Between Pittsburgh And Winchester, Pennsylvania's 'Maple City' Has Natural Beauty And Small-Town Charm

The origin story of the Pennsylvania Maple Festival is about as sugary as they come: In 1947, celebrity singer Kate Smith made a passing remark on her radio show about a craving for Vermont maple syrup. The national broadcast caught the attention of some sugarers in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, who figured their syrup was just as good as anything tapped in the Green Mountain State. So, they sent Smith a sample, and she was deeply impressed. In fact, she later announced on her show that this was "the sweetest she had ever tasted." Bolstered by this radio-era influencer, the town of Meyersdale decided to host its first-ever Maple Festival, drawing 1,500 people to this small town in the Laurel Highlands.

Today, Meyersdale has the official nickname "Maple City," and the festival is still celebrated every April. And that's not all: The town may be small (population 2,000) and relatively isolated (about 85 miles south of Pittsburgh), but it has retained its pastoral beauty and charm. The center of town has a nice collection of vintage brick buildings, and a couple of them have been painted over with vibrant murals. There's a sizable Amish community around Meyersdale — one of the oldest Amish colonies in the nation — and it's perfectly normal to spot a horse and buggy on local streets. 

I've been to Meyersdale twice, thanks to the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail, which cuts right through town. Spanning 150 miles, the GAP is a former railroad line that runs almost continuously from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland. I've cycled its full length twice, and each time I spent the night in Meyersdale, one of my favorite stops on the journey. You can also take the GAP on foot; this epic hike from Maryland to Pennsylvania has top state parks, historic sights, and Appalachian beauty.

The GAP was formerly a train line, and Meyersdale is very much a railroad town. Colonists farmed here for about a century before the sizable Western Maryland Railway Station was opened in the town's northeast corner in 1871. This stately old building is often the first thing a cyclist or thru-hiker sees, and it now contains the Meyersdale Area Historical Society, along with a well-curated museum about the railroad's heyday and the construction of the current trail. Admission is free, and you can visit any day of the week between April and October.

Meyersdale is a pretty quiet town: You'll find a handful of restaurants along Grant Street, as well as stores along perpendicular Main Street. If you can't attend the Maple Festival in spring, the Maple City Farmers Market takes place every Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and showcases the rich bounty of local farms. There's not much in the way of nightlife, but Meyersdale boasts several pizzerias and three coffee shops.

Interestingly, Meyersdale has several hotels, and many are extensions or conversions of local landmarks: The Morguen Toole Company Hotel is housed inside a handsome red-brick structure that formerly served as a hardware store and (believe it or not) mortuary. The Levi Deal Mansion, meanwhile, is a Queen Anne-style house, complete with an ornamental turret. I stayed both times in the Donges Drive-In & Motel, a retro roadhouse that looks unchanged since the 1950s. You could easily add Meyersdale to a tour of the most charming and walkable downtowns in Pennsylvania.

By car, Meyersdale is a little out-of-the-way, and few motorists will drive through by accident. Cumberland isn't a major destination, and even if you're taking a road trip there from Pittsburgh, the most efficient route bypasses the town altogether. If you are taking a scenic drive through the Laurel Highlands, though, the Flight 93 Memorial stands about 35 minutes away; this monument uses inventive architecture to commemorate the passengers who died here during the September 11 attacks in 2001. Generally, this quadrant of the Keystone State is wild and wonderful; Pennsylvania's most scenic byway passes tree-lined mountains and some of America's favorite small towns.

I may be biased, but I think the best way to explore Meyersdale and its environs is by bicycle. The GAP has dozens of trailheads and access points, so you can ride almost any segment you like. What makes the Meyersdale area so special is its proximity to two enormous trestle bridges, the Keystone Viaduct (pictured above), which guides riders into forested hills, and the 1,908-foot-long Salisbury Viaduct, one of the most spectacular structures on the whole route. Here you can gaze on miles of forest, farmland, river, and highway from 100 feet above the ground. If you're riding the whole GAP, Meyersdale is a comfortable place to spend the night and re-supply before you pedal the final 32 miles to Cumberland.