I had been visiting Pennsylvania my entire life, literally from the age of 2 months (maybe less) and never got out to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater.

Walking up the drive

I had heard of Wright but had never visited his most famous work that is on Smithsonian‘s Life List of 28 places “to visit before you die.” And I have to admit it is truly stunning to see. We were only able to walk around the grounds but it is the perfect integration of nature and   structure.  We had the entire place to ourselves on a sunny day after a brief snowstorm and it is like going back in time when you walk around taking the self-guided tour.

From the overlook

It is hard to believe that the home was built in 1935 for the Kaufman family – they owned the department store chain named after them.  The family wanted a weekend home and assumed that Wright would design them a cottage or cabin with a view of the waterfall. Instead he integrated the waterfall in to the design and pushed the engineering boundaries.

If you are ever up for a road trip I highly recommend you stop by Falling Water which is just 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The drive takes you through the Laurel Highlands and the Allegheny Mountains. I definitely plan to go back in other seasons and especially when I can take a look inside the home.