Penn Hills Resort

If you ever find yourself in a small town called Analomink, on a road they renamed “Paradise Trail,” follow the river and the freight train tracks past the hanging ropes on the trestle, and the small box post office, and you will find the abandoned Penn Hills Resort.

In its prime Penn Hills boasted two large in-ground pools in the shape of wedding bells, which now bake like white blisters in the sun. Each couples’ suite also included candy apple red heart shaped jacuzzis, surrounded by mirrors and space for your votive candles. Now, patches of graffiti, trash, and grass line the cracked cement on the private tennis courts, and a full tree has grown to occupy the doubles court.

The abandoned site also has a rather grim criminal past. During the aftermath of the manhunt for cop killer Eric Frein, it was said that his manifestos were scribbled on the ice rink walls, amid hallways and anterooms with fungal floor to ceiling carpet, and busted industrial-sized skylights. 

For the suburban urban explorer, this resort, permanently closed since 2009, is an interesting sight. With its retro-futuristic box architecture and World’s Fair lighting fixtures, juxtaposed with the creeping ivy and overwhelming quiet of a place where lovers once flocked. The quiet of Penn Hills is now only broken by the clatter of falling sheet metal or breaking glass. The site seems haunted by fugitives, sirens, manifestos, and maybe even a shadow of romance.

Update September 2017: The main building was destroyed by fire.

Update October 2017: The remaining buildings are being demolished so a new Heritage Center can be built on the land.

Update March 2020: The buildings are still standing and are now drawing adventurers. 

Update Sept 2020: Arson has swept the resort destroying most of the buildings.

 Update May 2021: One building has been completely demolished.

Update June 2021: All buildings have been demolished except for one.

Update July 2024: Posted “No Trespassing” and “Recording in Progress” signs have been added to the front gate. Skate park is across the street. Most buildings are overgrown.