Some road trips lead us to places we end up loving and hoping to revisit. And our summer visit to Altoona, Pennsylvania was certainly one of those for Peepaw and me!
As we studied the map around Washington D.C., we realized we were quite near Altoona. (Read all about our D.C. visit HERE.) We had kept Altoona in the back of our minds ever since Peepaw’s brother Grant had shared a tidbit of info with us years ago. He told us about a famous, restored theatre there. The Mishler Theatre! So that was the deciding factor for us. Altoona was simply a must-see place for our summer road trip to take us! (Our research has us 99% certain that Peepaw IS related to Isaac Mishler, the founder of that theatre. More about that later.)
Of course, I Googled the city as we began to plan our visit. And I came across their Explore Altoona website. So I grabbed my phone and made a call. And that call was answered by Mark Ickes, Executive Director of Explore Altoona. As soon as I told him my name, he made it clear that Altoona would be thrilled to welcome some folks named MISHLER to their fair city. So we began to discuss an itinerary for our visit. I’m not sure who was most excited…Mark, or Peepaw and me!
I can’t wait to share all the amazing things to see and do in Altoona. (Our visit was partially sponsored by Explore Altoona, but, as always, my comments and my reviews are mine and mine alone.)
Our 175 mile drive North from Washington D.C. to Altoona was a beautiful one, for sure.
We were so excited to take a drive through the city…”to get the lay of the land” as my dear old Dad used to say.
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon when we arrived. And the stately old brick homes and buildings were even prettier than I had imagined.
What stories those buildings could tell us!
And that’s when we noticed a large crowd on the street downtown. And there it was!!! The original reason for our visit! The Mishler Theatre!!
We quickly realized what event had just taken place when I noticed a precious little ballerina and her mother crossing the street.
A dance recital on that Sunday afternoon! (How sweet is that photo!?) Of course, we couldn’t wait for our private tour of the theatre, scheduled for the next day. But wait we must! So, we headed to our hotel to check in for our multi-night stay.
We try to stay in hotels in the heart of the cities we visit. That way we can simply walk out the front door and explore the area without getting back in our car. And this hotel was the perfect location.
Our first Altoona surprise came as soon as Peepaw gave his name at the front desk when checking in. We were greeted with knowing smiles…plus a WELCOME basket filled with Altoona and Blair County goodies. A gift from Explore Altoona. (More about all of those locally made goodies later!)
What a thoughtful gift!
Our room was beautiful and spacious.
But we needed to unpack quickly and head out for our first Altoona adventure on that beautiful summer Sunday afternoon. So stay tuned for a “picture perfect” start to our Altoona visit!
[…] And this one spoke to me since I had just seen a tiny ballerina earlier that afternoon outside the Mishler Theatre earlier that day. (See that photo HERE.) […]