Fun activities to do in Pittsburgh

A friendly note from your friendly co-instructor Meg

Pittsburgh gets a bad rap, but I’ve found it to be a really fun, active, vibrant city! To that end, as an instructor I want you to get the most out of this program, both academically and personally, so I’ve compiled a list of fun activities that you could try if you find yourself bored in the evenings or on the weekends. Note that it may be a bit biased. I haven’t tried/visited each of these things, but the ones I haven’t done myself still come highly recommended from friends in town. I hope you can get out there and do some cool stuff!

–Meg

If you’re into sports

Pittsburgh sports are awesome (regardless of how well the teams may or may not be doing in their respective seasons…). It’s a big deal here. Also, fun fact, the city requires all professional teams to have Black & Gold as their colors.

• Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB)

  • Arguably one of the most beautiful stadium views in baseball (looks out over downtown PGH)

  • Tickets usually quite accessible, compared to other MLB teams, can be found here

• Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (USL Championship)

  • First-tier experience for second-tier prices, find tickets here

• Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL, out of season)

• Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL, out of season)

If you love nature

• Phipps Conservatory

  • Beautiful botanical gardens just a stone’s throw away from campus

  • Lots of cool events, see the website for details

• Frick Park

  • Fantastic walking/running trails, great hammock spots

  • Honestly feels like you’ve escaped to the wilderness but you’re still in Pittsburgh

• Schenley Park

  • Even closer to campus than Frick, somewhat smaller but equally beautiful

  • The sunset over Flagstaff Hill is just *chef’s kiss*

• Three Rivers Heritage Trail

  • Paved trail for walking/running/biking

  • Can be accessed from various points around the city, I usually go to the Southside Riverfront Park for long runs

If you like culture

• Carnegie Library

  • A whole network of libraries across the city, but it’s main location is at the Museum on Forbes (see below)

  • Lots of events available, and just a cool spot

• Carnegie Museum

  • Actually four museums, including the Museum of Art, Museum of Natural History, Science Center, and the Andy Warhol Museum

  • I can personally vouch for the Science Center being really fun, but I’ve heard the others are quite cool as well, and a few of them are walking distance from campus

• Various festivals

  • You can find a list of annual events here– Picklesburgh is a personal favorite!

  • There are also plenty of nice farmers markets to check out

Generally cool areas to explore

• Strip District

  • Specialty grocery stores (Korean, Mexican, Italian, etc.)

  • Restaurants, coffee shops, various other food-related activities

• Downtown (Dahntahn)

  • Point State Park sits at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela

  • The Duquesne Incline is a classic Pittsburgh tourist activity

• Lawrenceville (Butler St.), Shadyside (Walnut St.), Squirrel Hill (Murray Ave)

  • Neighborhoods with some nice shopping/restaurant areas

• Some restaurants that I recommend (again, biased, not exhaustive)

  • Kiin Lao (prev. Bangkok Balcony, Squirrel Hill)

  • Udipi (Monroeville, very far but so delicious, no online presence whatsoever)

  • Stack’d (Oakland, custom burgers, very close to campus)

  • Iron Born Pizza (Detroit-style, which I did not know existed, good delivery option)