Once arriving at the top of the Inclined Plane (not to skip over the actual ride, which is worth your $4 round trip itself), you can take a few steps over to the observation deck. Here, you’ll see the quintessential view of Johnstown, looking over the valley where the waters of the 1889 flood gushed through.

The Visitors Center, also located at the top of the Incline, provides a history lesson for visitors. Although even life-long residents may find a fact or two they didn’t know. The building also features a large window, from which you can view the inner workings of the Incline.

Just the past Visitors Center, sharing the same magnificent view over the city as the observation deck, is City View Bar and Grill. City View offers Johnstown residents and visitors a casual dining experience with a rotating menu of drink specials, and features a banquet room that can be booked for special occasions.

If you prefer a more adventurous outing, why not try hiking to the top of the hill instead of riding? The 2.4 mile James Wolfe Sculpture trail winds up the side of the hill. Along the path, you can you view many works by James Wolf, who created the pieces from steel from Johnstown’s Bethlehem Steel plant.

Please note both the Inclined Plane and City View Bar and Grill are currently closed. They will both be reopening on Friday, January 27, 2012.

For directions to the bottom of the Johnstown Inclined Plane, click here. For directions to the top, click here. To learn more, visit http://www.inclinedplane.org and http://www.cityviewbarandgrill.com.

The festival will celebrate “the miracle of garlic, ‘the stinking rose’” the weekend of August 20 & 21, 2011. Visitors can learn about cooking with garlic during live chef demos and enjoy the music of Better Dayz. Other activities will include hay rides, a play area for children and, of course, plenty of homemade garlicky food.

“Visitors are sure to have a ’stinking good time’,” says Mary Faranda. “[Visitors can] sample garlic flavored foods such as wings, pierogi with garlic butter, pulled pork, and mushroom sandwiches, learn how to cook with garlic from local chefs, learn the varieties of garlic, and shop at the booths of garlic growers, specialty garlic gadgets and garlic tees and aprons.”

The garlic festival is on August 20 & 21, from 10AM to 5PM each day. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for children under 2 years. Click here for a map to Faranda’s Farm, which is located at 1171 Penn Ave Hollsopple, PA, ½ mile off Route 219 and 15 miles from Johnstown and Somerset.

Learn more by visiting their website: www.farandafarm.net.

The events, aptly named “First Friday Wine Tasting” and “Second Friday Beer Tasting”, occur on the first and second Fridays of every month of the year and are a particularly nice way to combat a chilly Pennsylvania winter. “We attract a pretty varied crowd,” says Laura, a hostess at Green Gables. “It’s a nice mix of younger and older people.”

Located at the well-known Mountain Playhouse, the tastings take place at the restaurant from 6:00PM-8:00PM. Wine tastings cost $25 per person and include samplings of six varieties of wine. Beer tastings are $20 per person and provide samplings of eight finely-crafted beers. Each includes a selection of light hors d’oeuvres.

What better excuse to head out with a friend or spouse?  “We have great wines and beers that you just won’t find at other places in the area,” says Laura. “Come out, try something new and have a good time.”

For additional details, including information on dinner specials associated with the tastings, contact Green Gables by calling (814) 629-9201 x103 or visit www.mountainplayhouse.org.

Green Gables Restaurant is located at 7712 Somerset Pike, Jennerstown, PA (click here for a map).