A British Red Ensign identified with a British fort in North America is a special part of the Fort Bedford Museum’s collection: it has the only surviving flag of its kind. Its exhibits cover the French and Indian War, the Whiskey Rebellion, and the development of the local landscape under the theme “Cave to Empire.” More than 4,000 objects from Bedford’s past add to this perspective. In this way, individual artifacts connect with broader historical themes.
Coverlets, Buildings, and Regional History
The independent National Museum of the American Coverlet is dedicated to historic American woven coverlets and is open year-round. Its changing exhibitions each feature 80 to 100 coverlets, as well as early spinning wheels and barn-frame looms. Finished textiles are thus presented alongside the tools used to spin and weave them. The museum is housed in a former school building dating to 1859—another historical connection beyond the objects on display themselves.
Old Bedford Village explores history as a living-history outdoor museum. Its offerings include more than 40 log and stone buildings, along with exhibits, oral interpretation, and craft demonstrations. The Fishertown Quaker Museum, in turn, is housed in an 1883 Quaker meetinghouse. Its contents include exhibits, photographs, educational displays, and genealogical information. The Broad Top Area Coal Miners Museum focuses on an extensive collection of mining memorabilia; its scope encompasses the history and heritage of coal mining and steam railroads in the Broad Top region of south-central Pennsylvania.
Other historic buildings offer different points of connection. Parts of Omni Bedford Springs Resort date to 1796; the resort was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991. The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art–Bedford is located in the historic Anderson House. If you would like to choose how you engage with history, collections and exhibits sit alongside buildings as historic artifacts and an outdoor museum with demonstrations.
Landscape and Trails
Shawnee State Park covers 3,983 acres in Pennsylvania’s scenic Ridge-and-Valley Province. At its center is 451-acre Shawnee Lake. The park includes 12 miles of hiking trails around the lake; boating, swimming, and fishing are possible on the water. The park also offers guided outdoor activities, hands-on programs, environmental education, and special events for all ages. Its offerings thus include both trails through the landscape and activities at and on the lake.
The Blue Knob State Park has its own trail descriptions: the Lost Turkey Trail is 26 miles long in total, four of which are within the park. The Homestead Trail passes former settlement sites in a hilly section of the valley. The descriptions provide two different points of reference: the Lost Turkey Trail is described primarily by its length, while the Homestead Trail is defined by the history of the former settlements along its route.
Driving Routes and Motorsports
The Lincoln Highway Driving Tour passes through Bedford County and invites visitors to explore historic sites along the route. The Covered Bridge Driving Tour offers specific estimates for time and distance: it takes about 90 minutes, crosses nine bridges, and passes Gravity Hill; its length is approximately 40 miles. This makes it possible to plan the tour based on both its approximate duration and its distance.
Motorsports are another regional theme. Bedford Speedway is Pennsylvania’s oldest active dirt track. The Museum of Speed at the Bedford Fairgrounds features exhibits on the history of motorsports at the region’s race tracks. The speedway is described as an active racetrack, while the museum focuses on regional motorsports history.
Discover more destinations: Bedford, Breezewood, Potter County, Lehigh, Montour County, Crawford County, Carbon, and Northampton.
Go to the main travel overview: Pennsylvania.
