Ligonier
Quaint shops and eateries border the town square, where a Victorian bandstand on a grassy lawn is surrounded by benches and pretty flora. Metered parking is available for those eager to explore the downtown area on foot. Boutiques, taverns and antique dealers also are dotted along Main Street, branching off the town square. You’ll encounter the occasional coffee shop or ice cream parlor tucked in between novelty shops and art galleries displaying hand-crafted works. The commercial area eventually gives way to tidy historic homes with well-manicured lawns and flower gardens.
Live stage productions, children’s theater shows, concerts and movies are offered at the Diamond Theatre of Ligonier, 210 W. Main St.; phone (724) 238-2929. The musically inclined can witness some fancy guitar picking at the Laurel Highlands Bluegrass Festival, held in late June just northeast of town at the Ligonier Township Fire Department’s fairgrounds. Exhibits relating to Eastern Orthodox Christianity as well as Middle Eastern and Eastern European culture are featured at the Antiochian Heritage Museum , 6 miles north of US 30 on SR 711; phone (724) 238-3677.
Ligonier is one of many places included along a statewide heritage corridor known as the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor. This 200-mile stretch of US 30 features some 250 landmarks, both historical and whimsical, commemorating the colorful history of the nation's first coast-to-coast highway. The Lincoln Highway Experience museum at 3435 SR 30 E. in nearby Latrobe offers a 13-minute orientation film about the highway and exhibits, including quirky roadside signs and antique gas pumps; phone (724) 879-4241. Free brochures and tour maps are available at the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau 120 E. Main St. Ligonier, PA 15658. Phone:(724)238-5661 or (800)333-5661Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway, extends from SR 711 in Ligonier to Donegal; travelers can view hilly, bucolic countryside dotted by farms along this stretch.