Laurel Caverns and Summit Inn Resort
Laurel Caverns and Summit Inn Resort is up the hill from Uniontown, PA which is about 50 miles from Pittsburgh. You can actually see Pittsburgh on a clear day from both places. Both are also just down the street or around the corner from Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Braddock’s Grave, and Jumonville Glen.
Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Braddock’s Grave are down route 40 and Jumonville is right up the hill from the Summit Inn. All of these could be great to see in one day.
Laurel Caverns
The Laurel Caverns are a sight to see. The cave like environment can be a bit damp (depending on the day, it can be very wet) and is about 52 degrees once your in the caves. So bring a waterproof jacket or at least a sweater. Also, no high heels but rather good walking or hiking shoes.
Laurel Caverns offers several tours and other things to do when you visit. The cavern does not offer tours for those that have to use a wheelchair or do they allow strollers. This is not because they don’t want to but because the tour is of caves that don’t have even ground.
But Kavernputt is both miniature gulf course and the largest simulated cave in the world. Each of the 18 holes of the golf course are both some unique aspect of the caves and can be played in a wheelchair.
They also have a station for those who want to do a bit of gem digging for the children. Plus they have a wonderful desk that you can see all the way to Pittsburgh on a clear day which is 50 miles away as the Chestnut Ridge that high.
As soon as you get to the visitor center, sign up for the traditional guided tour as they take an hour and fill up fast.
The traditional tours include several different ones from an easy tour of the upper caves to crawling around and going deep down into the caves. The traditional guided tour just over a have mile of the cave. The area of this tour is lighted with stairs and sloped floors to walk up and down in the cave.
They also have a modified traditional guided tours that is only 30 minutes for those that walking up more the 5 flights of steps is too much. It cuts off a few of the areas that are more channeling.
For those that want to do some real caving, they offer two tours. The lower caving which is three hours long and starts at 10 am and the Upper Caving which is two hours and starts at 2 pm.
But be warned that both of those tours need a release form signed and you need special safety equipment which they sell at the gift shop. Plus they require long pants and shirts with shoes that have ankle support.
During these two tours you also have to be a bit fit. In one place of the tour, you will not be able to get by a rock formation to the next room if you are not. You will also be crawling in some places and walking sideways in others. Plus you will get wet so be prepared.
I took the traditional tour for an hour. I was the only one on it and I had a wonderful tour guide that listened to all the questions that I had. We had a great debate as well since I know just a bit about geology and history. He know more then I did about geology. And all about gravity hill which is a treat to see!!!!
Brief History
The Laural Cavers are the largest cave in Pennsylvania by both volume and area. It was created before even the pyramids. The opening were used by the Native American for shelter and through the years many arrowheads have been found.
In 1814, John Delaney purchased the cave entrance along with a lot of other land for his farm. The cave had become well know by this time as two men got lost but survived in 1802. The cave was sealed shut for several years.
In 1816, a geologic survey was done on the cave which gave the cave the name “Laurel Hill Cave” and it started people visiting the cave to explore. But the locals just called it “Delaney’s Cave for over a hundred years.
Through the years, the cave become a place to visit. Several miles away a Summit House and Mount Summit Inn took visitors on tour boosting the fame of the caves.
Between 1933 and 1936, Roy and Norman Cale formed a partnership with others to preserve the cave. In 1962 and 1963, the tours really began to develop with utilities arrived to the caves with Norman Cale working on it with his grandson. But it was sold off.
In 1972, Donald Shoemaker, the owner of Mount Summit Inn Resort, purchased the property but sold it to Norman Cale’s grandson and his wife, David and Lillian, in 1986.
The mission is for the caverns to be used for education, scouts, and for future generations. The caves are evolving for the changing need of visitors but the accommodating do not include changing the natural environment of the Caverns or the mountainside.
Summit Inn Resort
The Summit Inn Resort is one of the last remaining grand porch hotels in the United States. This is a great place to stay or just grab a bit to eat. The entrance staircase is wonderfully, “Gone with the Wind” like in gold. It is on the top of the Summit Mountain of Chestnut Ridge which is just a view that is not to be missed.
Mea’s Dining Room is the original dining room with a stone fireplace. Breakfast items include Summit’s Crabby Eggs Benedict (Eggs Benedict with Crabmeat) and Homemade Bread Pudding French Toast. Or lunch with Pittsburgh Salad (lol…you get French Fries in your salad), Shrimp Tacos, and Salmon Burgers. Or dinner is a real treat with Cranberry Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese with warm fried pita, Kung Pao-Style Calamari, Chicken Pot Pies, and lots of sea food dishes.
You can also have you meals on the Veranda which is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day but call ahead because I could not get in. I had to eat in the Wunder Bar (That is the correct spelling) which has this great bar top with pennies under some sort of clear plastic. They have pennies dating back to 1907.
I dare you to find one. But I love this bar. It is so comfortable and relaxing. It is like being in the bar around the corner from your house but with better food and better drinks. They even took me looking messy and a bit disheveled as I had been hiking all day.
The bartender was wonderful at the Wunder Bar with knowledgeable information about the hotel and the area. In addition, all the staff that I saw during my time was helpful, friendly, and happy. Even the ones that were dealing with members of a wedding party that was less then gracious, kind, or courteous towards them.
Brief History
The National Road construction started in 1813 and was fully opened to the public in 1818. The National Road was to connect the East to the West. This road was the principal way west for over 50 year which created lots of inns and/or taverns along the road. During this time, Fayette Springs Hotel was just across the road from where the Summit Inn Resort now stands.
As the rail roads became the preferred method of travel, the National Road and many of its inns and/or taverns was used less and less. But in early 1900’s, many states started taking over the repairs of the roads on the National Highway as traveling became more and more of a truck and car era.
In 1907, the Summit Hotel was opened to the public for its view and being close to the Laurel Cavern and outside opportunities of nature such as Ohiopyle State Park which has waterfalls and the deepest gorge in Pennsylvania. In addition, the area was a place were General George Washington and his army fought. (Check out Fort Necessity, Braddock’s Grave, and other places near here that Washington was at.)
Plus Uniontown which is not that far away was boasted of the highest rates of millionaires per capita in all the world as coal was becoming big business.
Guest include Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and Thomas Edison who hosted the American Science Wizards to test their invention on the mountain. And ask about other guest when you take a tour of the hotel.
As the coal industry was moving away from this area, the hotel started to lose clientele and repairs were not being made. In 1957, Don Shoemaker were recruited to turn the Inn around. But Mr. Shoemaker shortly after arriving was ready to walk away. The owners pushed him to stay and in 1963, Mr. Shoemaker bought the hotel and work side by side with his daughter until he had health issues in 1994.
In 2000, Karen and her husband became the owners of the inn. Today, the hotel is being run by third generation of Don Shoemaker’s including grandchildren and their spouses and his nephew.