Places to Go (Vacation) - Fort Necessity in the Laurel Highlands (Farmington, PA)

On the last day of vacation we toured Fort Necessity (which looks more like a shack than a fortress). In the summer of 1754, the battle at Fort Necessity between French, British, and Indian troops marked the beginning of the French Indian War. Further, it kicked off George Washington's military career (for more on the background, click here). In my opinion unless you're a huge military history fan (which I'm not) national battlefields are often a little boring. Fort Necessity, however, is not boring. The fort includes a really nice museum, with exhibits that both frame the background of the conflict and document the surrounding area throughout the years, so you can learn about Indian culture and the advent of roads, trains, etc. Outside a small playground contains a covered wagon and a mini-fort, both of which my children liked running through. Plus, the grounds of the fort are truly stunning. I can't think of a better place to take a picnic basket and relax all afternoon. If it weren't for the impending rain, we could have explored all morning - the girls especially loved digging with sticks through the small creekbeds. If you're in the area, I highly suggest a visit.


If you can't tell by the pictures, on the LAST DAY of our vacation T's cold went away and he started to enjoy our outings. I'm glad I have a few pictures of him playing and smiling. I'm also glad I don't have any pictures of my undereye bags, which pretty much touched the floor.

Places to Go (Vacation) - Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in the Laurel Highlands (Mill Run, PA)

A large incentive for our Laurel Highlands vacation was the fact that Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural masterpiece, Fallingwater, resides about 15 minutes from the Nemacolin Resort. Many years ago, my mom and I toured Wright's Dana-Thomas house in Springfield, IL and we still talk about it. Wright's architectural visions extended to every detail of the houses he designed - from furniture to fabrics to dishware (Wright hated lipstick marks on china, so he designed cups with red circles to disguise the stains). If he was my architect (as if I have my own architect) I would find it annoying to have so little say in the pillows on my couch, but his "total vision" concept makes his houses really fun to tour, as everything flows together so well.

Part of me wanted to hate Fallingwater because I'm so sick of the hype, but it really is quite stunning to visit - the huge balconies, the low couches, the curious windows, and especially the stairs leading from the living room to the river below. The tour guide stated that the house looks and feels completely different in every season and I would love to see it in summer, when the rhododendron bloom. You're not allowed to take pictures inside, but some beautiful interior shots are available through google images. Tickets cost $20 per person (a grounds-only ticket is $8) for more information on events and tours, click here.

Fallingwater IS NOT preschooler-friendly (children must be 6 years of age), so we used this opportunity to check out Nemacolin's Kids' Club. On the downside, the price was STEEP ($50 per child for a half-day, $75 for a whole day). On the upside, in three hours the girls - went on a preschooler-zipline, ran a ropes course, and played mini-golf. I was impressed. The activities for toddlers are more basic, but still T was laughing when I picked him up, which I took as a good sign.

And of course, we spent the whole morning and evening visiting Nemaocolin's animals and playgrounds.


The camel was super-friendly. T had a great conversation with him. The camel seemed to understand more than I did.


I found this fisherman statue shockingly realistic. Which was sort of creepy in a way.


And, of course, another evening at the playground. Right before the rain hit.

Places to Go (Vacation) - The Nemacolin Resort in the Laurel Highlands (Farmington, PA)

For Spring Break, the kids and I met my mom and a good family friend at the Nemacolin resort in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania (3.5 hours from DC, 9.5 hours from Chicago). We stayed in the resorts' Links Townhouses (for a discount rate due to deal I booked through Sniqueaway) and the kids had a blast. First of all, the resort is HUGE (two separate golf courses are on site). Further, the resort contains several wild-animal habitats (buffalo, zebras, camels, lions, bears, long-horned sheep, etc.) which reside right down the road from the Links' townhouses, as do two small but well-equipped playgrounds. We could even view the zebras from the townhouses' back deck. I thought watching the animals play was fascinating (like a zoo but with no crowds), but the kids kept saying "okay, mom, enough bears for today let's get to the swings." The resort also has - several restaurants (from casual dining to five star); a kids' place with bowling, video games, and pool tables; a GREAT spa; a kids' spa (is this really necessary?); mini-golf; an off-road driving academy; a ropes course; pools (indoor and outdoor); and LOTS more. Oh, and let's not forget the all-ages kids' club. They've really gone out of their way to market themselves as a family destination and the surrounding countryside is nothing short of breathtaking.

This was the first time I've seen my mom since my dad's death and I think we both enjoyed getting away for awhile and watching the kids play and discover. Unfortunately, T had a cold and couldn't sleep most nights, so I didn't quite get the "vacation" I had hoped for. But if I have to forgo sleep it feels nice to do so in such a beautiful setting. Especially one that comes with housecleaning.

Check back in throughout the week as I post about other fun things we did in the Laurel Highlands.

MONDAY LINKS:

*Apparently photographing bears in the wild is very similar to photographing them at the zoo (crowd-wise).

*Japan.

*I sort of want this, even though T would destroy it in mere seconds (link via Modish).

*I know it's cheesy, but this makes me smile.

*Slide!!

*John Cusack - the high school crush I never got over. Here's why.

*I never appreciated the art of millinery until now.