Pittsburgh Sights

Sights in Pittsburgh

  1. A

    Cathedral of Learning

    The University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University are here, and the surrounding streets are packed with cheap eateries, cafés, shops and student homes. Rising up from the center of the U Pitt campus is the soaring Cathedral of Learning, a grand, 42-story Gothic tower which, at 535ft, is the second-tallest education building in the world. It houses the elegant Nationality Classrooms, each representing a different style and period, with gorgeous details such as the red-velvet upholstered chairs of Austria; most are accessible only with a guided tour.

    reviewed

  2. Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

    For pretty much any outdoor pursuit, the best option is the elaborate, 1700-acre system of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, which comprises Schenley Park (with a public swimming pool and golf course), Highland Park (with swimming pool, tennis courts and bicycling track), Riverview Park (sporting ball fields and horseback riding trails) and Frick Park (with hiking trails, clay courts and a bowling green), all with beautiful running, cycling and in-line skating trails.

    reviewed

  3. B

    Monongahela Incline

    The South Side, bursting with shops, eateries, bars and cool characters, is a great place for strolling. To see it from above, ride the Monongahela Incline. The historic funicular railroads that run up and down Mt Washington's steep slopes and afford great city views (and along which a young Jennifer Beals rode her bicycle in the classic '80s film Flashdance). You can also try the Duquesne Incline (www.incline.pghfree.net).

    reviewed

  4. C

    Andy Warhol Museum

    The Andy Warhol Museum celebrates Pittsburgh's coolest native son, who became famous for his pop art, avant-garde movies, celebrity connections and Velvet Underground spectaculars. Exhibits include celebrity portraits, while the museum's theater hosts frequent film screenings and quirky performers. Friday-night cocktails at the museum are popular with Pittsburgh's gay community.

    reviewed

  5. D

    Frick Art & Historical Center

    East of Oakland, in Point Breeze, is the wonderful Frick Art & Historical Center, which displays some of Henry Clay Frick's Flemish, French and Italian paintings in its Art Museum; assorted Frickmobiles like a 1914 Rolls Royce in the Car & Carriage Museum; more than five acres of grounds and gardens; and Clayton, the restored 1872 Frick mansion.

    reviewed

  6. Interior Design District

    Formerly gritty Lawrenceville has recently become the city's Interior Design District, comprising the stretch on and around Butler Street from 16th to 62nd Sts. It's a long and spotty strip of shops, galleries, studios, bars and eateries that's on every hipster's radar, and runs into the slowly gentrifying Garfield neighborhood, a good place for cheap ethnic eats.

    reviewed

  7. E

    Carnegie Museums

    Nearby are two Carnegie Museums - the Carnegie Museum of Art, with terrific exhibits of architecture, impressionist, postimpressionist and modern American paintings; and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, featuring a complete Tyrannosaurus skeleton and exhibits on Pennsylvania geology and Inuit prehistory.

    reviewed

  8. August Wilson Center for African American Culture

    In September 2009 the August Wilson Center for African American Culture christened it's strikingly contemporary new building, which houses a museum, classrooms and performance space.

    reviewed

  9. F

    Pittsburgh Children's Museum

    The Pittsburgh Children's Museum features loads of interactive exhibits, including a chance for kids to get under the hood of real cars and some child-friendly Warhol works.

    reviewed

  10. G

    Carnegie Science Center

    Carnegie Science Center, great for kids, is a cut above the average hands-on science museum, with innovative exhibits on subjects ranging from outer space to candy.

    reviewed

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  12. Pittsburgh Zoo & Ppg Aquarium

    Folks with kids to entertain might want to seek out the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, or for wet fun in the summer, the Sandcastle Waterpark.

    reviewed

  13. PNC Park

    Also on the North Side, just by the Allegheny River, is PNC Park, where the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league baseball team bases itself.

    reviewed

  14. H

    Temple Sinai

    Temple Sinai is a synagogue that's housed in the architecturally stunning Elizabethan-style former mansion of John Worthington.

    reviewed

  15. I

    Station Square

    Station Squareis a group of beautiful, renovated railway buildings that now comprise what is essentially a big ol' mall.

    reviewed

  16. Mellon Arena

    Mellon Arena is where the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup finalists in 2008 and winners in 2009, played hockey.

    reviewed

  17. Mattress Factory

    Also not to be missed is the Mattress Factory, hosting unique installation art and frequent performances.

    reviewed

  18. J

    Fort Pitt Museum

    The park's renovated Fort Pitt Museum commemorates the historic heritage of the French and Indian War.

    reviewed

  19. K

    Allegheny County Courthouse

    Allegheny County Courthouse is a 19th-century Romanesque stone building that fills two city blocks.

    reviewed

  20. Society for Contemporary Art

    stop in at the Society for Contemporary Art for cutting-edge crafts and other art exhibitions.

    reviewed

  21. L

    National Aviary

    The National Aviary is another treat, with more than 600 exotic and endangered birds.

    reviewed

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  23. M

    Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum

    The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, focuses on champs from Pittsburgh.

    reviewed

  24. N

    Sandcastle Waterpark

    For wet fun in the summer visit Sandcastle Waterpark.

    reviewed