Pittsburgh’s Best Excursions

Best Residential Architecture: Still regarded by critics and professionals alike as one of the finest examples of American residential architecture, Fallingwater (Rte. 381, Mill Run, 724/329-8501, www.fallingwater.org [1], Tue.–Sun. 10 a.m.–4 p.m., admission $16 adult, $10 child) is quite possibly the most gorgeous — and the most photogenic — of Frank Lloyd Wright’s uniquely constructed works of utilitarian art.

Best River-Rafting: Whether you’re looking to master some of the country’s most vicious Class V white-water rapids, or if you’d simply prefer to float lazily along a slow river in a giant inner tube, you’ll find scores of outfitters along the banks of the Youghiogheny in Ohiopyle State Park (724/329-8591, www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/ohiopyle.aspx [2]) happy to help you do just that.

Best Landmark: A must-see sight for rail fans the world over, Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark (Visitor’s Center at 40th St. and Burgoon Rd., Altoona, 814/941-7960, www.railroadcity.com [3], Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun. noon–6 p.m., admission $5 or free with admission to Railroaders Memorial Museum), a 220-degree curve, is still considered an absolutely masterful feat of modern engineering.

Best State Park: With its Old Mill and its covered bridge, the forested McConnell’s Mill State Park (via I-79 near the intersection of PA 19 and U.S. 422, Portersville, 724/368-8811, www.visitpaparks.com [4], open daily sunrise–sunset, free) is as beautifully picturesque as it is welcoming to adventurists.

Best Blast from the Past: Just a short drive from Downtown Pittsburgh, Old Economy Village (corner of 14th and Church Sts., Ambridge, 724/266-4500, www.oldeconomyvillage.org [5], Tue.–Sat. 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. noon–5 p.m., admission $7 adult, $5 child, $6 senior) is the former home of the somewhat bizarre yet fiscally ingenious Harmony Society. The village, located in Ambridge, gives some of the best clues as to how the society lived and worked.