Field notes
Where to eat: The wonderfully named Lawrence County town of Wampum was the first official trail town on the North Country National Scenic Trail, but it doesn’t have a lot of hiker amenities right now. There’s a bar that serves some food, but it has only one restaurant: The Main Street Diner.
It reopened in the fall of 2019 in a space that has held several restaurants with a stylish decor that includes 1936 survey maps for the borough, which is the county’s oldest, having been founded in 1796.
The eatery’s proprietors are chef Christian Benincase and his wife, Sherri. The exterior still sports train murals and the sign from when it was Jata’s Diner. Inside, there’s a full menu of breakfasts named for local streets and lunches and dinners. But you might want to go with a burger, because the place is a stop on the Lawrence County Craft Burger Trail.
Visit Lawrence County started this promotion last year and has brought it back this year with a new twist: Burger fans can pick any burger at nine participating eateries, which will give participants a sticker for eating one. Participants who collect stickers from all nine can turn in the passport to the tourism agency and get an official Burger Trail t-shirt.
Passports are available for download via https://www.visitlawrencecounty.com/ local-attractions/featured-attractions/ burger-trail and you can contact the tourism agency at 724-654-8408.
Other participating stops, mostly in or near New Castle, are Crane Room Grille, Grill on the Hill, Hill House Restaurant, Hugger Mugger Tasty Recipes, Riardo’s Bar & Grill, Ellwood City’s Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ, Starwood Rib & Steakhouse and New Wilmington’s Tavern on the Square, which recently got a license to sell alcohol. The Grill on the Hill offers deep-fried
cheeseburgers and a “Cliffhanger Challenge” that gives you 10 minutes to eat a triple bacon cheeseburger with a “hill” of fries and a root beer float to get it for free.
At the Main Street Diner, my 12-year-old son went super plain and ordered an All American burger with nothing on it ($6.19). I went with the Black & Blue, a melted-blue-cheesesmothered patty infused with A-1 sauce ($7.49). Both came with exceptionally wellcooked hand-cut fries. It was an excellent late lunch. and I would love to eat there again for breakfast and for dinner. The burger my wife would have tried is the Marinara Burger — topped with mozzarella, pepperoni, mild banana pepper rings and marinara sauce.
The Main Street Diner is at 323 Main St., Wampum, PA 16157. Look for it on on Facebook or call 724-740-1740.
Yet another trail: Lawrence County also has a Wine & Brew Trail: www.visitlawrencecounty.com/local-attractions/featured-attractions/wine-trail.
And speaking of wine and brew: Wampum Community Revitalization is holding its Spring Beer & Wine Festival from 4 to 7 p.m. on March 28 in Wampum Gymnasium. The fundraiser — tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door -— include tastings with appetizers, live music, an auction and raffles. Get tickets by calling Ferrante Interiors at 724-535-8866.
What else to do: Just outside Wampum is Mines & Meadows ATV/RV Resort, which offers guided underground limestone mine riding tours ... and, with advance notice, rental all-terrain vehicles.The $5-per-vehicle tours are at 2 p.m. weekdays and several times on weekends: https://www.minesandmeadows.com. You can camp there, too.
Visitors Guide: Visit Lawrence County just published its 2020 Visitors Guide and will mail you a paper one, or you can download it from www.visitlawrencecounty.com. It has even more trails in it, for biking and hiking and even wetland walking.