The Culinary Tourist Goes Hunting

It’s deer season in my neck of the woods, but if you’d rather hunt for antiques, Christmas gifts, and a winter’s worth of reading, take off the camouflage and set your sights for Warren, Pa., a cultured city in the heart of the Allegheny National Forest.

Recently rated the second best place to live in rural America, Warren, founded in 1795, was home to pioneering lumber and oil families who left their legacy in a beautifully restored National Register Historic District, fine art galleries, theatres and shops. The district spans 28 city blocks and includes nearly 600 properties representing a wide variety of architectural styles, from Greek Revival to Italianate and Craftsman.

My husband and I spent such an enjoyable afternoon strolling the streets and ducking in and out of used book stores, clothing shops, and the local historical society that we forgot the real reason for our visit -- a day hike in the nearby national forest.

No matter. We got plenty of exercise, and as day turned to dusk we ended up having a delicious dinner at the Plaza Restaurant, located a few doors down from the Allegheny Book Mart, a combination used book dealer and Army surplus store. Who can pass up a plate of souvlaki piled so high you can read an entire guidebook in the time it takes to eat it (the souvlaki, not the book)?

If we hadn’t been weighted down with parkas and hiking boots, we would have sauntered into the Liberty Street Café for what we’ve been told is an exceptional fine-dining experience, accompanied by live jazz on Friday nights.  With 65 wines and 70 beers to try, and tempting entrees such as prosciuto gorgonzola ravioli, prime rib “Cowboy Steak” with chili rub, and Norwegian salmon with blue crab stuffing, we will definitely have to book a room at a local bed-and-breakfast next time, (the Horton House B & B comes highly recommended) just so we can savor the flavors of this eclectic Beaux Arts establishment.

If you’re thinking along the same lines, you might want to consider a winter getaway so you can take in a performance at the restored Struthers Library Theatre, one of the oldest, continuously operating theatres in the country.  Coming up on the marquee this Saturday, Dec. 1, is the University of Pennsylvania Men’s Glee Club; on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 8 and 9, you can revel in the Snow Queen Ballet, presented by the Allegheny Regional Dance Theatre; and on Friday, Dec. 14, you’ll encounter the Burning River Brass, one of the most respected brass ensembles in the United States.

For now we are happy to have spent a leisurely day marveling at antique trains in storefront windows, scoring some hard-to-find books and prints, and stepping inside the majestic Warren County Court House where, in 1954, a sitting judge was murdered right in his own courtroom. The bullet holes are there all right, shot clean through the walnut-paneled woodwork with a Colt .45 automatic.  

Happy hunting!

HOW TO GET THERE Warren, Pa., is located in the northern tier of Pennsylvania on Route 6, one of the nation’s first transcontinental highways.  For directions and a free visitor's guide, contact the Warren County Visitors Bureau, Routes 6 & 62, 800-624-7802, www.wcvb.net

WHERE TO WALK Self guided walking tours of the Warren National Register Historic District are available from the Warren County Historical Society, 210 Fourth Avenue, Warren, Pennsylvania  16365. Open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Phone: (814) 723-1795. Visit  the Victorian Holiday Open House December 7, 2007, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

FUN PLACES TO VISIT

Struthers Library Theatre
302 West Third Avenue
Warren, Pennsylvania 16365
(814) 723-7231
www.strutherslibrarytheatre.com

Plaza Restaurant
328 Pennsylvania Ave. W
Warren, PA 16365
814-723-5660

Liberty Street Café
211 Liberty Street
warren, PA
814-736-3082
www.thelibertystreetcafe.com

Allegheny Book Mart
314 Second Avenue
Warren, PA 16365
Phone: (814) 723-2403
E-mail: info@alleghenybookmart.com
www.alleghenybookmart.com

ON THE OUTSKIRTS

Simpler Times Museum
Not far from Warren; 5 miles north of Tidioute on Route 62
814-484-3483

Wilder Museum
Check for seasonal hours
Irvine, Pa.
814-563-7773

Kinzua Dam
Located on Route 59, the Longhouse National Scenic Byway, just east of the city of Warren, this engineering marvel created the 12,000-acre Allegheny Reservoir, a recreation paradise surrounded by the Allegheny National Forest. Maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Call 814-726-0661 for details. 

EXTEND YOUR TRIP

Pennsylvania’s scenic Route 6 stretches across 400 miles as it winds its way through small towns and wooded highlands in Pennsylvania’s northern tier. For travel information, contact the Pennsylvania Route 6 Tourist Association, 814-435-7706.

MURDER, MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE

Murder in the Court Room
by Lyle James Slack and John L. Young
Read more about it here.

 
Photo credits: Warren County Court House, Tessa H.D. Campbell; Simpler Times Museum, Ed Bernik; Kinzua Overlook, Pennsylvania Route 6 Tourist Association; painting, "After the Wedding in Warren, Pennsylvania," unknown artist, 1862, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

The Culinary Tourist appears twice a month in Gather Essentials: Travel. Explore all 50 states with award-winning documentary producer Lisa Gensheimer as she discovers the fun, food and people she meets along the way. Whether you're visiting the home of a faraway friend, stopping for directions at a roadside market, or on holiday in an exotic location, richly layered experiences await. Read more about Lisa's work at Main Street Media. Click here to read more of her stories and to join Lisa's Gather network.