About half an hour from Fallingwater, Polymath Park is a collection of 2 house designed by an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright, and 2 designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The later 2 were relocated here and situated by the Wright Association. The former 2 were designed for the specific site. Currently a Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr (Lloyd Wright) is being added to Polymath Park. Bear in mind that the whole Park is 130 acres and to tour the houses is by van. When you're at one house, you can't see the other houses. A restaurant is on site by the visitor center. If you are going to Fallingwater, it is worth the time to add Polymath Park to your itinerary. read more

We did a tour of the two Frank Lloyd Wright houses at Polymath Park and it was so interesting! First we checked in at TreeTops. Then we were lead to a short shuttle bus that took us to each hour and then back to where we started. We had a great time learning about each house along with the history behind it. The architecture is super interesting and unique. Really the only downside is that you're now allowed to take videos but you can take pictures! read more

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I stopped at Polymath Park after touring Fallingwater which is about a half hour drive between the two sites. Polymath Park is located near to the Seven Springs Ski Resort and can be a bit hard to find, it is located a bit off the main roads. Polymath Park has relocated 2 Frank Lloyd Wright houses and 2 houses by one of his apprentices. It is an interesting idea to help preserve architectural history in a unique way. Polymath Park offers tours of the houses and the option to do overnight stays. Because of the timing I did the 2 house Frank Lloyd Wright only tour. The tour is nicely run, you meet at the building by the entrance to the park and then they drive you around in a van. The 2 relocated houses are interesting. Mantyla is a dramatic Usonian house highlighted by the dramatic V overhang and the central kitchen area. Mantyla is a very nice example of how the Usonian houses each have their own personality. Polymath Park has done a great job of citing the house to reflect how it is designed to reflect its surroundings. The other house was the Duncan house which was one of the few Usonian houses to be prefabricated as an attempt to make Frank Lloyd Wright designs available to a larger number of people. While a bit generic, which is to be expected for a prefabricated house it is an interesting visit to see what Wright was attempting and how he still managed to infuse quite a bit of his design elements even into a more mass market house. Our guide was great, friendly and knowledgeable. The tour did not go into great detail on the designs of the houses but did a great job of giving the history of the houses and how they were relocated to Polymath Park. If you are interested in Frank Lloyd Wright Polymath Park is well worth a visit. It is great to see how they are working to preserve Wright's legacy in a unique way. read more

The home we stayed in was so musky smelling our clothing, suitcases, purses, and hair stink! There was not enough hot water for two people to bathe at the same time. There was no plug in the bath tub to allow for a bath. Big white tubes were in the kitchen and family area assumably for drying out the place but didn't work. It rained when we were out to dinner and my guest fell in the puddle left on the floor. The "sunporch" was dark and worn. They request you make your bed and tidy up the house before you leave. Come on! At this price that is just a ridiculous request! read more

Amazing place to visit if you're a FLW, architecture, or design enthusiast or just want to have a unique adventure. We booked the lunch tour, which included a three course meal and visiting three of the houses: Baltur, Duncan, and Mantyla. The lunch is inside - not the treehouse dining - which was fine as it was pouring on the day we went! Service was very friendly and the food was beautiful, seasonal, and delicious - I'm going to be dreaming about that fig amuse bouche for a long time! Visitors only get to choose the main course, app and dessert are chef's choice though they do ask for food restrictions when you order. As for the tour, you ride a shuttle to each house. All three houses are different and beautiful in their own way. Baltur was not designed by FLW himself but an apprentice, and it's fascinating to see how he diverged from his teacher. Our tour guide added so much color and backstory to each stop and truly did a fantastic job. While we didn't stay overnight, that is an option and definitely something we're considering for the future! read more

Polymath Park - Mantyla house - Guest Houses Near Me - Acme, Pennsylvania

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Polymath and Falling Waters have been on my wife's bucket list for a few years now and we finally decided this would be the road trip to explore, and experience these incredible places. Due to potential for rain, we opted to start with polymath on a Friday and following that with falling waters the next day, Saturday. I'm glad we made this decision because we went from. Wow this is like incredible. These houses are beautiful. It was sort of like the appetizer to a great meal working up to huge reveal a falling waters. Our tour guide was absolutely fabulous. I only wish I remembered her name long, dark hair with glasses a wonderful attitude, very sweet, took every question and asked for more. My only pet peeve, which sort of upset me and stayed with me for through through the duration of this experience was what I would call the director ref first impressions. This was an older woman who apparently works in the office where we would go in to get our tickets and say hey, where the someone so family and we're here for our 1 o'clock tour She was such a sour Puss and sent off such negative vibes that I actually had to just say thank you you turn around and walk out the room and close the door. This was our first experience here and when I say director of first impressions, this is the first paid employee that we interacted with that set a tone and ruined it for us Luckily are toward director turned that around, leaving us with a great feeling for what we saw but here I am telling you the negative. So a special message to the management you need to speak with your employees, that play a key role in representing the brand experience. The hard thing for somebody in this industry service industry entertainment restaurant is always being on game and that means attitudes smiles the language that's being used. It's OK when somebody is off then maybe they need to step off stage and go reset themselves. This woman certainly needed a reboot. We did also attend the treetops restaurant after our tour and had a fabulous experience and we also met a very lovely couple from a far away state hence new friends being made so that in our overall experience certainly will leave us with good memories. read more

What a treat to see 2 of the homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright! If I had my ukelele I'd write a song about the dreamy retro FLW treehouse I WANNA LIVE IN(^^) A delightful tour! We loaded up in the mini bug and headed through the woods! These would have been the more affordable mass produced homes for regular folks. The bedroom and bathrooms are surprisingly BIGGER than the pricier homes (like fallingwater)! I have a new appreciation for Frank Lloyd Wright. Although he apparently was sassy and difficult , his homes were special. Like a fin on a Cadillac ElDorado... these houses were of their time. I'm a big fan. Bonus: you can actually arrange to spend the night in these!! Limited to 4 people max per home... yes you get the whole home ! A splendid afternoon!!! read more

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If you are in Western Pennsylvania and are a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, you probably will visit Fallingwater. And, while it is spectacular, I think Polymath Park is the real hidden gem. Currently, it has two Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian homes and two built by his apprentice. Before you even visit the homes, the grounds of Polymath Park where the visitor center and the Treetops Restaurant is located are stunning and beautiful. Everyone who works there is exceptionally friendly too. A huge plus. You can eat at the Treetops Restaurant, literally, up in the tree tops. There is an also a bar, a pizza bar and more. There are several tour packages to choose from. I chose the two Frank Lloyd Wright homes. Relative to Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, it was. bargain. And, what I really like about Polymath Park is that you can take photographs INSIDE the homes. At Fallingwater, they don't want you taking pictures inside. Also, on this tour you can walk into the bedrooms and other rooms. The guide takes you on a van from the visitor center to each home. And what I really like is this tour isn't crammed like it is at Fallingwater, meaning, you can get pictures without throngs of people and tour-after-tour in the way. You don't feel rushed at all on this tour. The super knowledgeable guide has all kinds of information and will answer any questions you have. It was really spectacular and I highly recommend visiting here. You won't be disappointed. read more

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I have a mixed review for this place based on a group of us purchasing the $100 combination brunch and tour. I would highly recommend doing something À la carte like taking the tour alone for $28, which is a great tour of two beautiful houses. Very informative and open. Five stars for the tour portion. The $72 difference which gets you the brunch is very much overpriced. The treetop dining areas are great but the food offered and the mimosas for drinks are not. Our meal was comprised of small portions of quiche, sausage patty, trout, green beans, potatoes and a fruit compote. The mimosas which were served hardly had any champagne detectable in them. Definitely take the tour, but think twice about bundling brunch along with it for the total $100 ticket (plus gratuity). read more

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Polymath Park is very near Fallingwater. Fallingwater has been on my bucket list for years, and when I made a trip to see it, I thought I should check out Polymath Park, too! Polymath Park is such an interesting property. It's a large piece of land with four historic homes on it (for now - when we were there, we saw containers - a new home is being constructed soon - a FWL Jr. home!). On this land in the 1960s, two Pittsburgh families hired an architect who studied with Frank Lloyd Wright - Peter Berndtson - to build them Usonian vacation homes in the woods. Many years later, the land and the homes were purchased by the owners of the TreeTops Restaurant nearby. When a Frank Lloyd Wright house came up for sale, the Duncan home was deconstructed and reconstructed on the property. Later, another FLW home - Mantyla - was deconstructed and reconstructed on the property. [The homes are deconstructed and reconstructed, because they would have been torn down otherwise!] When you're here and taking the tour, it's clear that this is a passion project. The owners of the property clearly care so much about protecting and preserving these homes. It's a special place. Polymath Park offers several tour options: lunch tour (three-house tour with lunch at TreeTops Restaurant, $65/person), dinner tour (three-house tour with dinner at TreeTops Restaurant, $123/person), brunch tour (two-house tour with brunch, $98/person), Wright Collection house tour (two-house tour, $26/person), and more. We did the lunch tour. It's 2.5 hours long and includes a tour of the Mantyla House, the Duncan House, and Peter Berndtson's Balter House. We had lunch at TreeTops Restaurant and then walked to a shuttle bus that drove us to the three houses. When you book the lunch tour, you are given a very limited, set menu to choose from, which includes an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert. The appetizer was more of a single bite, amuse bouche, but it was fine. The entree options were just a salad with tuna salad, chicken salad, or roasted veggies. I got the chicken salad and thought it was a pretty good version of what it was. My husband hates all mayo-based "salads" (tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad), so his only option was the roasted vegetable salad. It was fine but it felt like one of those throw away dishes a restaurant has on the menu for vegetarians or vegans. The dessert was fine, a peach bar. We saw (and smelled) some of the food that people were ordering who hadn't booked the lunch tour and were able to order from the whole menu. The rest of the menu looked (and smelled) much more delicious than what was offered the limited set menu for the lunch tour! I imagine this is because they need to offer something that is very quick to make since they have to ensure that you have eaten and paid within an hour so you can get on your tour. However, I recommend arriving earlier and ordering off the regular menu and then going on the Wright House collection tour. (You will miss the Berndtson house tour, but it wasn't the highlight of Polymath for me, and I think leisurely lunch at TreeTops followed by the two-house tour is the way to go!) Our tour guide was lovely - very interested in the history of the property as well as the individual homes. I learned a lot. The two FLW homes (Mantyla and Duncan) were were very different from each other and fascinating to tour. If you're a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright or American architectural history (or if you're nearby at Fallingwater), Polymath Park is well worth a visit. I'm excited to see how Polymath Park expands and changes in the next few years! I would visit again as I think it's likely to expand! read more

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One of the cooler trips recently, stopped here on a Sunday and took the tour of three of the 4 houses. I enjoyed listening to the history of how and why they are now there. The tour guide was nice, but due to us starting the tour 15min late, we were rushed the whole time to keep up their schedule. Got plenty of pictures - would be cool to stay at one for a night but just being able to walk the grounds and houses of Frank Lloyd Wright is good enough for me. read more

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The two house tour we took was outstanding. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the homes and gave details when needed. Small group (!), plenty of time to examine the homes and rooms, ask question, no rush! Great opportunities for still photography. Fallingwater is always nice, but this was better. The guide made all the difference! Fallingwater's was not good at all. Put this on your must see list if you love FLW. We'll be back! read more

We did not get to stay the night but we took the tour and loved it! If you are a Frank Lloyd Wright fan, this is a must see. If you have seen Falling Water this is a great way to compliment the visit. Much less crowded and very personalized experience. Our guide Ricky was wonderful. Definitely recommend read more

While making plans to visit Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, learned about Polymath Park; we decided to add that to our list, and we're glad we did. Others have described the layout, so I won't repeat that. We did not do one of the tours that included a meal, so we just visited the houses. After seeing Fallingwater, it was fun to see what a more modest FLW-designed house was like! Your jaw won't drop, as it might with Fallingwater, but it's well worth the visit. We had brought picnic lunches with us, and after the tour enjoyed them at one of the tables outside the visitor center in very lovely surroundings. read more

Stayed overnight in one of the rental homes after a great 7 course meal at Tree Tops. Finished the 2 day experience with the 4 house tour.

I haven't had a chance to review this place since visiting in September so here it is. By far "The Worst" staff I have ever encountered in any avenue of customer service and I have visited many of his houses as well all across the country. I let the people who were supposedly in charge(acted like they were at least) know and they said they would correct it, but I have a feeling since I was never contacted that it wasn't. They said the tour guide was rather new, but I also have a feeling that was a lie to cover their tracks of his poor choice of words, bad attitude and superiority complex. I'll never come back to this place and I love the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, but he would be ashamed of the people you employee here. There is nothing even remotely good about this location or staff! read more

Great to see the effort made to keep these treasured, artistic homes created by Frank Loyd Wright alive and well in Southwestern Pennsylvania. We were able to tour all three homes and have a delightful lunch at treetops restaurant. For $48 per person, it is well worth the two hour visit and experience. Our tour guide, Robert, was enthusiastic and passionate about the work they are doing at this site. We look forward to a return visit as they spoke about continuing this Preservation mission. read more

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I REALLY don't want to share this secret because then it'll be harder to book stays here. You can stay at 2 houses designed by Wright and 2 designed by Wright-apprentice Peter Berndston. We stayed in Balter for our anniversary and it's like sleeping in a luxe tree house, so peaceful. We reported some maintenance issues (lights not working) and Polymath offered to come fix it that evening but we deferred. The next morning, we were surprised that Tom, the founder, came to fix them bright and early. We also booked a house tour and tapas in a TreeTops pod. Everyone on staff was so helpful and friendly. We ordered takeout from TreeTops to eat at the house on our last night. It's such an enriching feeling to stay in such a thoughtfully-designed, soul-restoring house and quiet location. Already booked our return trip for my birthday. read more

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Awesome place with an amazing restaurant the beauty of the restaurant is top notch and the Mantyla House is so nice the Balter House is amazing and the Duncan House is awesome and I recommend visit Polymath Park it's just all around beautiful. read more

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Short review: The houses alone are pretty boring and bare-bones as they are rented out daily for guests to stay overnight. It seemed some of the charm of usual house tours was absent due to the utility of the location basically being a hotel. BUT! The staff was amazing. I was blown away by the stories behind the property and all the hard work that has gone into preserving these art pieces. The staff is made up of just a couple people and all seem to have a hand in every part of the business, which made it very fun to soak up some of their effort and passion. I would definitely recommend a visit when completing your Frank Lloyd Wright area tour. read more

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The tour was interesting. The guide was knowledgable about the architect and the homes histories. We were disappointed that they have 3 free tesla charging stations but none for other electic vehicles. read more

I highly recommend at least a tour if you appreciate American history, are even vaguely creative, love nature, want to reconnect with family and friends, believe in conservation or just need to relax and recharge. We stayed 2 nights in Duncan House (relocated Frank Lloyd Wright house). It was pure magic to appreciate its beauty in all different kinds of light. It is one thing to be told about FLW's architectural philosophy, it's quite another to live it - if only for a short time. We also dined at Treetops restaurant for lunch and dinner. Beyond having amazing food, we felt so welcomed. Dining in the tree houses is enchanting. Of course, we couldn't resist the tour which was both instructive and entertaining. We had the opportunity to speak with the owner, Tom Papinchak who shared stories of the process of creating this oasis as well as his plans for the future which are both inspired and inspiring. We also spoke at length with his daughter Sylvie whose enthusiasm is contagious and warmth enveloping. I am so thankful that Tom and Heather Papinchak had the vision and ability to create Polymath Park, then make it available to us. To get a sense of the process, please take a look at this CBS feature: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/relocating-a-frank-lloyd-wright-house-polymath-park/But there is no substitute for the actual experience which I cannot recommend highly enough. read more

Polymath Park - Duncan House - Guest Houses Near Me - Acme, Pennsylvania

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We had the lunch and 3 home tour. Very nice. The setting is beautiful. Tour guide was very informative. read more

Polymath Park - One of the beautiful homes at Polymath. - Guest Houses Near Me - Acme, Pennsylvania

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The Papinchaks! Can we just say THANK YOU for saving 3 Usonian homes (2 built by FLW apprentice Peter Berndtson and 1 by Frank Lloyd Wright)?!? There is 1 more that will be opening soon as well as a winery that's under construction. Usonian homes were designed my Frank Lloyd Wright during the Depression to make it more "affordable" for the middle class to own one of his homes. With that in mind, these homes are 'modest' in comparison to what he designed for his wealthy clients - AKA the Kaufmanns' Fallingwater. Ok on to the houses... Duncan House was saved from demo in IL to be brought to Polymath in 2007. The kitchen has an island with a stovetop in the center. An exhaust fan is over the island and there is a built-in oven in the wall. Can we say modern design for the 1950s?!? This is why FLW have been said to be ahead of his time. Homes back then were boxed in Victorian in style. The other two homes, Baxter and Blum were built by one of Wright's apprentice. I absolutely love the living rooms and how Peter Berndtson played with the classic Wright elements in these two homes. All of these homes can be rented out! There's only 11-12 of Wright's homes in the US that you can do that and 3 are at Polymath. Check out the beautiful Treetop Restaurant above the Visitor Center. They only take reservations so no wall-ins. The exterior is very lovely and I believe Berndtson designed it. read more

Incredibly unassuming, but a rich history and story to this park. My family actually mistakenly bought tickets here through the fallingwater website. We were bummed out at first, but after we were glad we visited. Fallingwater is only half the story, Polymath Park completes it. I went on the lunch tour of the three properties. $50 was a reasonable price for lunch and the tour. Our guide, Robert, was a studied guide and a vivid storyteller. He knew the history and the stories that connected Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater, the Polymath property, and the houses. They're also adding another Frank Lloyd Wright house in spring 2017. Would not be surprised if this park becomes a famous attraction in Pittsburgh in a few years. The area is a family owned small business, running the private conservation. The properties are also available to rent, but I would only recommend it if you're an art junkie/history nerd. You're staying in a work of art, not a hotel. No TVs, swimming pool, etc. They said its about 200-300 a night on weekday non-peak hours. Would recommend the tour for those interested in learning more about FLW and the story behind these artworks beyond Fallingwater. Not recommended to those who don't appreciate art/history/a good story. read more

I am giving Polymath Park Resort five stars because of what they are trying to accomplish. In attempting to preserve the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright and his students by taking care of homes that others no longer wish to maintain - Polymath is doing the entire nation a true service that can never be rightfully repaid. I sincerely mean that! If you have an opportunity to visit Polymath Park, you definitely should. It's a short distance from the more famous Falling Water - so if you are there to see one, you had better see the other! You can even rent one of the houses and experience Frank Lloyd Wright living for yourself. Amazing! While we were visiting the three houses which have been preserved (we hadn't rented one) we were told a fourth had been purchased and was in the process of being rebuilt on site. Additionally - a winery is planned for the future. All of this leads me to believe Polymath Park has a long and bright future before it. I hope to have an opportunity to return to Polymath in a few years and be able to see all that it has become. Keep up the great work! read more

Great tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Duncan House (1957 relocated from Lisle, IL), Balter & Blum House by FLW's apprentice by Peter Berndston at Polymath Park. Love the story of how the park was started & the continued serendipitous blessing that continue to shower it. Greg, who owns a Berndston home was our guide. He works Wed's & Sat's! He's an encyclopedia of FLW info. We had a great end of tour experience with a lovely dinner at Tree Tops. Ate outside, table of our choice since they don't open for dinner to the public until 5:00 p.m We had the deck & all the lush wooded surroundings to ourselves! (Beef tips for the hubby & salmon for me - tad over cooked) but each course was prepared with great care & presented beautifully. Linda is a great server read more

A wonderful gem in the Laurel Highlands! A Frank Lloyd Wright home & 2 apprentice homes. Tour them or stay there. Wonderful restaurant - Treetops! Off the beaten path. Owners Tom & Heather created a labor of love that shows when you visit. Went to the Holiday Progressive Dinner - such a wonderful evening! read more

Polymath Park - Duncan House with lights - Guest Houses Near Me - Acme, Pennsylvania

We bought tickets for this to go see falling water house. What we thought we were getting was a dinner and a tour of the facility. However when we arrived at falling water they quickly told us that this was for the Dunken house dinner which was 40 minutes away. The receipt and all the information told us it was for falling water house. When we arrived we were rushed through a tour. Although the houses were very interesting I do not feel it was worth the 186$ for a tour of three houses and a dinner. read more

We stayed at the Blum House and loved it. Simple design with straight lines and glass set in a serene wooded area. Clean and comfortable. Would go back. read more