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When it comes to ways to amuse and amaze, educate or recreate, Western Pennsylvania has it al -- and then some. Listed here is a sampling of must-see sites and outings. Some attractions are seasonal; hours and admission fees subject to change. Please check organization Web sites for discounts, memberships and holiday closings. If you’d like to be included in Must-See Pittsburgh listings or you spot a mistake or a listing in need of an update, please e-mail
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AMUSEMENT PARKS
Kennywood Park
4800 Kennywood Blvd.
West Mifflin, PA 15122-2399
412-461-0500
www.kennywood.com
Hours: Gates open at 10:30 a.m.; rides begin at 11. Closing determined daily, but usually around 10 p.m. depending upon weather and crowd conditions. Phantom Fright Nights, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Admission: FunDay $34.99; Junior FunDay (under 46 inches tall) $21.99; Senior FunDay (55-plus) $16.99; Night Rider (after 5 p.m.) $19.99; Senior Night Rider (55-plus after 5 p.m.) $9.99. Free for ages 2 and under.
Sandcastle Waterpark
1000 Sandcastle Dr
Homestead, PA 15120-1084
412-462-6666
www.sandcastlewaterpark.com
Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. July and August. Dates vary.
Admission: Season pass: $69.99, or $99.99 for 2. Daily: Whitewater Pass $27.99 ($21.99 after 3 p.m.) and 55+ and Junior (48” and under), $20.99 ($16.99); Combo Whitewater Pass and Tidal Wave Café Buffet Pass, $28.99; Kennywood/Sandcastle Same Day Combo Pass, $34.99; children 3 and under, free to pools. Parking: $6.
Idlewild & Soak Zone
2582 Route 30
Ligonier, PA 15658
724-238-3666
www.idlewild.com
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. most days, weather permitting. Storybook Forest closes at 5 p.m. Fireworks Nights are at 10 p.m. Open Sat.-Sun. only in late Sept. and Oct., noon-6 p.m. Dates vary.
Admission: FunDay Pass, $28.99; 55+ $19.99; children 2 and under, free. Other discount rates apply.
ANIMAL ATTRACTIONS
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
One Wild Place
(GPS: 7340 Butler St.)
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412-665-3640
www.pittsburghzoo.org
Hours (seasonal): Summer (Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day) 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., admission gates close at 4:30 p.m. Fall (Tuesday after Labor Day through Dec. 31) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., admission gates close at 4 p.m. Winter (Jan. 2 through March 31) 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., admission gates close at 3 p.m. Spring (April 1 through Friday before Memorial Day) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., admission gates close at 4 p.m.
Admission: $12; $10 ages 2-13; $11 60-plus.
National Aviary
700 Arch St., Allegheny Commons West
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
412-323-7235
www.aviary.org
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Summer 2009 hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sept. 7.
Admission: $10; $9 age 65-plus; $8.50 ages 2 to 12.
Description: More than 600 exotic and endangered birds in natural settings.
PARKS/GARDENS
Hartwood Acres
Hartwood Mansion
200 Hartwood Acres
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
http://www.friendsofhartwood.org/mansion.asp
Mansion hours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.- Sat.; noon-4 p.m. Sun. Tours reservations, hayrides and other events: 412-767-9200.
Mansion admission: $6, $4 senior and junior, $2 youth, $1 child. Stable tours (offered on a limited basis) $3. Candlelight Tours (evenings Nov.-Jan.) $5.
Description: Allegheny County Park in Hampton and Indiana townships consists of 629 acres, including an estate with Tudor mansion, stable complex and gate lodge designed by Alfred Hopkins for John and Mary Flinn Lawrence.
Events: Free Allegheny County Summer Concert Series at the Middle Road Performance Center and the winter holiday Festival of Light, 412-350-2528.
Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
Schenley Park, Oakland
One Schenley Drive
(GPS: 700 Frank Curto Drive)
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-622-6914
www.phipps.conservatory.org
Hours: 9:30 am to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Saturday-Sunday and until 10 p.m. on Friday.
Admission: $10 adults; $9 62-plus and students with ID; $7 ages 2-10. Free for children under 2 and members.
Point State Park
101 Commonwealth Place # 1
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-471-0235
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateParks/parks/point.aspx
Description: 36 acres at the tip of Pittsburgh’s “Golden Triangle” and at the confluence of three rivers, it commemorates the historic heritage of the area during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). The park is a National Historic Landmark.
Features:
• Fort Pitt Blockhouse: Built in 1764 by Col. Henry Bouquet, it is the only surviving structure of Fort Pitt. (The Fort Pitt Museum is currently closed.)
• Fountain: At the confluence of three rivers, the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio, the fountain was dedicated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on Aug. 30, 1974. It rises as high as 150 feet when in operation, 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., weather permitting, during spring, summer and fall.
• Events: Have included Pittsburgh Marathon, Three Rivers Art Festival and the Three Rivers Regatta.
Rodef Shalom Biblical Garden
4905 Fifth Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-621-6566
www.biblicalgardenpittsburgh.org
Hours: June through mid-September, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.; noon-1 p.m. Sat; June and August, 7-9 p.m. Wed.
Admission: Free.
Description: More than 100 plants, waterfall, stream and desert scene depicting biblical lands from Lake Galilee to the Dead Sea.
Schenley Park
Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood bordering Carnegie Mellon University, Carnegie Museums and Library.
Pittsburgh Parks: 412-682-7275
http://www.pittsburghparks.org/schenley
Features include:
• Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens (see above).
• Schenley Park Cafe & Visitors Center: Open daily 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Light fare, free WiFi and events.
• Schenley Plaza: Greenspace adjacent to Carnegie Museums and Library. Carousel, free WiFi, gardens, one-acre lawn and food kiosks. Live lunchtime music 12:30-3:30 p.m., Mon.-Sat., June through mid-Oct.
• Sports: Track and soccer field at Schenley Oval; golf course; and ice rink.
• Historical: Neill Log House and Martin’s Cabin, and Westinghouse Memorial
• Free activities: Walking tours and summer movies at Flagstaff Hill.
Related sources:
City parks: http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/parks/
Allegheny County parks: http://www.alleghenycounty.us/parks/
Nearby parks and trails: http://www.inusa.com/tour/pa/laurel/parks.htm#osp
Conservation and preservation: http://paconserve.org
HISTORY/SCIENCE/PRESERVATION
Allegheny Observatory
159 Riverview Ave.
Riverview Park, North Side
Pittsburgh, PA 15214
412-321-2400
www.pitt.edu
Description: University of Pittsburgh’s astronomical research center. Reservations required for evening guided tours. Free.
Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve
614 Dorseyville Road
Fox Chapel, PA 15238
412-963-6100.
www.aswp.org/beechwood
Hours: Trails open dawn to dusk. Center open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat., 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sun.. Nature store closed Mondays.
Admission: Free.
Description: Headquarters of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, with five miles of trails and 134 acres of sanctuary.
Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center
451 W. Eighth Ave.
West Homestead, PA 15120
412-461-6188
www.bmnecc.org
Hours: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Tues.-Thur., 9 a.m.-noon Sat.
Admission: Free.
Description: Bulgarian-Macedonian achievements and influence depicted in museum, library archives, learning center, performance space and gift shop.
Calvary United Methodist Church
954 Beech Ave., North Side
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
Allegheny Historic Preservation Society, 412-323-1070
www.calvarymethodistpittsburgh.org
Hours: Group tours of the century-old church and its three 30-foot-high Tiffany windows given by appointment.
Admission: $1, tours by reservation only.
Events: Allegheny Historic Preservation Society's Tiffany Concert Series.
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
4400 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA
412-622-3114
www.carnegielibrary.org
Hours: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.; 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sun.
Admission: Free.
Description: Donated by Andrew Carnegie, includes 18 branches throughout the region and traveling bookmobile.
Carnegie Science Center
One Allegheny Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
412-237-3400
www.carnegiesciencecenter.org
Hours (main building): 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday-Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Closed for Steelers home games; see Web site.)
Admission: General Admission: $14 or $10 for 62-plus and ages 3-12. With special engagement film, $24 or $18. With Omnimax film, $19 or $15. (Less for shows only, including Laser Nights; see Web site.) Paid parking available.
Features: IMAX Theater, Miniature Railroad & Village, Buhl Digital Dome, USS Requin Submarine.
Duquesne Incline
1220 Grandview Ave.
412-381-1665
incline.pghfree.net
Hours: 5:30 a.m.-12:45 a.m. Mon.-Sat., 7 a.m.-12:45 a.m. Sun. and holidays.
Fare: $2 one way, children 6-11 $.1, 5 and under and 65+ free.
Description: Century-old cable car connecting West Carson Street by Station Square and Grandview Avenue, Mount Washington.
Fallingwater/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Bear Run Nature Reserve
Route 381, Fayette County, PA
724-329-8501
Hours: Mid-March through Thanksgiving weekend, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily except Wednesday. Winter hours (weather permitting): The first two weekends in March, Friday-Sunday in December and Dec. 26-Jan. 3.
Admission: Regular tour, $18 or $12 ages 6-12; $2.00 per ticket service fee for online purchase. Visit site for other tour choices. Free parking.
http://fallingwater.org
http://paconserve.org
• Kentuck Knob
723 Kentuck Road
Chalk Hill, PA 15421
724-329-1901
Kentuck Knob tours reserved through the Fallingwater ticket services.
http://kentuckknob.com/
First Presbyterian Church
320 6th Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-471-3436
www.fpcp.org
Hours: Tours include 13 Tiffany stained-glass windows, available after Sunday service at 10:45 a.m.
Admission: Free; group tours by appointment.
Fort Ligonier
216 S. Market St.
Ligonier, PA 15658
724-238-9701
www.fortligonier.org
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Sun. noon-4:30 p.m., April 15-Nov. 15.
Admission: $8; ages 6-14, $4.75; 5 and under, free. Advance reservations required for guided tours.
Description: A full-scale, on-site reconstruction of the 1758-1766 original fort in the Laurel Highlands. Activities include re-enactments, encampments, crafts and archeological digs.
Frick Art & Historical Center
7227 Reynolds St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
412-371-0600
www.frickart.org
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.
Admission: Free for Frick Art Museum and the Car and Carriage Museum.
Description: Includes Clayton, the Frick mansion as it was circa 1905; The Frick Art Museum; The Car and Carriage Museum; the Greenhouse; the Frick children’s playhouse; and The Café.
Clayton tours: Reservations, 412-371-0600. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon.-Sun. between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Clayton admission: $12 or $10 for seniors, students and military; $6 for 16 and under.
George Westinghouse Museum
325 Commerce St.
Wilmerding, PA 15148
412-823-0500
Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sa..
Admission: $3 adults, $5 couples, children free.
Description: Displays of family items, inventions, achievements and electrical appliances.
Heinz History Center
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-454-6000
www.heinzhistorycenter.org
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Admission: $10 or $9 for 62-plus, $5 for students with ID and ages 4-17. Free for members and children under 3.
• Hours and admission include History Center, the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, and the Library & Archives.
Nationality Rooms
University of Pittsburgh
1209 Cathedral of Learning
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
412-624-6000
http://www.pitt.edu/~natrooms/
Hours: 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sun. and holidays.
Admission: $3; seniors, $2; students 8-18, $1. Closed Thanksgiving, Dec. 24-26, New Years Day.
Description: Elaborately adorned rooms depicting many of the ethnicities that make up Pittsburgh, donated to the university by groups from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Oliver Miller Homestead
Stone Manse at Corrigan Drive
South Park, PA 15102
412-835-1554
www.OliverMiller.org
Hours: 1:30 p.m.-4 p.m. Sundays May through second Sunday in Dec.
Admission: $1 donation requested; $2 on special event days.
Description: Pioneer and Whiskey Rebellion site. Guides conduct tours in period dress.
Old Economy Village
270 16th St
Ambridge, PA 15003
724-266-4500
www.oldeconomyvillage.org
Hours: Tues.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun. noon-5 p.m. Closed on Mondays and holidays, except Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day. Dates and hours may vary.
Admission: Adults $7; ages 6-17, $5, 60+, $6; 6 and under, free.
Description: Re-creation of the 19-century village founded by the Utopian Harmonists religious collective.
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
1 Museum Rd
Near Washington, PA 15301
724-228-9256
www.pa-trolley.org
Hours (seasonal): April-December, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fri. and Mon. (last trip at 3:15); 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. and Sun. (last trip at 4:15). Memorial Day through Labor Day: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri. (last trip at 3:15); 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. and Sun. (last trip at 4:15).
Admission: $9; $8 for 62+; $5 ages 3-15; under 3, free. Includes: video and exhibits, carbarn tour and trolley rides. Tour of Trolley Display Building at 1:15 p.m., $4 adults; $2 children.
Rachel Carson Homestead
613 Marion Ave.
Springdale, PA 15144
724-274-5459
www.rachelcarsonhomestead.org
Hours: Grounds and gardens open to the public year-round. Tours of the historic house available year-round by appointment.
Admission: $5; $3 for seniors and children 5 and up; under 5, free
Description: Landmark home of the author of “Silent Spring,” furthers her environmental causes. The 34-mile Rachel Carson Trail offers a hike along the Allegheny River.
Rivers of Steel
The Bost Building
623 E. Eighth Avenue
Homestead, PA 15120
412-464-4020
www.riversofsteel.com
Hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Sat.;
Admission: $5. Self-guided, free tours with titles like “Battle of Homestead” available.
Description: Legacies of Pittsburgh’s steel heritage.
Sewickley Heights History Center
1901 Glen Mitchell Road
Sewickley, PA
412-741-4487
www.sewickleyheightshistory.org
Hours: 3-5 p.m. weekdays, noon-2 p.m. Sat.
Admission: Free; by appointment.
Description: Glimpse of great estates of early industrialists as well as grand traditions of Sewickley Heights. Special events include an antique car exhibit and equestrian activities.
Tour-Ed Mine and Museum
748 Bull Creek Road
Tarentum, PA 15084
724-244-4720
www.tour-edmine.com
Hours: Memorial Day to Labor Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 1-4 p.m. weekends.
Admission: $7, children 12 and under $5.
Description: More than 9,000 artifacts dating to the 1700s and chronicling the region’s history of deep mining, strip mining and lumbering, including an underground tour and authentic log cabin.
Trinity Cathedral
325 Oliver Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2467
412-232-0349
www.trinitycathedralpgh.org
Tours: Reservations at
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Description: 250-year-old church in Downtown Pittsburgh.
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