Want to get away from it all with out all of the travel hassle? Skip the airport lines, forget the Thule car carrier, and leave your passport behind. Fill your tank and drive roughly 60 miles to the Laurel Highlands for a family-friendly playcation.

This is the staycation designed especially for the type-A personality who can’t really “cation” when they try to “stay” too close to home. It’s for all the dads who cant stop tinkering in the garage, for all the moms who just want to check one more thing off their never-ending to-do list, or the kids with the standard five-million daily commitments. This type of vacation is easy, it’s fairly painless (assuming you enjoy the company) and it comes with a side of forced relaxation… sounds fun right?

Here’s a sample of what to do, where to go, and where to play to get your creative playcation juices flowing. The suggestions are broken down into the most popular areas near or within Laurel Highlands:

Where to stay:

• Highlands House on Airbnb (Ligonier, PA)
• Seven Springs Mountain Resort Lodge (Seven Springs, PA)
• Oak Lodge Rustic Cabins (Stahlstown, PA)
• Pioneer Park Campground (Somerset, PA)

Where to eat:

• Out of the Fire Café (Donegal, PA)
• Helen’s Restaurant (Seven Springs, PA)
• Fall’s City Restaurant & Pub (Ohiopyle, PA)

Where to play:

If you’re the outdoorsy type…

• Take a hike, bike or even guided river rafting trip (Ohiopyle, PA)
• Try your arm at some disc golf or jump in one of the paddleboats on Lake Tahoe… spoiler alert: it’s not the real Tahoe. (Seven Springs, PA)
• Take a fall foliage drive (the leaves have to turn someday)

If you’re the shop till you drop family…

• Your Saturday will not be complete without a trip to the famous Ligonier Country Market (Ligonier, PA)
• Perhaps you need to grab some new gear, drop into the Orvis Store on the mountain (Seven Springs, PA)
• Pop into the Country Pie Shoppe for the sweet cravings only grandma could cure (Donegal, PA)
• Get ready for nostalgia to strike with a trip to Old Mill General Store (Ohiopyle, PA)

If you want to learn stuff…

• Check out Frank Lloyd Wright’s contribution to the region at Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob 
• Discover (or rediscover) Pennsylvania wines 

If you like to burn energy and do it all family style…

• Living Treasures Animal Park (Donegal, PA)
• Caddy Shack (Donegal, PA)

What to Pack:

• Hiking gear
• Groceries if you plan on making your meals
• Board and yard games
• Coffee, because, coffee.
• Bikes, golf clubs, fishing gear, or any specific sporting goods needed

Obviously it’s your playcation to create based on your favorite activities, but hopefully these ideas give you a bit of guidance or just inspiration on taking the leap and making an end of summer trip. After all, it’s a great way to feel far enough away from the responsibilities of home without having to plan, pack or pay more to escape them.