September Road Trip No. 3 - Brookville, PA and Gold Eagle Inn

One of the joys of travel by road is chancing on some place that you never knew existed, whether it is a small town, a restaurant or a sight worth seeing. Of course, there’s also the possibility that you will be disappointed by your choice of stops, and I’ve certainly made a few mistakes in the past, but fortunately that wasn’t the case on my third road trip in September which took us from Westchester, New York to Howell in Michigan.

Our route took us mostly on the I-80W through New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Given the length of the drive—663 miles, or about 11 hours according to MapQuest—we planned to take two days over the trip and did some research online in advance to find a suitable place to break the journey. Brookville, PA turned out to be approximately halfway to our destination and, as it boasted both a historic downtown district and a rather attractive inn, it seemed ideal.

Brookville is a small town (population just over four thousand) but it’s easy to see why it is classed as a historic town. The main street is lined with beautifully maintained buildings which hint at eras past, an impression reinforced by the grandeur of the magnificent court house.  

TheGold Eagle Inn is just a short distance from the downtown area and offered not only very reasonably priced accommodation, but also a restaurant. The latter was built with the wood from three antique barns and is appropriately decorated with farm tools and equipment that early farmers would have used.

Laid out with a separate bar area and small interconnected dining sections, the place has a charming, cozy atmosphere. The service was great, we never felt either ignored or rushed, and the offering of sorbet to clean our palates between courses confirmed the attitude that the meal was to be an experience rather than just a means of satisfying our hunger.

The food was excellent and the ability to order petite versions of some of the entrees was much appreciated by those in the party who don’t have big appetites, enabling us to also share appetizers and finish with dessert, and giving us a real opportunity to sample the full range of menu offerings.

My only regret is that given it is over 300 miles from my hometown, I won’t have too many reasons to pass that way again, but if the chance arises, I would certainly go back.