Best museums and places to explore
Justin and I typically head to downtown Pittsburgh for a sporting event, but for my birthday, we decided to explore the city without baseball, football, or hockey. We had a wonderful time! Pittsburgh is my “home city”, as I grew up about 45 minutes north of downtown, so we packed a Saturday full of 412 fun! Here’s what we did on our day trip to the Steel City.
PHIPPS CONSERVATORY
We started our day at Phipps Conservatory. This is one of our favorite places to visit in the city. If you are visiting in the summer, our tip is to make sure to go early in the day. We went on a hot July day and got there at 9:30 am when they opened. We left around 11:00 am, and by that point, the greenhouses were already getting toasty inside.
Through September 22, they have the Under the Sea Flower Show, and it is a must-see! We loved this nautical theme. We have been in years past, and this was one of our favorite themes. It is also a beautiful place to visit during the holiday season, with so many blooms and decorations throughout the year. If you’re a flower or garden lover, this is a fantastic place to check out. What we loved about this exhibition was its many surprise elements. If you have a family, this would be an awesome place with its interactive floral displays.
The Hawaii exhibit is great too. We visited Hawaii two years ago, and we felt this oasis really brought the spirit of Aloha to Pittsburgh. Also, the butterfly room was so much fun, with butterflies floating and fluttering all around! Another favorite of mine that is a year-round exhibit is the orchid room. Orchids are one of my favorite flowers, and they have an entire area dedicated to them alone!
Phipps Conservatory is open Monday – Thursday from 9:30 am – 5:00 pm, Friday until 10:00 pm, and Sunday until 5:00 pm. Hours can change depending on the season so make sure to check their website.
To purchase a ticket to the Phipps Conservatory visit their website:
https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/
A short 10-minute walk from Phipps was our next stop: the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. They both share the same building.
CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
This museum was a bit of a gem for us, and we have already planned a day to go back and soak in all it has to offer. We spent a lot of time at the Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems. Wow! It is amazing what nature can mold and make. This large collection of minerals and gems leads right to the Wertz Gallery of Gems and Jewelry. The jewelry is stunning, although you are not allowed to take photos of it.
Our next stop was the Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibit. This was so cool! I vaguely remember visiting this as a child, but it was so NEAT! They have dozens of dinosaur fossils on display. When we went in July, they were celebrating the 125th anniversary of Dippy the dinosaur’s discovery. They had paleontologists and dinosaur experts throughout the exhibit, and you could talk to them and learn more about these ginormous creatures of the past. It was truly an amazing experience, and we learned so much more than we ever had before.
We spent over an hour checking out all the fossils. We could not recommend this museum enough. We just scratched the surface with these three exhibitions, and like I said, we already have plans to return soon.
They recommend getting timed tickets to visit this museum. At the time of writing this article, they are open Sunday – Saturday from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.
For more information, visit their website: carnegiemnh.org
CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART
The Carnegie Museum of Art has so many different galleries to enjoy. We unfortunately did not have a lot of time at this museum, but we did get to spend some time in the modern art galleries and the impressionist galleries. We always enjoy the impressionist paintings. They are certainly stunning in beauty and feel like they transport you to a different place and time.
The museum is open Friday – Wednesday from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm and on Thursdays from 10:00 am – 8:00 pm. After Labor Day, the museum is closed on Tuesdays.
To find out more about the Carnegie Museum of Art, head to Carnegieart.org
CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER
We hopped in the car to head to the Carnegie Science Center. With my Discovery Space of Central PA membership, we have free admission to the Carnegie Science Center with our ASTC pass. You should really check out a membership with Discovery Space! It has many benefits! More about Discovery Space can be found on their website,
https://discoveryspace.org/
While we were at the Carnegie Science Center, we did pay extra to check out the Science of Pixar exhibit. We love Disney and Pixar, and this was worth it. We learned so much about animation and how many hours it takes just to render one frame of these timeless movies! Even if you are not a Disney fan like us, it is fascinating how these films are put together. This special exhibit runs until January 2025.
The Carnegie Science Center is open daily from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. For more information, head to https://carnegiesciencecenter.org
NORTH SHORE RIVERFRONT PARK AND TRAIL
After leaving the Carnegie Science Center, we walked the North Shore riverfront park and trail. Along the walk, we stumbled upon the Mr. Rogers statue, walked right past Acrisure Stadium and PNC Park, checked out the inclines and the Point from across the river, and had a spectacular view of the city skyline the entire walk! We then headed across the Clemente Bridge to grab some dinner.
More information on the River Walk can be found here:
https://riverlifepgh.org/riverfront-guide/north-shore-riverfront-park-trail/
THE WARREN
I had a friend recommend that we get dinner and drinks at The Warren. It is located right beside the Benedum Center in the Cultural District. We started off with Brussels sprouts and potstickers for appetizers. I had the Tomato Basil Flatbread for dinner, and it was mouthwateringly delicious. Justin had the Steak and Cheese and said that it was pretty good, which is high praise because he is very serious about his cheesesteaks being from Philadelphia. We were celebrating my birthday, and this was certainly worth it and very good.
I think their menu changes often, so you might want to visit their website for the most up-to-date information: https://thewarrenpgh.com
We arrived in Pittsburgh around 9:30 am and headed north back home around 7:00 pm, but we had a fun-filled and jam-packed day! Pittsburgh is certainly a walkable and safe city. We both agreed we need to play tourists in my home city more often. Do yinz have a favorite thing to do when visiting the city of Pittsburgh?
Wx Shield 
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