A Perfect Weekend in Armstrong County

Start at Kittanning Riverfront Park, where walkways, picnic areas, river views, and the John P. Murtha Amphitheatre give you an immediate feel for the Allegheny River setting. For dinner, The Meredith Inn keeps you on North Water Street in a historic building that once served as a home and later as the Armstrong County YMCA. Afterward, wander back toward Market Street and let the first night stay easy.

Begin with A Mano Eatery on South Water Street, then make time for the Armstrong County Historical Museum at 300 N. McKean Street. The museum is the right stop for context, with local exhibits tied to Native American artifacts, Civil War material, early county life, pottery, and the McCain House. Kittanning itself was founded on the site of an eighteenth-century Lenape village at the western end of the Kittanning Path, so even a short downtown walk has deeper roots than it first appears.

Drive south to Ford City, which grew out of Captain John B. Ford's plan for a plate-glass company town. Look for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Ford City Works historical marker around Third Avenue and Ninth Street, then continue toward Crooked Creek Lake near Ford City. The lake is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is useful for a flexible afternoon: picnic, hike, check out the local-history auto tour, or simply enjoy the water and wooded hills.

For a relaxed evening meal, The Allegheny Mariner puts the river back at the center of the trip. Its setting along the Allegheny makes it a natural follow-up to a day spent moving between Kittanning, Ford City, and Crooked Creek. Keep the evening unhurried so you can enjoy the drive and the water views instead of racing to the next stop.

Head south to Freeport, a borough incorporated in 1833 at the meeting place of the Allegheny River, Kiskiminetas River, and Buffalo Creek. Continue to Leechburg, where David Leech's canal work in the 1820s helped turn the former settlement of Friendship into an important river-and-canal town. Finish near Apollo with Roaring Run Trail, a scenic Kiskiminetas River outing near a borough that was laid out as Warren in 1816 and renamed Apollo after its post office was established in 1827.