Summer Vacation in Western Pennsylvania and Ohio! Quiz

Answer: Susquehanna

The Allegheny and the "Mon" come together to form the Ohio. The Susquehanna is in Central Pennsylvania and passes through Harrisburg.

Answer: Three Rivers Stadium

Opened on July 16, 1970, Three Rivers Stadium was the home of both the Pirates and Steelers for 30 years. The last game was played on October 1, 2000.

Answer: Zoo

The Highland Park Zoo has been remodeled in recent years and features animal friendly habitats where the animals are free to roam and the patrons are in cages. It's a really beautiful place.

Answer: Kennywood Park

Kennywood Park was founded in 1898 by the Monongahela Street Railway Company. Two of the current buildings in the park were built in 1898, the Carrousel Pavilion and one of the restaurants. Three coasters were built in the 1920's. Kennywood is famous for its wooden coasters.

Answer: Idlewild Park

Idlewild Park is an old time park too, even older than Kennywood. Idlewild was opened in 1878 as a park to promote the Ligonier Valley Railroad which had only been hauling coal. This was a way to bring in passenger traffic by building a wonderland park in the beautiful Laurel Mountains.

It included campgrounds, picnic areas, boating and fishing, and a large dance and party hall. In 1931 the park began installing amusement rides. Story Book Forest was opened as a separate attraction in 1956.

Answer: The Johnstown Flood

The rich and famous people of Pittsburgh including names like Mellon and Carnegie and many others had a hunting and fishing camp at Lake Conemaugh at South Fork. To make a large lake, the South Fork Dam had been constructed. The lake filled up under the strain of many days rain until it couldn't hold any more.

The water started over the dam and eventually it broke sending a wall of water down the valley and almost destroying the city of Johnstown. It is eerie to stand in the Johnstown Cemetery and notice that most of the stones say "May 31, 1889". Very, very creepy!

Answer: Kinzua Dam

The Kinzua Dam creates a lake that spans 25 miles and has almost 100 miles of forested shoreline with hundreds of camping, fishing, and picnicking spots on both sides. Visitors may walk out onto a portion of the dam and take photographs. This is a very popular vacation spot.

Answer: Lucille Ball

Lucy was born to Henry Durrell Ball and Desiree Evelyn Hunt on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, NY. She often referred to Jamestown as her home town, and even claimed that her character, Lucy Ricardo, on "I Love Lucy" was from Jamestown as well.

Answer: Presque Isle

Presque Isle State Park is out on Presque Isle. About four million visitors a year show up here according to the state park official web site. There are hiking trails, swimming, picnicking, hunting, fishing, boating, and it's an excellent place for bird watching.

The French name, Presque Isle means "almost an island". Presque Isle has been an actual island on several occasions, as the storms have broken through the main section of the penisula at the neck at least four times since 1819. Each time the Corps of Engineers were able to build jetties or piers to slow the waves and get them to redeposit the sand and form the peninsula once again.

Answer: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Alan Freed, a DJ from Cleveland, was credited with coining the phrase
"Rock and Roll", so therefore the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum" was built in Cleveland. True, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is also in Eastern Ohio, but it's in Canton, Ohio which is much closer to Akron or Youngstown than Cleveland.

Answer: Geauga Lake Park

Geauga Lake Park, now Six Flags, Ohio, has a long history. It is home to one of the largest entertainment complexes in the Midwest. Dozens of new rides have been added including many new coasters.

Answer: Sea World of Ohio

Sea World has other parks in San Diego, Florida, and Texas, but in January of 2001, Sea World of Ohio was sold to Six Flags. It has since closed.

Answer: Cedar Point

Cedar Point has been hosting families for family fun since 1870. The first roller-coaster appeared in 1892 and was called the Switchback Railway. It was gravity powered, which means guys got to push the cars back up the hill before the next rider could come down. The Breakers Hotel was built in 1905.

Answer: False

Close. It was the Blue Streak which still operates today. The Mean Streak, built in 1991, is a genuine coaster. Although much newer and larger than the Blue Streak which is a friendly coaster, the Mean Streak lives up to its name with lots of bumps and bashes to the brave hearted to prove it.

Answer: Columbus

Columbus is right in the center of Ohio both East/West and North/South. There's a beautiful square where the capitol building sits and lots of squirrels in the park. As a kid I used to love to feed the squirrels who would come and take peanuts right out of your hand.

Answer: Cincinnati

Cincinnati is on the Ohio, downriver from where we started in Pittsburgh.

Answer: Churchill Downs

The Kentucky Derby is held every year at Churchill Downs. Unfortunately we're too late this year, but if we were here on the First Saturday in May we would drink a Mint Julep and listen to "My Old Kentucky Home". Louisville is the home town of Cassius Clay (Mohammed Ali).

Answer: Idora Park

I stood outside the Idora Park fence inside Mill Creek Park looking at the smoke still rising from the Wildcat on the day after the fire. It was a real shame. Everyone hoped the park would rebuild, but instead most of the rides that could be moved were sold and the rest just sits and rots away. It's sad to see the place now and remember what it used to look like.

Answer: Dean Martin

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were a very popular comedy team and did lots of movies and TV shows together before a sudden breakup sent them in different directions. Many people thought Dino would fail without Jerry, but he did pretty well for himself. Dean was born in Steubenville on May 15, 1927.

Answer: Moon Township

Moon Township is the home of Lou Christie, the singer who had hits with "Lightning Strikes" and "I'm Gonna Make You Mine". (He was actually born in Glen Willard, a town near Moon Township). There really is a Mars, Pa., but it's up north of the city, far from Moon. I always though it would have been cool to go to Mars High School! I hope you had a nice vacation. I enjoyed it. Now if I could really go there instead of just dreaming!