This is a beautiful boat with an amazing educational mission. Yes, they do run charters, but their…read moreprimary mission is to educate school-age children and adults on the history of Pittsburgh's steel making and also environmental issues. The staff is well trained and the boat is spacious and versatile. The boat is moored near the Science Center.

I had my eye on these tours for a long time, and finally we were lucky enough to be in town for the…read more"Voices of Carrie Furnaces" guided tour of the Homestead Iron Works, which I believe only happens one day each month during the warm half of the year. This is absolutely a treat for anyone with roots here or a fascination with industry and manufacturing. The highlights: Most tours are guided by former steelworkers and people with a first-hand involvement in the steel industry. You get a great overview of the plant, which was the center of life for this community and the lifeblood of the region for more than a century. Our tour placed a heavy emphasis on the engineering and technology of steelmaking, so if that's your thing, it's Christmas. And it's a minor miracle that these two blast furnaces have been preserved. I would suggest that they augment the tours with photos or videos that might help bring these hulking structures to life a bit more, and maybe insert some specific stories about immigrants and working families, union battles, and other colorful bits about Homestead. Sure, a windfall of donor support and a visitor center would go a long way to improving things on that score, but a little shift in emphasis could be done on a budget. Either way, Rivers of Steel is hugely important for preserving the region's steel heritage, and their efforts to extend that support to the community are vital.

My sister in law booked tour stop tickets for us to do the tour. We were excited because it would…read morelimit the collective driving and parking issues at various stops. Everything is ridiculously vague. The pick up location indicated one area outside the Fairmont Hotel, but there was no signage and a very helpful valet pointed us to the pickup location. We were in place over 10 min early with one person still monitoring the other designated stop just in case, but that didn't mean anything because the "pickup times are approximate." We waited about 25 minutes and figured that the bus running over 15 minutes late seemed a bit extreme, so my SIL called the company. Apparently the bus came and left from who knows where and we never even saw it despite being able to see clearly down five different streets. Our next option was to wait over an hour for the next bus, but the person on the phone couldn't provide the exact bus pick up location, which made waiting pointless if the bus was not going to be at the advertised location. We ended up sightseeing on our own.

We had a good time with the hop on, hop off tour. It really did bring us around the city, and we…read morehad time to enjoy our stops before being picked up again. Our first tour guide did a great job letting us know what had been filmed in certain areas, but not so well with telling us what someone might see or experience at different spots. Our second guide, Ren, did a great job with that. I wish she had talked about the giant art fair that had been going on through town though. (Although, maybe she did when we weren't on the bus?) We didn't have any issues with pick up or drop off. We got to see the Duquesne Incline, Randyland and The Warhol Museum. At one point we did stop at the tour companies headquarters - I would advise you not to make the same mistake I did and get sunscreen.

This is a really cool park near Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Target around Upper St. Clair that I…read morelike to stop at whenever I'm in the area. The trail is great for beginners or if you just want a quick jog. There are several benches you can sit down on along the way, plus a tree stump in the woodsy part that you can also sit on to rest. It's a very well maintained trail that smells like freshly cut wood chips, and has a nice variety of terrain. I didn't see any dog poop (it's a no-dog park) and no litter at all, which the multiple trash cans around the loop definitely help with. While a good portion of the trail has the wood chips, some areas could use a bit more. After rain, a few spots can get muddy and it can get a little marshy in the grassy part where there is no trail. The outer loop is about 1.2 miles, and there are several spots where the trail branches off. There's a more "woody" section and a more "grassland" section, which keeps it interesting. It's also not hard to find parking at the church across the street. There's a lot of birds chirping and tons of squirrels and bunnies, and every once in a while you'll spot deer. Inside the barn fence there are lambs and sometimes horses, which is a nice touch. Also kind of cool is that there are wild chive plants around this trail which is common in the Pittsburgh area, and you'll find some growing in the park if you know what to look for.

This place is incredible. We stopped today for their Community Open House event, and even though I…read morehave been here in the past, it is always nice getting to see it again. The old house, and farm are really special, and I am so glad that the Upper St. Clair Historical Society maintains these buildings and property so we can occasionally get to visit and see how things used to be. Today they had all kinds of activities going on, from hayrides, petting zoo, sheep shearing, cow milking, yarn spinning, beekeeping, and of course tours of the historic house, barn and outbuildings, all of which are like a museum. This place was well worth the price of admission . . . FREE, but the suggested donation was $5 per person.

We had the best time on this tour. I even learned some new things about my own city! The tour…read moreguides were super nice and accommodating. I like how they incorporate history, art, and culture. We biked to Allegheny City Brewing, swung by Penn for a look at the lager caves, stopped at Eleventh hour and Aslin. Beers were included as well as bites at one stop. I would say that you should have moderate skill/confidence riding a bike for this tour since you're weaving through the city. A great way to explore Pittsburgh and get a small taste of our awesome beer scene!

We had a blast doing the Bikes & Brews Tour with Dan and Diane experiencing some great tastings and…read morelearning pieces of Pittsburgh history.

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 Moonshot Museum is a small museum located in the Chateau neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The ticket…read moreprice is $10, however Carnegie Science members get a discount. It takes about a half hour to explore the exhibits. You can rent the Museum for your event, which seems pretty cool. They have a small gift shop.

This place is incredible ... recently opened on Pittsburgh's North Side in the Chateau neighborhood…read more(very close to CCAC and Acrisure Stadium), this museum is housed in the Astrobotic Lab (next to Wendy's). Admission is $10 per person, and I thought well worth the price of admission. The highlight of our visit was seeing the Peregrine Lander, which is headed to the moon soon. In addition to seeing moon landers and rovers and robots, there are interactive exhibits that curious people of all ages will enjoy. The volunteer docents we met were extremely passionate and knowledgeable about the subject at hand, and I learned a lot in my short visit. I hope to come back again some time and see what new things they are working on next ... Cheers!! P.S. They also have a small gift shop near the admission desk.

We did the Strip District Food Tour with Burgh Bits & Bites today…read more ... and I'm already looking forward to signing up for their Lawrenceville tour. The original food tour company in Pittsburgh - they take you on tours with local experts and great connections to the city culture. We were blessed with our tour guide, Karen - who was a culinary instructor and an architecture buff - so our tour of the Strip District was loaded with quips and tips. Rather than just trying the food on a new era self guided tour, you are given the history of the century old establishments, the clever stories that made them what they are, and a personal interaction curated with the owners at a dedicated time. We visited 11 places and ate at 8. Karen said that she'd consider it a win if we ended on time and we ended full. The tour took exactly two hours as advertised and we didn't even need dinner later that night! I grew up in Pittsburgh but I will now cherish so much more of the Strip District - this tour opened my eyes to what so many more places have to offer! Oh....and you get swag!!! Tote bags to carry your goodies!!

The tour in Lawrenceville was awesome, Sylvia was great guide. Really appreciated the great food…read moreand the little bits of history about Lawrenceville made for a very memorable afternoon...would highly recommend for anyone looking for something to do to witness Pittsburgh in a new light

This is such an incredibly cool space! I've been here to use…read morethe library, to attend performances, to participate in performances and attend special events in the event space. All of the experiences have been wonderful. The library portion is fantastic. A large kids section with friendly and helpful librarians, a great area (with a fireplace!) to relax, computers and an overall great selection of books. The music hall portion is wonderful as well. Seats are pretty comfortable with a decent amount of room and you can see well from basically anywhere in there. The backstage area has two large dressing rooms with lighted mirrors. The only downside is that there is fairly limited parking, so if you are attending an event, you need to get there early enough to grab a spot or hope for nearby street parking.

I couldn't imagine walking up the street or steps from the main street in Carnegie to the Library…read more Let's hear it for automobiles. Built high on the hill, I am sure it witnessed a lot of Pittsburgh history. The kind staff allowed us to see the theater. It is very similar to Carnegie Library of Homestead. The lower level seats have been adopted and refurbished with nice padding. The Library is still raising funds to refurbish the seats on the 2nd floor. The fireplace on the main floor of the Library is enormous from floor to ceiling (at least 20 ft ceilings). The Civil War Nurses exhibit brought us to the library. Very enjoyable. We will be back to experience other events at the Library and theater. Ample parking during Library hours. Not sure enough parking onsite for theater events. Street parking available.

Full disclosure, I am a Docent Volunteer with Doors Open Pittsburgh. I became a volunteer after…read moreattending the annual Downtown event in the fall ever since moving to Pittsburgh. Lots of folks attend this big downtown tour, but did you know that DOP also does Guided Walking Tours, Insider Tours, Bus Tours and Virtual Storytelling Events? I have done Walking Tours focused on the historic numbers racket on Fifth Ave and Squirrel Hill. It was fascinating to learn about the old gangsters in Pittsburgh! I did an Insider Tour of Thaddeus G. Mosley's Woodworking Art Studio this year. Mr. Mosley is a real Pittsburgh treasure! During COVID, I did a lot of the Virtual Storytelling Events. You can sign up for these anytime as they are all online at https://doorsopenpgh.org Go ahead and #BeNebby by signing up for a tour! I think you'll love it!

Came to an event last weekend in the Hill District to check out the Pittsburgh Bomb Squad event. We…read morestarted promptly at 10am and were wrapping up about an hour to hour and half later. It was really interesting to hear about how the Bomb Squad came to be and some of the training and best practices they use--especially after the Boston Bombing. The Doors Open volunteer helped facilitate the introduction but after that they kind of took a step back to let the Bomb Squad lead the discussion which was definitely the right call. Thanks Doors Open for setting these up!

Very friendly staff. Tour was interesting and informative about the brand…read more Also, did the whiskey tasting with the tour. I would recommend that.

We enjoyed Wiggle very much and it's always a stop when we are in town. We stopped in on a rainy…read moreMonday afternoon and found it to be very empty. Well, the website said that their kitchen was open when we got there the bartender let us know that it was in fact not open and that it was only beverage service. That was a slight disappointment to us as we probably would've hung out later if we could've been able to get food. I did a flight and tried the honey, the apple, the kilted barrel cast, and the Wapsie. Overall, I thought they were all pretty decent. The kilted definitely has a lot of peak and drinks very closely to a scotch. The honey one for me was my favorite and I ended up buying a bottle to bring home. My husband got an old-fashioned made with the Wapsie. He enjoyed it but liked it even more after the ice melted a bit. We were a little surprised that they close so early on a Monday but they close even earlier on Sundays so highly recommend that you pay attention to the operating hours if you're planning to visit.