As the signs show, the Benezette Hotel is right where you want to start your elk-watching adventure.  We're located in Benezette, PA at the foot of Winslow Hill.

Location(s) Elk CountyRidgway, PASee map: Google MapsElk County, PA was formed on April 18, 1843 from parts of McKean, Clearfield and Jefferson counties. It was named for the large elk herd that roamed the area in the 19th century.

Location(s) Cameron CountyEmporium, PASee map: Google MapsCameron County, PA was formed on March 29, 1860 from Cl

The Benezette Hotel has been a landmark in this small town in Elk County, Pennsylvania for more than a century.  A popular stop for deer hunters, trout fishermen, and elk watchers, the hotel offers an extensive menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Opens at 7 a.m. on weekends; 11 a.m. on weekdays.

While most people were preparing for Halloween last week, an assortment of women from three generations of our family got together for a very important annual task -- we produced the first batch of Christmas cookies. We converged at my sister's place in Benezette, PA.  My mom and niece traveled the 20 miles from St. Marys, and my sister from Ohio brought me from my home in Williamsburg.  The weather cooperated by sprinkling a few snowflakes to help set the mood, and our attention to colored sugars and jimmies was occasionally distracted by an elk wandering past a window.