Altoona is full of history, shopping and much more and is a great trip for couples, families, and groups like scouting and youth. If I was a first time visitor, I would begin my visit by checking out the railroad since Altoona owes much of its growth from the Pennsylvania Railroad and its history. They have the Railroaders Memorial Museum and Horseshoe Curve to check out. Local lure is that the Circus animals that escaped the train wreck many years ago can still be spotted from time to time in the woods. You can drive by the many rail yards where locomotives were built and you used to be able to tour the Baker Mansion and discover the history of the iron furnace in Altoona.
This is a perfect time of year to make a drive to Altoona with the leaves changing colors. Altoona is nestled among the Allegheny mountains and is a perfect afternoon drive in the mountains to enjoy the local wildlife. They also have some great biking trails and places to hike, but I do not have much experience in those areas to mention the best around.
Now shopping is another story, Altoona has some great shops starting with the two story Logan Valley Mall that has something for everyone. As you pull out of the mall onto business 220 or Pleasant Valley Blvd it has many strip malls on both sides with shops and some favorites of mine are the thrift shops, and Trader Joes since we do not have one locally. If you want a smaller experience with cute shops you need to go downtown Altoona and see places like McIntyre's Candies. If you turn at the right location you can pass an old-time favorite candy that you can only get along the east coast area from Boyer's Candy factory and home of the famous Mallo Cup. Candy is something we check out everywhere we go and another local favorite is Gardner's Candy just north in Tyrone, Pa known for Peanut Butter Meltaways. If we are near by Altoona on Sundays we like to stop by Leighty's near Hollidaysburg to check out the flea market and all the shops that are open daily. As for food during this shopping experience there are places around every turn that serve wonderful meals. The economy has hit many of the local companies that I am familiar with but we always find good home cooked food. My family always end with Meadow's ice cream which we now have one close by in our hometown since they franchised but the original still stands in Hollidaysburg and many others in Altoona area. Calling the wine drinkers, Altoona has its own winery called Oak Springs and they have a few shops in Blair County area. One of my favorites is the chocolate covered cherry wine if you like sweet wines you may enjoy.
You can always find fun things to do like checking out the Altoona Curve and watch a baseball game. We enjoy watching the Harrisburg Senators and it is always a treat to watch them play the Altoona Curve at our home field. Right beside the ball park is Lakemont Park. Lakemont is an amusement park that holds a true treasure since it is the home of the ride "Leap The Dips" which is the oldest operational roller coaster in the world. Top speed is only 10 miles per hour and you pay extra to ride much like the haunted house in Knoebels but it is well worth the experience to say you rode the oldest roller coaster and it helps with maintenance costs. I am very glad they restored it in 1999. Lakemont is smaller park but it a great way to spend the day and not go broke doing it. They offer great specials and include rides and water park for one reasonable fee. Lunch at the park is reasonable to and good. As I mentioned above there are many Meadows Ice Cream parlors in Altoona are and one has mini golf to play while you eat. Altoona is not only home to one smaller amusement park but just up the road on business 220 is another small park called DelGrosso's Amusements formerly Bland's Park. This was a regular stop for me when we visited during the summer months. My kids have come to enjoy it the same as me and we all finally call it by its proper name. This has become a vacation spot for us and we love to catch the fireworks called Summer Thunder on the 4th of July, notably the busiest day of the year but well worth it. The antique Carouselle is one of the parks pride and joys with hand carved horses and can make anyone feel like a kid again. Most of the food is made from recipes from the DelGrosso Family so it is all great comfort food. DelGrosso's is an awesome home town park with same all day ride and water park deal, prices may very from Lakemont but both safe places for families and scouting groups at a great value.
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