called Evitt's Trail, which adds another two miles up the mountain.

With the property's restoration, the winding mountain roads were closed to all but local traffic, making for fabulous biking. Local manufacturer Cannondale provides rental bikes and related gear on site.

After exploring some of the trails and finding Shober's Run (the creek that wanders through the property), our young crowd settled in at a horseshoe pit. Then they discovered the hotel's jungle gym playground and Anderson's Adventurers clubhouse with its table tennis and other activities.

With five young mouths to feed, we were grateful that the hotel offers the ultra-family-friendly Turtle Shell for burgers and ice cream, as well as Che Sara Sara for a light fare alternative. Of course, when it came to a quieter dinner for two, it was the Crystal Room, advertised as one of the oldest restaurants in America, that tempted my wife and me. Thyme-basted rack of lamb, and pan-roasted East Coast scallops... mmm!

For an adult beverage, a nice little meal, and weekend entertainment there's the Frontier Tavern. With beer or wine in hand, diners drifted out to the fire pit, chatting with fellow guests or making s'mores.

It's easy to overdo the history lessons when traveling with kids, especially when Dad's a history buff like yours truly. Fortunately, the Bedford Springs offers lessons as subtle as they are relevant. As the kids ogle the century-old, spring-fed indoor pool, for example, I can casually mention that string musicians once performed for the swimmers where lounge chairs now sit. Or that bathing clothes used to cover people from knee to neck. (Insert giggles and eye-rolling here.)

Over at the entrance to the popular Springs Eternal Spa--No, you may not have pedicures this weekend, girls! --I spot a display case with an assortment of bottles. Turns out that over the last 200 years, bottles just like these carried Bedford Springs water to customers around the world. Imagine if that bottle of water in your backpack had to be special-ordered from halfway around the world, kids?!

Even today, locals visit to bottle their own water from the free-flowing public springs.

Having grown up not too far from the Bedford Springs, I've always found that America's history plays across the scenery here in surprising and sometimes oddly juxtaposed ways. President Washington led the troops against the Whisky Rebellion in 1794 not far from many landmarks of early roadside Americana (among them, the recently restored Coffee Pot building and Dick Dunkle's art deco Gulf station, built in 1933 and still open today). Bedford even marks the midway point of the original segment of "America's first superhighway," the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Despite, or perhaps because of, its history of refined leisure, the Bedford Springs has been recognized as a top family-friendly destination in its class. So pack up your own clan and your croquet (er, hiking) shoes and escape into this corner of our country's past.

Tell them Sam sent you. And don't forget an empty water bottle.