Freebies

Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau has many freebies available to you!  Our Official Visitors Guide is a 52 page full-color guide with maps and itineraries.  We also publish a multitude of brochures:  Arts, B&Bs, Barn Trail, Calendar of Events, Camping, Dining, Gifts & Goodies, Golfing and Washington’s Trail.  

• Appreciate street art.  You’ll find murals in Slippery Rock and Butler, and don’t miss the eggs with legs sculpture outside SiBA Cucina on Route 228.
• Befriend an alpaca.  Butler County has three alpaca farms you can visit:  Four Points Alpacas (Butler), Sunset Hills Farm Alpacas (Butler) and WestPark Alpacas (Slippery Rock).
• Capture beauty.  There are many photogenic sights in Butler County.  Who knows, we could even pay YOU!  Check out our photo contest page (http://photos.visitbutlercounty.com/main.php) for more details.
• Drive the Barn Trail.  View 16 different barns along three routes, each with an interesting history.  This is great for shutterbugs or a leisurely Sunday drive.
• Explore a piece of zombie history.  Remember the film that started it all?  The opening scenes of Night of the Living Dead were filmed in Evans City Cemetery.
• Follow in George Washington’s footsteps.  Drive Washington’s Trail and learn some interesting history while you’re at it!
• Move one ton of stone.  It’s not as taxing as it sounds!  Harmony Society Cemetery has a one-ton revolving stone gate.  See if you can move it and then check out the fenced in cemetery of about 100 unmarked graves.
• Peruse an art gallery.  The Art Center (Butler), Bottlebrush Gallery & Shop (Harmony), From the Hand Galleries (Butler), Saxonburg Area Artist Co-op (Saxonburg)
• Sample award-winning wines.  Savor wine-tasting at Deer Creek Winery (Butler), Rustic Acres Winery (Butler), Volant Mill Winery (Mars) and Winfield Winery (Cabot).
• Take a walking tour.  We have Zelienople and Harmony maps available at our office (310 E. Grandview Ave., Zelieonple) or you can find them at the Zelienople Historical Society or Historic Harmony.  Many other Butler County towns are very walkable too.  See what you can discover!
• Travel to Mars. Have your picture taken with the spaceship parked in the town square!
• Try out toys.  At Playthings Etc., you’re invited to test many of the toys, and the fun employees will even do demonstrations for you!
• Venture to a historical site.  Witness demonstrations of an antique oil well, study historical markers, visit the one-room schoolhouse in Cranberry Township or check out the train station and caboose in Mars.
• Visit the Brooklyn Bridge.  Yes, you can do this in Butler County!  Saxonburg has a sizeable replica of the bridge.  This is in recognition of John Roebling, the town’s founder, who invented steel cable and also designed the Brooklyn Bridge, the first bridge to utilize the cable.
• Witness the art of glass blowing.  The Glass Blowing Center in the northern part of the county is more than just a shop.  You can enjoy live flame-working demonstrations!

Nature & Outdoors
Not only is Butler County gorgeous and green, but there are a ton of outdoor activities you can enjoy for free!

• Biking  at Moraine State Park and on the Butler-Freeport Trail
• Birdwatching at Moraine State Park, Jennings Environmental Education Center, the Butler-Freeport Trail, Todd Nature Reserve, Succop Conservancy and Preston Park.  Contact us for a free birding handout, too!
• Cross-country Skiing at Jennings Environmental Education Center, Moraine State Park and along the Butler-Freeport Trail
• Disc Golf at Moraine State Park and on the Slippery Rock University Campus
• Fishing – You can borrow fishing poles at Moraine State Park, and there are periodic Fish for Free Days where a license is not required!
• Geocaching along the Butler-Freeport Trail, and at Moraine State Park, where you can borrow GPS units.  See www.Geocaching.com for other caches throughout the county.
• Hiking at Moraine State Park, Jennings Environmental Education Center, Todd Nature Reserve, Preston Park, the North Country Trail, the Butler-Freeport Trail and Harmony’s walking trail
• Ice Skating at Moraine State Park
• Mountain Biking at Moraine State Park, which has one of the most technical mountain bike trails in the world!
• Picnicking at Moraine State Park, Jennings Environmental Education Center, Alameda Park, Preston Park, Armco Park, Cranberry Township Community Park and North Boundary Park
• Skating (skateboarding, in-line skating and BMX biking) at the Cranberry Skate Park
• Sledding at Moraine State Park and North Boundary Park
• Snowshoeing at Jennings Environmental Education Center, where you can borrow snowshoes, and Moraine State Park
• Stargazing in the prairie at Jennings Environmental Education Center and at Moraine State Park
• Swimming at Moraine State Park
• Wildflower Hiking  at Jennings Environmental Education Center, Preston Park and along the Butler-Freeport Trail

Fairs, Festivals & Events
There’s always something happening in Butler County.  The best part is, many of the happenings are FREE to attend!  Check out these festivals and special events:

• Butler Fall Festival
• Cherry Pie Hike
• Concordia Oktoberfest
• Concordia Summer Festival
• Cranberry Community Days
• Cruise-a-Palooza
• Environmental Education Programs
• Evans City Oktoberfest
• Farm Tour
• Harmony Community Day
• Historical Reenactments at the Old Stone House
• Horse Trading Days
• Jeep Invasion (part of the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival)
• Kaleidoscope
• Pumpkin Festivals
• Regatta at Lake Arthur
• Rodfathers Fall Festival Extravaganza
• Saxonburg Carnival
• Saxonburg Festival of the Arts
• Silvester
• Summer Concerts
• VillageFest
• Warbird Experience
• Winterfest
• Zelienople-Harmony Fall Festival