The Downtown Shops of Bedford, PA

 

We had the pleasure of meeting up with my sister's family in Bedford, PA this past weekend.  I was amazed at how much the downtown has changed over the past decade.  There are so many unique shops and eateries, cafes and holistic medicine establishments, and wineries and antique stores.  This doesn't even touch on the numerous historic sites from the Revolutionary War or any of the interesting places to visit surrounding the borough.  My children's favorite shop was Bedford Candies.  Their store is full of their own handmade chocolates plus ice cream, other non-chocolate treats, and a gazillion different flavors of gourmet popcorn that they also make themselves.  I behaved myself and only purchased 5 very small chocolate truffles of various flavors.

 

There were many stores we didn't get to patronize due to heavy downpours off and on throughout the afternoon, but the Briar Valley Winery and Cove Creek Outfitters were two shops I really wanted to visit. 

 

We girls did spend quite a bit of time in this 1758 Co. Fair Trade

store.  There was so much to look at, and I was amazed to find this shop in a town so small.  Since our grandson's nursery is filled with elephants, I had to go home with something from there because the place was filled with African pieces of art.  Every purchase helps those developing nations, and the artistic items are made from recycled materials or natural resources (believe it or not, elephant dung was one of those resources.)

 

I chose the wooden mama elephant and her baby for the nursery.  It's actually a puzzle and a keepsake box made from wood in Africa by an African artisan.  The cinnamon popcorn was one of many purchases from the Bedford Candies shop mentioned earlier.

 

We spent a lot of time inside and outside of Founders Crossing because it is so big.  Filled with antiques, home decor, products made by local artisans, and plenty of things to eat, we easily could have spent a couple of hours in there looking at everything.  

 

But some of us simply chose to hang out on the sidewalk and people watch.

 

And nibble on the treats from the candy shop.

 

And shoot the breeze.

 

We were really just getting started when the sky got darker, and as we looked back at the mountain, we could see ominous sheets of rain coming.  A few of us got in one more store.  Juli's Wearable Art had the most beautiful artisan handcrafted jewelry along with clothing and all kinds of upscale accessories.  They had a big sale on quite a bit of Vera Bradley bags and other products the day we were there.

 

So I bought our daughter the above quilted plaid lunch bag for starting her new high school this fall.  I'm a sucker for plaid, you know, and I just might use it myself on the days I substitute teach.

We hurried and walked briskly back to the hotel as we left behind the teenagers in HeBrews Coffee Company because our daughter "needed" a frappuccino.  I tried to take a picture, but by then I was running past the establishment and my photo was blurry.  We got to the parking lot as the rains came gushing down on six of us with only one umbrella.

 

But it was all good because the best part of the whole day was that I got to spend time with my younger (and much more svelte) sister.  We're thinking of going back again for a weekend and staying at the renovated Bedford Springs Hotel---now known as the Omni Bedford Springs Resort.

 

Tons of Fun for Everyone in Erie (Part 2)

 

Continuing with our Erie vacation, many of the fun family activities can be found on Presque Isle.  We spent a lot of time there, and there was plenty we never got to do because we ran out of time.  We had wanted to go on one of the pontoon boat tours of a lagoon, but it was too windy that day, so the tours were canceled.  We also never got around to hiking on the numerous trails that wind their way through wooded areas.  That's definitely on the list of things to do next time.

 

We did manage to swim at one of the many beaches on a calm, sunny day.  Unfortunately, everyone else had the same idea, and the sand quickly filled up with umbrellas, towels, and lots of people.

 

Many of the days we were there, the waves were too high and the undertow too strong that swimming was unsafe, and the beaches were closed.  I'm sure this contributed to the crowds showing up on a Sunday to swamp the beach for the afternoon.  It was also Roar on the Shore, so there were bikers everywhere.  Even so, our younger children had a great time in the clear waters of Lake Erie.

 

Two hours of 90 degrees in the sand and sun were enough for us grownups and the teenagers though.  Much to our younger children's dismay, we packed up and headed elsewhere for the remainder of the day.  

 

Sunday evenings are Family Night at Presque Isle Downs & Casino.  You can't take the kiddos into the casino, but they are welcome out back at the race tracks.  Admission is free, and there's food and beverages, and lots of horses to admire and bet on.  

 

We're not a gambling kind of family, so we just watched the races and tried to guess which horse would win each race.

 

And it's good we don't gamble because each of us would have lost every single race, except for the kids' MeeMaw who predicted the winner twice.

 

It was fun for awhile, but most of my children lost interest after the first two races.  Only our horse-loving daughter wanted to stay.  But if you like horses, this would be a good place to come with your family to have dinner and watch the races.

 

Probably one of my most favorite places we visited was the Presque Isle lighthouse.  This was an actual working lighthouse for many years, and families lived in the attached building.

 

It is open to the public and you can have a tour guide share its history and walk you up the winding staircase to the very top of the lighthouse.  Once you're up there, the view is spectacular.  It's narrow though, and the railing at your back is kind of low.  On the windy day that we were there, it whipped your hair around and sometimes made you feel like you could be blown right off the ledge.

 

But like I said, the views of Lake Erie are amazing from up there.

 

Another great place for views of Presque Isle is the Tom Ridge Environmental Center.

 

Admission is free, and there are two floors of local nature/ecological/science-related exhibits.

 

Some of it is a little odd in a Ripley's Believe It or Not kind of way.

 

But most of it gives a decent introduction to the wildlife and habitats of the area.  They currently feature information on fishing in Lake Erie.

 

You can either take the stairs or the elevator to the top of the tower, and you get a great view of the roller coasters and water slides at nearby Waldameer Park.  This is both an amusement park and a water park.  This is another place we didn't go to on this trip.  There's also a Splash Lagoon in Erie that our kids love.  

 

On our last night in Erie, we went to a Seawolves baseball game.  For some of our children, this was their first time to watch baseball.  In fact, it was only the second game I've ever been to.

 

It was "Buck Night" so sodas, popcorn, hotdogs, and the cheaper beer (yuck!) were only a dollar.  We took advantage of that and ate dinner there before the game started.  And we all donned Seawolves baseball caps to get in the spirit of things.

 

This is probably the only time you will catch my husband and me in baseball caps.  They're just not our thing, and I spent the whole evening adjusting mine because it felt so uncomfortable.  I don't know how so many people go through the whole day with these on their heads.  It drove me crazy.

 

We cheered and we clapped and we ate popcorn and cotton candy.

 

And we thanked their grandparents for procuring the tickets.

 

But in the end, the Seawolves lost the game, I am sorry to say.

 

Those were the activities we packed into about five days in Erie, PA.  We had such a good time that some of us weren't ready to come home.  But it's good we did because a few days later our family had an event that none of us would want to miss.

More about that news later in the week... 

 

 

So Many Things to Do & See in Erie (Part 1)

 

Our family just returned from a trip to Erie, PA.  Six days were not enough to fit in everything there is to do there.  If you go though, you must take in a sunset over the lake.  They are breathtaking.

 

After a fantastic dinner on the patio at Lake Shore Country Club, we sat on the adirondack chairs and literally just watched the sun set over Lake Erie.

 

We must have taken 50 photos or more because it was that beautiful at every stage.  My phone does not do it justice.

 

It was especially fun to watch since a wedding had just taken place when we arrived, and the newlyweds were photographed in front of that gorgeous sunset, and in front of us.

 

We stayed until the moon was bright in the sky and we began to be dinner for the mosquitoes.

 

My next recommendation is to go digging for beach glass.  This was the first activity we did when we arrived and the last thing we did before going home.  Our children spent hours doing this and wanted to stay longer.

 

The waves were fairly high and the undertow dangerous to swim in on the day we arrived.  

 

So we kept a close eye on the kiddos at the Walnut Creek Marina that day.

 

On the day we left, however, things had calmed down considerably, and there were a number of beachcombers there that morning looking for treasures.

 

 

 

Our children came home with bags of polished pebbles, shells, multiple colors of beach glass, and an assortment of other great collections.  Some serious crafting is in the works.

 

If you have kids, the next stop has got to be the Erie Zoo.

 

We happened to go on the morning of our youngest son's tenth birthday because it's one of his favorite places to visit.  He is our bouncy one so it was only fitting that he be photographed with the kangaroos.

 

They have wonderful outdoor and indoor exhibits, plus there's a huge hands-on children's area that's perfect for preschoolers and younger kids.

 

Even our teenagers loved it.  Go in the morning before it gets hot when the animals want to take their naps.

 

Another great place to go is the Erie Maritime Museum.

 

I wasn't sure this would hold the attention of all of my children, but I was pleasantly surprised.

 

There was a lot to see and read about, as it focused on the history of the US Brig Niagara and the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812.

 

The replica of part of the ship allowed the children to get a feel for what it would have been like to be aboard at the time.

 

The children were also encouraged to pull the ropes of real sails to see how much effort that requires. Our youngest had to hang from them with all her weight in order to get the sails to budge.

 

You also get this incredible view of the bay.  My only disappointment was that the USS Niagara wasn't docked, so we couldn't go on board a real ship as I had promised.  She'll be back in September.

 

Sitting outside the Maritime Museum and the adjoining library is this painted frog.  These are all over the city, and the children had a great time locating them everywhere we went.

These activities, plus a viewing of Finding Dory, along with a shopping trip for the girls and fishing for the boys,  were done in two days' time and we still had time for leisurely dinners.  We don't go out of town all that often, so when we do, I pack as much in as I can without driving the rest of my family crazy.  I'll show you more of Erie in my next post.

Until then, have a great remainder of the week!