Two older adults want to go (by car) from Boston to Pittsburgh and back. Want to take fastest route going and slower, more scenic route, on return. Have never been in area before so need lots of help and suggestions.
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Two older adults want to go (by car) from Boston to Pittsburgh and back. Want to take fastest route going and slower, more scenic route, on return. Have never been in area before so need lots of help and suggestions.
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The fastest route is not particularly straightforward, but it isn't impossible either. Just take the Mass Pike west to Sturbridge and then get on I-84 west all the way to Scranton where a short jog on I-380 west will get you to I-81 south. Just before getting to Hazleton, take I-80 west to Bellefonte where you'll get on US-220/I-99 southwest through Altoona. Finally take US-22 west into Pittsburgh. That can be done in a day, but it would be a relatively long day, on the order of 10-11 hours. If that's too much, you'll have plenty of opportunities to find a motel since you're almost never off the Interstates.
There are, of course, more possibilities for the return trip since your criteria have relaxed quite a bit. But the way I'd go would be to leave Pittsburgh headed northeast on PA-28 up to Brookville. There take a couple of roads, PA-36 and PA-899 to Marienville. There pick up PA-66 northeast through the Allegheny National Forest to US-6 across northern Pennsylvania which will take you by the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. Just before Towanda PA, leave US-6 on US-220 north to NY-17/I-86 east to Binghamton where you'll take a short jog north on I-81 to I-88 east to Albany. Leave the Albany area on NY-2 east which will become MA-2 at the state line and follow that road (the Mohawk Trail) into the Boston area.
As for things to do in Pittsburgh, check out Pitt Point State Park, the Duquesne Incline, Phipps Conservatory, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Science Center, and the National Aviary (for starters).
AZBuck
Whereas US-6 is probably the best of them, most of the rural roads through PA are scenic routes with many small and quaint towns. All of which have their own attractions and interest. The only variant I would take from the great route outlined above is...
Take 66 to 948 to Sheffield, and then route 6 to Warren. This stretch of route 6 has some lovely mountain towns along the way, and is very scenic. Although I was there a dozen years ago, I found Warren a lovely place to stay. You could then take route 59 via Allegheny Reservoir back to route 6 at Southport. Not long before you get to Southport is the Kinzua Bridge SP and its Sky Walk. The 100+ year old bridge was destroyed by a tornado in 2003. It is now a restored attraction. (In 2001 I visited this magnificent tressle bridge, some 300 feet above the valley floor. It was heartbreaking to see it lying on the valley floor, four years later.)
The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania is definitely worth it, even if you can't go for a hike.
Lifey