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Looking for a weekend getaway? Look no further than Bedford! There is so much to see and do in this quaint town. As with most of our adventures, our visit centered around the outdoors, food, and adult beverages. If that’s not your schtick, fear not! There are plenty of other activities in the area.
The Big Coffee Pot
Our first stop while in Bedford was the iconic Big Coffee Pot. This18 foot structure, a nod to America’s roadside architecture of yesteryears, greets visitors with its quirky charm. It was originally built in 1927 as a lunch place adjoining a gas station. Ten years later it became a bar with a hotel behind it. With time, the Coffee Pot was left in disrepair. In 2003, the people of Bedford decided to preserve the Coffee Pot. The Bedford County Fair Association purchased it for $1 and a preservation group spent $80K to move it to the fairgrounds. A quick stop to snap a picture with the Big Coffee Pot is a must if you are in the area!
Shawnee State Park
You can find Shawnee State Park 10 miles west of Bedford. Our stop was a quick one during the off season. But if visiting during the warmer months, you will not have a problem spending the entire day here! Shawnee State Park offers hiking enthusiasts 9 trails to explore. We hiked the Lake Shore trail during our visit. You can locate this trail on AllTrails. It is a roughly 3.5 mile loop trail with about 127 feet of elevation gain. This trail offers fantastic views of Shawnee Lake. Speaking of the lake, the park offers all of the typical lake amenities.
- Sand and turf beach with clean bathhouses
- Boat launch (don’t forget your required registration stickers)
- Rentals: paddleboats, kayaks, canoes, & rowboats
- Fishing
If you want to make an entire week/weekend out of it, the campground has 200 sites as well as flush toilets and warm showers!
Gravity Hill
Not too far from Shawnee State Park, you can find Gravity Hill. What’s Gravity Hill you ask? Here you can throw your car (or in our case Jeep) into neutral and defy gravity by coasting uphill! Throw these coordinates into your GPS: 40.111298, -78.692849 to locate Gravity Hill. Once there you can see the start and stop points spray painted onto the road. Is this most likely an optical illusion? Yes, but still fun nonetheless!
The Abandoned Turnpike
Looking for a stroll with a post-apocalyptic feel? Then you definitely need to check out the abandoned turnpike. As an FYI, the property is not maintained or monitored for safety conditions so you are visiting at your own risk. This section of the turnpike was abandoned in 1968 due to the fact that the two tunnels were only one lane each way which created bottlenecks. You can locate the abandoned turnpike just off US 30, east of Breezewood. Using GPS Coordinates 39.999862, -78.228380, you will find a small parking area at the start of the road. The entire length of this abandoned road is 13 miles. The perfect length for an afternoon bike ride! We chose to walk out and through the first tunnel, which was a little over 4 miles roundtrip. You will definitely need a headlamp or flashlight to navigate through the tunnel.
Bella Terra Vineyards
During our trip, we enjoyed lunch at Bella Terra Vineyards. We definitely recommend checking it out during your trip! They offer a wide variety of wines, ciders, and seltzers. If that’s not your thing, they also offer local beer and cocktails. Tastings are available, but we opted for a flight instead. Our favorites were the Sweet Finley and the Rosé Cider. Both of our lunch options were on point! You will not be disappointed if you opt for either the buffalo chicken quesadilla or the ultimate grilled cheese.
Nūdl
Most people recommend going to Jean Bonnet Tavern while visiting Bedford. Our love of ramen led us to another route for our dinner option. If you share our love of ramen, you will not be disappointed with Nūdl! We chose the garlic ramen and the sweet & spicy ramen with tofu added. Both were fantastic and they give you a ton of it!! And of course, what is ramen without Boba! We both enjoyed our Boba choices as well.
There was so much to see and do that a weekend just didn’t cut it! We will definitely be making another trip back to Bedford to revisit some of our favorites as well as check out new places. If you have visited Bedford, please drop some of your favorite spots to visit in the comments. Happy adventuring!!
