Each week we map out a road trip in the region. If you have a suggestion for a great one, e-mail roadtrip@post-gazette.com or write: RoadTrip The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 34 Blvd. of the Allies Pittsburgh, PA 15222

This coming Saturday is Winter Adventure Day at Presque Isle State Park near Erie.

Depending on the weather, it could be an adventure just getting there. But real adventurers will be hoping for some wintry weather as, at various locations throughout the popular park, attendees can learn to snowshoe, cross-country ski, venture out onto the lake to try ice fishing and even "test your winter survival skill."

The day, which runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., is free, and you don't need to register. Just meet at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center.

That new landmark, which opened this summer at the entrance to the peninsula, is open year-round and can be a lot of fun in the dead of winter, as well.

You can always settle into a comfy seat in front of the four-story-high, 45-foot-wide Big Green Screen and watch some nature/adventure offerings.

Showing that day are "Everest" (at noon, 2 and 4 p.m.) and "Lewis & Clark" (at 11 a.m., 1, 3 and 5 p.m.). Adventure day-trippers can see both films for just $2 more than a single ticket regularly ($7.50 for adults, $6 seniors and $5.50 children ages 2 to 12). Or partake of the "Adventure Movie Package" and buy two regular tickets and get a free large popcorn.

It's free to tour all the exhibits in the $31 million center, which itself is an exhibit in that it was built with green -- that is, environmentally sustainable -- technology. Rainwater from the roof, for instance, flushes the toilets.

You can walk up 125 steps, or take the elevator, to the top of the 75-foot observation tower and take in great views of the park and lake.

Then, take your time coming back down and stroll through two floors of exhibits about the geology and biology of the neighboring ecosystems. Back down on the ground, you can check out the children's Discovery Center and the Nature Shop, even get a bite to eat in the Sunset Cafe, which will begin offering a Sunday brunch in February. When the weather warms up, you can book lagoon trips and other outdoor adventures here.

When RoadTrip stopped in this fall, we were delighted by the trio of two-story "mechanical amusements" by Georgia folk artist Woody Jones. We also enjoyed a tour led by retired Thomas Jefferson High School (Pleasant Hills) principal William Gregg, who also took us back into the laboratories where 13 colleges and universities have joined other groups to form a regional science consortium. "It makes it more than a museum," he said. "Important stuff happens here."

And lots of fun stuff, too, with programs throughout the winter and the rest of the year. At 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 and 26, it hosts the International Wildlife Film Festival (see two films for $2 to benefit park programs). On Feb. 24-25, visit for the Winter Carnival.

The center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. For more on the environmental center or TREC (its acronym) visit www.trecpi.org or www.discoverpi.com or call 1-814-833-7424.