ACTIVITIES
Visitors to Pittsburgh can see varied sights including many museums, historic landmarks, both modern and historic architecture, the zoo, sports activities, performing arts, go shopping, and eat at a wide selection of dining options. See below for some highlights.
For maps, brochures, event schedules and sightseeing companies, call VisitPittsburgh at 1-800-359-0758, go to www.VisitPittsburgh.com or go to one of their three visitor centers: at the Airport, downtown at Liberty Avenue (adjacent to Gateway Center), and at Senator John Heinz History Center.
- Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh:
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History: exhibits about earth sciences, life sciences and anthropology.
- Carnegie Science Center: features hands-on exhibits, live demonstrations and a four-story IMAX theater. Exhibits showcase turn-of-the-century life in Western Pennsylvania, and the connection between sports and science among others.
- Carnegie Museum of Art: a variety of paintings, sculpture and decorative art. Notable is the collection of monumental architectural casts.
- The Andy Warhol Museum: devoted to one of the most influential artists in the late 20th century.
Frick Art & Historic Center: Includes Pittsburgh Industrialist Henry Clay Frick’s restored 19th century home – Clayton, the reconstructed Alden and Harlow 1897 Greenhouse, the Car and Carriage Museum and The Frick Art Museum.
Cathedral of Learning: The University of Pittsburgh’s 42-story truncated Gothic stone tower with 26 Nationality Classrooms that represent Pittsburgh’s ethnic heritage.
Senator John Heinz History Center: An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, this is the state’s largest history museum and is devoted to the history and heritage of Western Pennsylvania.
Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve: Headquarters of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania featuring hiking trails within the 90+ acres of fields, ponds and woodlands.
Bessemer Court at Station Square: A river walk lined with relics of the region’s industrial heritage and a fountain show choreographed to music.
Hartwood: 629-acre estate in the style of a 16th –century English country manor.
Heinz Hall: Home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Kennywood Park: A National Historic Landmark that includes a traditional family amusement park.
Monongahela Incline: Travel the incline to Mt. Washington to get amazing views of the Golden Triangle.
Duquesne Incline: Travel Mt. Washington on this cable-drawn rail for an excellent view of the city and the Ohio River.
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium: Home to more than 6,000 animals and fish, including endangered species, including exhibits that mimic tropical rain forests, Asian forests and African savannahs. Information on protecting animal habitats is provided.
Point State Park: 36-acre park set at the confluence of the three rivers featuring one of the nation’s largest fountains.
Fort Pitt Museum: Exhibits illustrate the initial struggle between the French, English and AmericanIndians who fought to lay claim to the region.
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: Features a 13-room Victorian glasshouse and a 12,000-square-foot Tropical Forest Conservatory and flower shows that change with the season.
Boat Tours: The Gateway Clipper Fleet provides narrated sightseeing cruises on the city’s three rivers, and Just Ducky Tours offer a 1-hour narrated tour of the city aboard a restored World War II amphibious vehicle which travels the downtown streets and also splashes into the rivers.
Bus Tours: Narrated tours that includes stops at the cultural and historic neighborhoods as well as the modern landmarks in Pittsburgh. Some tours include a ride on one of the inclines for an overall view of the city.
Shopping: With stores ranging from specialty shops to major department stores, downtown shopping is concentrated in the Golden Triangle, particularly in the district around Market Square, 5th, 6th, Wood and Smithfield streets. For a more novel place to shop or browse, go to The Strip with open-air and storefront shopping along several blocks of Penn Avenue east of the convention center. A very popular and unique place is the Shops at Station Square – an elegantly refurbished 19th-century Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad station that includes interesting places to eat among a variety of specialty shops.