Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands Named Readers’ Choice Winner as Best Destination for Fall Foliage

LIGONIER, PA., (Sept. 13, 2021) – USA Today announced that Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands has been named a Readers’ Choice Winner for the Best Destination for Fall Foliage category in the 2021 USA Today 10Best Travel Award Contest.

“We are extremely honored to have been nominated for a second year and recognized as a Top 10 destination by readers of USA Today,” said Ann Nemanic, Executive Director of GO Laurel Highlands. “Each season in the Laurel Highlands bears its own unique charm. When autumn unfurls a magnificent blanket of color along our rolling hills, through our valleys, and atop our vistas, it’s a sight everyone in America needs to see.”

The Laurel Highlands placed eighth overall in voting amid a field of 20 nominees that included Vermont’s White Mountains, Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and the Ozark Mountain Region.

Winners were selected by readers’ choice via a month-long online contest that encouraged travelers to vote daily for their favorite place to explore for fall. The winning destinations were announced on the 10Best website on Friday, Sept.10.

The Best Destination for Fall Foliage award is one of several USA Today 10Best honors recently won by the Laurel Highlands. The region previously won third overall for Best Fall Foliage in 2020, one of the top Best New Destinations in 2018 for Flight 93 National Memorial’s Tower of Voices, and Best Pennsylvania Attractions for Ohiopyle State Park

10Best.com provides users with original, unbiased, and experiential travel content of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world. Their staff is made up of a collection of local travel experts that specialize in the region or city they write about.

As home to thousands of acres of unspoiled state forests, parks, and game lands, the Laurel Highlands is the ideal destination for an autumn getaway for leaf peepers. The mountain ridges and river valleys provide a dramatic landscape for the diverse population of trees that offer their own signature color each fall. Eager leaf peepers are always anxious to take their first fall hike or drive of the season and curious to know when the leaves will start changing. While Mother Nature is not always predictable, fall foliage begins to shine in mid-September with the brightest bursts of color ablaze in mid-October.

“Before winter settles in, you need a road trip to soak in the autumn splendor of the Laurel Highlands,” added Nemanic. “Our wide-open spaces, scenic byways, and historic routes will lead you to some of the very best fall photo ops in the country. Add in our craft beverage scene, roadside markets, corn mazes, and quaint small towns for an ideal autumn multi-day excursion.”

For more information or inspiration, please visit www.golaurelhighlands.com/fall.

About Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands
A magnificent mountainous region, the Laurel Highlands spans 3,000 square miles in southwestern Pennsylvania. Located an hour’s drive east of Pittsburgh, the beautiful four-season destination offers spectacular natural scenery, outstanding outdoor recreation, historic sites and attractions, family activities, and world-class resorts. Notable destinations within the region include four architectural masterpieces by Frank Lloyd Wright – Fallingwater®, Kentuck Knob, Mäntylä and Duncan House – Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Flight 93 National Memorial, Idlewild and Soak Zone, whitewater rafting in Ohiopyle State Park, and more.

Located within 200 miles of the major metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Washington D.C., Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands can be easily accessed from exits 67, 75, 91, and 110 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Visitors to the Laurel Highlands can find information online at www.GoLaurelHighlands.com, calling 724.238.5661, www.facebook.com/laurelhighlandsPA and www.twitter.com/laurelhighlands. Established in 1958, GO Laurel Highlands, formerly known as Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, is the official destination marketing organization for Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties in southwestern Pennsylvania.

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