We were looking for a fun experience for my husband's big sis, and boy did we find it at Bayernhof!…read moreI couldn't recommend this museum more highly. Lisa, our tour guide, was just perfect - entertaining, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and fun. Our 2-hour experience was a joy - it passed so quickly! You call ahead to arrange a tour, and Lisa returned my call maybe a day or 2 later. We arranged it for a Tuesday morning at 10am (the other option was something like 2pm). The 19,000 square foot Bavarian-inspired home is atop a large hill outside Sharpsburg overlooking the Allegheny - and with a lovely view of downtown. You come thru the gate and park near the door. Inside, Lisa talks a bit about the foyer - chock full of collectibles - and takes you to the main room with that fabulous view, a comfy room with a bar just off the kitchen. You settle in to wait for everyone to arrive. The lecture there takes about 30mins, & you learn about the wealthy, quirky eccentric, Charlie "Chuck" Brown, who built this quirky home in 1982. He was a total prankster who had very little sense about how to build a really stable home. After his death, the board would save the home for all to enjoy. The real treat is hearing from some of the 165 music machines spread thruout the house - some Chuck collected, some purchased by the board set up by Chuck's lawyer, Dave, who - with Chuck's faithful secretary - took on the Herculean task after Chuck's death of fulfilling his dream of turning the home into a museum. The mysteries of the home reveal themselves as you go - and Lisa relishes in showing them off - from the hidden doors, wet bars (in almost every room! Chuck loved to entertain though he was socially awkward!), observatory, below ground cellar, cave, and pool room with a waterfall. It's great. Lisa shares tons of stories, knowledge, anecdotes, and more. Our favorite of the fabulous musical machines: the cylinder player on the landing that has a tiny dancing black bird figure inside; the singing birds with real feathers (!!) in the bird cage upstairs; the uber-art deco Decap machine downstairs with the purple velvet pool table; and the fringe lamp victrola in the upstairs guest room. As you're walking thru the house, you can't believe all there is to see and learn. We were fascinated! Just go! You won't regret it.

This is the best kept secret in Pittsburgh. I have now toured it three times, and it never fails to…read moredelight. Tours are small and cozy, so you feel like you're taking a tour of the house as a friend. The guides are engaging and knowledgable. Don't miss it!

The Frick is a local treasure. They have a nice permanent collection and always have great rotating…read moreexhibits. For that reason, we decided to become members. I also found out that they also have great regular programs and special events too. Members receive a discount, which is great. The topics sound really interesting. I'm looking forward to attending one. We have seen so many great rotating exhibits over the years. I really love it when they have excellent art exhibits. The Vermeer exhibit a year or so ago was great. I read up about it before going and found out what a genius he really was with light. The latest exhibit French Moderns was a really good. I loved seeing all the classic artists you would expect in an exhibit like that. However, I found some other artists I had never heard of and was happy to learn about them. They were absolutely excellent. I also loved the Lewis Hine photography exhibit too. He did such a wonderful job capturing the real lives of immigrants and other hard working people from the last century. This perspective is desperately needed right now, as immigrants are often not painted in a positive light. This exhibit shone a light on how they really are and how hard they worked then and continue to work now. The 400 years of William Shakespeare exhibit was wonderful. It was so cool to see the original scripts. So interesting and different than other exhibits they have had! Another exhibit that was one of the best we have seen was the Katherine Hepburn exhibit. I loved learning all about her life, her loves, and all the fabulous clothes she wore throughout her amazing life. The car and carriage museum is also a real find. It is so great to see the evolution of vehicles from the carriage to the car. It is so cool to see all different types of vehicles created over time especially those from the local area. There was also a cool hood ornament exhibit a few years ago that was really cool especially since cars don't have them anymore. The greenhouse is always neat to see too. They have beautiful plants in and outside the greenhouse. I love seeing them grow and evolve over time. Then you go see the Clayton which is also a unique local gem. It's especially interesting to see this knowing how important the Fricks were to the local area professionally and personally. It's really great to see decorated at Christmas. It's a must visit when you come to Pittsburgh. They also offer reciprocity to other great museums all over the country.

Liked the increased onsite parking. The exhibit was housed in the museum but check in was at the…read moregift shop. The French Moderns exhibit was well attended.

A hidden gem full of hidden gems!! The Westmoreland Museum…read moreof American Art is nestled perfectly in Greensburg with stunning views inside and out. We stumbled upon their Putt-A-Palooza: Art Inspired Mini Golf Exhibit and... of course... had to give it a try, but the golf only helped to showcase the stunning layout and amazing Pittsburgh exhibits. The mini golf had 9 holes that were all inspired by a piece of art on the premise. With point systems similar to Putt Shack and even a battle hole where all four players tee off at once to put it in the hole first. But... then you could receive bonus points by finding the matching art piece in the museum and answering trivia. With the gold exhibit only open til the end of summer, go now!! I can't wait to see what new exhibits and fun events that they host in this space. With discounts for members, we may have to consider joining.

Art in Bloom 2026 was another AMAZING exhibit. I truly do not understand why more people are not…read moretalking about this! This exhibit blends art + nature in the most beautiful way, challenging local floral designers to reimagine pieces from the gallery through stunning arrangements. It's colorful, creative, and exactly the kind of spring energy us Pittsburghers all need during the transition between grey winter and spring!

Attended a 1 hr Behind the Scenes of Dinosaur Bones tour advertised to members. $50 per person 10…read morepeople per group. Limited number of tickets. Well worth money spent. Our tour was led by the head pf the department. The breadth of her knowledge of the museum, her predecessors, and collection was impressive. Did you know that England has a copy of our T Rex in their Natural History museum? Dippy's extra bones need a new resting place. Currently they have been resting on this shelf since 1800's. The wood is injuring the bottom of the fossil. (I think dinosaur lovers would donate the $30k to get Dippy's bones a new resting place.) Researchers come to study the collection. Fork lifts are used to transfer the bones from one surface to the next. A local college student found an undiscovered amphibian while searching for fern fossils on FedEx property by Pittsburgh International Airport. It was named after FedEx and the student: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/100315-new-fossil-amphibian-fedex Great experience! Would definitely attend again. I wonder what is Behind the Scenes of the art museum ...

This section of Pittsburgh has a lot to offer. You would have to take an Uber or Lyft from…read moredowntown. This is a World class combined art and history museum. Your admission ticket includes both the art and natural history museums. Admission is half price after 3pm, but the museum closes at 5:00. A few minutes away from the museum you have the Heinz Chapel, Nationality Rooms, and the outfield wall of Forbes Field.

Very much an Instagram attraction, but also a "what you make of it" experience. You can blow…read morethrough the whole place in probably 15-20 minutes or you can spend an hour or two depending on how much time you take to interact with the various exhibits and the "games" that are in the middle of the experience. I was leaning more towards four stars but stuck with three because it IS expensive for what you actually get, the space itself is pretty tiny and it can be a bit crazy if the admission slot you purchase is sold out. I have to admit, I liked this experience more than I thought I would. Sure, it has the tourist trap instagram photo spots, but it has some degree of an educational experience that I wasn't expecting. They have signage explaining some of the illusions and the science behind them. This is what I mean when I said you can blow through our spend more time. You get more out of the experience (and will spend more time there) if you take the time to read why the various illusions work. I'm a knowledge junkie, so this was really fun for me. Your best experience will be if you follow the guidelines they have posted. Each exhibit has places marked on where to stand to get the illusion and the best spot to take the photo. I have to admit, you can get some really creative and fun ones! Although those are the ones you often have a long wait for. There is very helpful staff rotating throughout the experience. I just wish they would gently push some of the people along that seem to take FOREVER to get the "perfect" shot. I came back to the building illusion (the one where you can make it look like you are hanging off the top of a building or sitting on ledge) and ten minutes later the same two girls were still taking pictures despite there being a line behind them. Exhibits are well maintained and the staff is informative. It should just have a lower price point for what you get. Parking is street parking (good luck with that on busier days) or you can park in one of the nearby garages (which would add to your expense). There is a gift shop on the way out with a variety of items ranging from magnets and pins to shirts and games. Is it worth a visit? Sure, but try to find a coupon or buy when they have some sort of promotion to make it more affordable.

Overpriced…read more Tourist Trap. Not a museum at all. It's gallery sized. Takes about 30 minutes to view everything. That includes the time you are stuck waiting for tourists to snap their instagram photos.

The Andy Warhol Museum is a great place to spend a couple hours before a Pittsburgh Pirates game…read more There are a bunch of levels in this museum, and it's pretty easy to navigate. A ton of art work throughout Andy Warhol's life. The iconic paintings of Jackie Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Campbell's Soup, and Coca-Cola are all here. I had a fun time in the video booth where you can record your own distorted video just how Andy Warhol used to record his guests. The museum is $25 for adults, $13 for seniors, $13 for students with ID, and $13 for kids 3-18 years old. Located right by PNC Park the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

I didn't know much about Andy Warhol but the 7 floors of information and art gave me a good…read moreunderstanding of his artistic progression and range and life both in (from) Pittsburgh to NY and elsewhere. He was not just an interesting eccentric that pushed culture forward but someone who found a way to make money off his art in advertising while also having a style of his own and forays into film. While this is the Warhol museum, there are pieces by others on the ground floor, including collaborators. Bottom line: Worth a view if you are a museums person and like modern art.

For the museum lovers in the crowd, this is a decent museum. I do remember thinking like a snooty…read moreelite a few times that those accustomed to museums abroad in Europe would think this was weaksauce -- in terms of the art presented and the amount of art (or lack thereof). That said, you DO get entry into not just the museum but also the History museum while there, so your day can be rather full if you want to check out more than just art (e.g., dinosaur bones and other fossils). And perhaps most interestingly -- for those who haven't been to Europe, currently there museum has these huge stone structures that you would find in, say, Rome or elsewhere. I can only imagine how they transported these! But for someone who hasn't gotten to see the immensity of something like an old historic church embellished with stone sculptures that put our basic designs to shame, this is an experience worth having... Get there while they have them if they are part of a temporary exhibit! Bottom line: Decent. Good for the kids, too.

I stopped by the Carnegie Museum of Art because I was looking for something fun to do inside. The…read moreCarnegie International is on display throughout the museum. Super cool, this is the 59th year and is the longest running exhibit in North America. This year titled "If the word we". As I was standing in the lobby reading about the exhibit, a small group started to assemble and a docent arrived for a free art walk of some classical pieces on display. In all my years of going to the museum, this was my first docent led tour and it was really interesting. It lasted about an hour and was very interactive with the guests. I really enjoyed.

I have definitely learned that contemporary/modern art is just not my thing. That being said, that…read moredoesn't mean that Mattress Factory isn't worth a visit. The museum does not have its own parking lot, so you will need to find street parking. However, there seemed to be plenty of options in the area. They exhibits are spread out over various floors and areas. They have a suggested path, but you can really explore at your own pace and interest. The "famous" work is the polka dot room which is really intriguing and visually appealing. My daughter like to say "art is all about how the artist sells it and what you make of it" and this is the perfect place to put that mentality into effect. There were some pieces that I was just baffled about being "art" and there were others that while I personally didn't enjoy them, I could appreciate the time and talent that went in to creating them. If you are looking for a unique museum experience, this is definitely the place for you.

The Mattress Factory excels at site-specific imersive installation art, and their permanent…read morecollection has some origami art by some of the biggest names in installation art. The museum also hosts private events, a few of which I've attended, and they were outstanding. The staff are very welcoming. The museum gives back to the local community in a big way.

I never noticed the building before. Inside looks like it was recently painted. The displays are…read morenice and explain the battle. There is a a movie that loops which which explains George Washington's involvement in the campaign. If you want to learn about history, stop in and visit this hidden gem.

If you are a fan of history, and more specifically, of the French & Indian War, then this museum /…read morehistory center is excellent. There is an overview of the entire war and events leading up to the war, but the main concentration here is on one specific event during the war, The Battle of the Monongahela (also known as the Battle of Braddock's Field) which took place on July 9th, 1755, at the beginning of the French and Indian War (in what is now Braddock, Pennsylvania, where this museum is located). They have lots of informational signs, lots of paintings, replica uniforms, and weapons, plus some actual relics from the war on site. There is a tour guide to explain things, and they also have a video room where you can see a 15 minute documentary of George Washington, who was present at this battle. Great place for history buffs ... Cheers!