Tourism in Washington County-Opinion Piece

I read an article recently that Pennsylvania ranks in the top 10 states that Americans are leaving. It's not a surprise, honestly. There is not much to do in Washington county during the winter months from December to early April. 

Over the holiday, we had a family visit from another area. The few places they had to visit here locally, were either closed, open only one or two days a week, or required 48-hour notice to visit. They didn't have a lot of time before they had to leave. It was embarrassing they had to be told "I'm sorry, there's not really anything to do in Washington county." Of course, if a person wanted to gamble and consume alcohol until they dropped there is an abundance of that.

Places they wanted to visit, but found were closed until Spring or required a 48-hour notice in advance:

Duncan & Miller Glass Museum closed until April 1st.

Pennsylvania Trolley Museum closed until April 2022.

Bradford House-48 hour notice required in the off-season, open April through November for drop-in visits.

Lemoyne House-Temporarily closed due to the construction of a new education and research center.

Washington County Historical Society-Temporarily closed due to construction of a new education and research center.

Regal Crown Theater-Permanently closed.

Meadowcroft Village-Closed for the Season.

Donora Smog Museum-Open Saturdays or by appointment.

Also, there are many restaurants in the county, but the 4 that we wanted to dine at that are not chain restaurants and have a bit of history, were not opening back up until January 5th or 7th. They missed our business by about a week. That said, we/they were looking to do something that involved local history, art, science, the outdoors, or something entertaining and different. Unfortunately, they left Washington County and spent time in Allegheny County where they visited Randyland and other places. The day was nice, but the point was that none of them felt like driving far or bothering with traffic. They wanted to stay in the area. A person can go to Mingo with visitors only so many times before it too becomes overkill. 

I realize Covid and cold temperatures have a lot to do with things, but maybe Washington County Tourism also needs an overhaul? Even before Covid this area did not have much to offer year-round for tourists, let alone locals. 

It comes down to seeing a highway sign that reads "Visit Washington County Pennsylvania" and then getting here and not having anywhere to go. Maybe the sign should change to "Visit Washington County 8 months out of the year from April to December"?