Necessity. The Christian Klay Winery sits just off Route 40 on a lovely piece of land with a huge, white farmhouse that serves as the tasting room and shop. The winery is open daily for tastings, plus hosts weddings and special events such as a murder mystery dinner theater.

We enjoyed sampling the wine list with delicious tastes named after places like Nemacolin Castle, Fort Necessity and Chestnut Ridge. The award-winning Lavender Mist is a unique wine not to be missed, and we took home a bottle of the Spiced Apple to warm up in the crock pot on cold winter nights.

Not to be outdone by his mother, Sharon, who owns the winery, Christian Klay decided he’d try his own hand at creating delectable drinks and wound up opening Ridge Runner Distillery just a few steps away from the winery. Don’t miss the Peach Pie moonshine plus various creative cocktails using their own vodka, whiskey and rum.

Grab some lunch nearby then continue east past Nemacolin Woodlands Resort to Interstate 68. Head east for about an hour and arrive at Rocky Gap Casino Resort, which sits on the edge of the gorgeous 3,000-acre Rocky Gap State Park in Western Maryland’s Allegany County. Rugged mountains surround the park and resort, which features the 243-acre Lake Habeeb.

The warm weather may have put a damper on fall foliage brightness, but it made for a beautiful day on the lake with paddle boats and kayaks still open for use late into the fall. Take a walk on one of several hiking trails around the lake and through the park, tee off for a round of golf or simply relax in the indoor/outdoor pool or in one of the comfortable Adirondack chairs by the fire pits.

The resort and casino is gorgeous, built in a rustic style and providing tremendous views of the mountain and lake. We dined on a delicious pizza one night and enjoyed crab and artichoke dip and a crab cake the next – after all, we were in Maryland.

Two masterpieces, one architect

After two relaxing nights, we backtracked a bit on I-68 and Route 40, then turned north on Route 381 for a visit to Kentuck Knob, perhaps the lesser known of the two nearby homes designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Originally owned by the Hagan family – of Hagan Ice Cream – it is now owned by Lord Palumbo and his London family, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000.

The Hagans fell in love with Fallingwater, which Wright designed for their friends, the Kaufmanns, and commissioned the then 86-year-old architect to design a home for them.

Cozier than Fallingwater, Kentuck Knob is a small, one-story Usonian (meaning “affordable”) house standing 2,050 feet above sea level and perched above a stunning view of the 80-acre property and surrounding area. Ornate yet streamlined woodwork and a wraparound floor plan are only trumped by the veranda and windows, which run the entire length of the back of the home.

If you’re in the mood for a treat, stop by the gift shop at the base of the property, which still serves Hagan’s ice cream. Head back to Route 381 and take a left, travelling through Ohiopyle, which is a great stopping point for lunch or a nice hike along the Youghiogheny River.

A mere seven miles up the road sits Wright’s masterpiece, Fallingwater, built in 1935 for the founders of Kaufmann’s department stores. The Kaufmanns purchased the remote property at Bear Run and envisioned a house that would give them a beautiful view of the waterfall. Instead, Wright designed a unique home cantilevered over the falls.

In Wright’s words, “You don’t want to not only simply view nature, but actually live in its midst.”

The result is one of the greatest architectural triumphs of the twentieth century. Seeing it will take your breath away every time. The tour is worth the time for fascinating insights and a glimpse of what it was like to live in this masterpiece.

Mountaintop retreat

After all of our touring and paddle boating and hiking, we were ready for a relaxing dinner on the last day of our trip. Seven Springs Mountain Resort is a mere 19 miles from Fallingwater, up Route 381 to Route 711 to County Line Road, and was the perfect ending spot.

You can choose to stay in a condo, a chalet or the resort hotel, and there’s not a bad choice among them. We checked in, changed and headed over to Helen’s Restaurant, which is a must: fine dining in a relaxed, rustic atmosphere inside the original homestead of the family who built Seven Springs. Our meal and the service were perfection as we treated ourselves to a wine flight, cheese and charcuterie plate, seared scallops and a roasted venison rack.

The next day, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast buffet, then attempted to work off our delectable meals by riding the Alpine Slide, strolling the grounds to take in the Autumnfest activities and even trying our hands at shooting sporting clays.

As we made the short ride home on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, we realized that was the perfect way to end this fall getaway with a bang.

Ridge Runner Distillery

417 Fayette Springs Road, Chalk Hill, PA

724-434-6659

www.ridgerunnerdistillery.com

Rocky Gap Casino Resort

16701 Lakeview Road NE, Flintstone, MD

301-784-8400

www.rockygapcasino.com

Kentuck Knob

723 Kentuck Road, Chalk Hill, PA

724-329-1901

kentuckknob.com

Fallingwater

1491 Mill Run Road, Mill Run, PA

724-329-8501

www.fallingwater.org

Seven Springs Mountain Resort

777 Water Wheel Drive, Champion, PA

800-452-2223

www.7springs.com