Wandering in Western Pennsylvania

Here's a great reason to plan a summer trip to Western Pennsylvania: The Vegetarian Summerfest runs from July 5 to 9 at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. The event, sponsored by the North American Vegetarian Society, will feature some guiding lights of whole-body health, such as doctors Neal Barnard, Caldwell Esselstyn, Melanie Joy, and T. Colin Campbell. Even better, the campus is set on a beautiful 650-acre mountaintop wildlife preserve crisscrossed by hiking trails.

Having gone on a road-trip on I-79 earlier this year, I can vouch for other distinctive stops in Pennsylvania's rolling hills. The town of Butler felt like a time warp. The rugged stone buildings on Main Street include old-time motorcycle, doll, and guitar shops; the Butler County Symphony Association next to the Workingman's Store; and the family-owned DeWalt's Health Food.

Culture? Definitely! Maridon Museum's Asian objects span from Neolithic to contemporary. Hidden behind the gothic titan that is the courthouse (built in 1833) is the Lowrie/Shaw House. The $3 admission to this historic home, built in 1828 by U.S. Senator Walter Lowrie, is a bargain for its period decor and furnishings, including animal-themed bedtime books, dolls, eccentric game pieces, baby sleighs, and rare trompe l'oeil wallpaper.

Then there's the eclectic Butler County Heritage Center. Did you know that America's gas industry began nearby with the Drake Well, which has been producing oil since 1859? And between 1872 and 1874, the wilderness transformed into Petrolia, an oil-boom town with 60 saloons and an opera house.

A plaque by the fire-hose reel cart noted that Butler has won human-powered cart-racing championships. And Butler's American Bantam Car Company produced the original Jeep, for Army combat, in 1940. Several models are displayed. The first Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival and Parade will be held nearby from August 12 to 14 this year.

To the north is Moraine State Park, part of the nationally renowned Pennsylvania state park system. You can boat on its 3,225-acre lake, rent a bike and hit a 7-mile paved trail, hike, bird-watch, and, come winter, snow-shoe-free of charge. The parkland, originally shaped by glaciers, was reclaimed from mining and oil-drilling businesses. The variety of trees and rocks is amazing, as is the work done by busy beavers, who are natural engineers who build dams, housing complexes called "lodges," and even canals. Did you know that beaver ponds help support plant and animal biodiversity and improve water quality?

A short drive northeast is Jennings Environmental Education Center, an outpost dedicated to teaching the knowledge and skills needed to be good stewards of the land. You can also hike in its 20-acre prairie ecosystem.

Nearby in the town of Slippery Rock, you can satisfy hunger pains with fare such as the Herbivore Steak Salad at the vegan-friendly North Country Brewing Company. What began as a farmstead around 1805 morphed into an inn, a bar, and a store before the current owners rebuilt it with materials reclaimed and recycled locally.

For visitor information, check out the "Visit Pennsylvania" and "Visit Butler County" websites.