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It's not just steel that steals the show in Pittsburgh. Large sandwiches, roller coasters, riverboats, and museums share the spotlight in the city that built America! Pittsburgh is full of fun activities for kids and teens, even those that are only kids at heart. Some visitors go to visit the famous Falling Water house or head there for budget friendly shows, opera, and sports tickets. Pittsburgh and my hometown Cleveland are friendly rivals, so it pains me just a little bit to say this, but Pittsburgh is a really great city for families and you should absolutely pay it a visit!
Visit Station Square
One of my favorite places to visit as a kid was the Station Square area of Pittsburgh. Station Square is not only home to lots of places to shop and dine, its also the site to two of my favorite attractions: The Gateway Clipper and the Duquesne Incline!
Ride the Gateway Clipper
The Gateway Clipper has a fleet of riverboats that sail through the city. They offer sightseeing or dinner cruises, as well as seasonal cruises. I've never had a bad experience on the Clipper. It's a really fun way to see Pittsburgh! And your kids will love seeing the city from a river.
Feeling Nauti? The Gateway Clipper also hosts adult only wine cruises. Photo Courtesy of The Gateway Clipper
Ride the Duquesne Incline
The Duquesne Incline is a cable car that is used to carry cargo and passengers up Mount Washington. It was built in 1877 and has been in operation ever since. I was really impressed with it as a kid, and to be honest I'm still pretty impressed with the incline as an adult. The neighborhood at the top of the incline is a great place to walk around. I've even seen a few proposals at the viewing platform at the top.
This view has inspired more than a few proposals over the years! Photo courtesy of Vidar Nordli-Mathisenn on Unsplash.
Play at Kennywood
Kennywood is an amusement park outside of Pittsburgh. I consider myself a bit of an amusement park guru, and I'll admit that there is a nostalgia factor here, because I was practically raised on potato patch fries, but Kennywood is one of my favorite amusement parks in the world. It's a great family park, they truly has something for everyone. Kennywood's newest attraction is 2019's rollercoaster of the year The Steel Curtain. The Steel Curtain inverts more times (9) than any rollercoaster in North America and is the tallest (197 feet high!) in the world!
For the younger sect, they also have Thomas Town based on everyone's favorite tank engine and lots of other family-friendly kid's rides and attractions. I have many fond memories of going to Kennywood with my cousins as a kid. Many of the attractions at Kennywood are historical landmarks. Be sure to look for the placards noting the historic attractions!
The Whip is a classic Kennywood attraction, it's almost 100 years old! Photo courtesy of Breemik08 via Creative Commons
Visit the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
Did you know that Mr. Rogers was from Pittsburgh? He filmed his show at WQED in Pittsburgh for many years. So it's no surprise that the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh has an exhibit in his honor. Kids of all ages will enjoy the many exhibits there, including science and art based exhibits. If you have older kids, check out Museumlab next door, which is geared towards the 10 and up crowd.
See Art at the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is a museum system that includes 4 museums; art, natural history, the science center and the Andy Warhol museum. If you have a dinosaur lover in your family, you need to make a beeline to the natural history museum. They have so many artifacts related to dinosaurs, including a quarry where you can dig up a "fossil" and a ton of actual fossils!
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Where to Eat
Primanti Brothers
They say when in Rome do as the Romans do, so when in Pittsburgh eat at Primanti Brothers. Primanti Brothers is a sandwich shop, with a unique twist. They put their fries and coleslaw right on the sandwich! There are other sandwich shops around town that make similar sandwiches, but trust me on this one, Primanti Brothers is where it's at. Good luck eating one though. The sheer size makes it challenging. It's worth it though, they are amazing!
S & D Polish Deli
Not a sandwich fan? Then try some pierogies! Pierogies are a traditional polish dish, basically, thin dough stuffed with potatoes or cheese and occasionally sauerkraut or meat. You can try pierogies all over town, pierogies are practically Pittsburgh's mascot. There's even a pierogi race at Pittsburgh Pirates games! I like S&D Polish Deli the best though. They are the closest to the kind of pierogies my aunts make. You can tell if the pierogies are hand made by looking at the edges. If the pierogi edges are a little bumpy, then they are most likely hand made. The bumps are from the fingers pressing them closed!
The AA battery is for reference. May the Odds be Ever in your Favor. Photo Courtesy of Joe Siegler via Creative Commons.
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Where to Stay
There is a lovely Sheraton at Station Square that would be a great place to stay if you want to be within walking distance of the Gateway Clipper and the Incline. If you want to stay on the other side of town, closer to Kennywood, then the Hampton Inn Waterfront would be a great choice! Not only do they have a pool they have a beautiful view of the river. The Fairmount is arguably the nicest hotel in PIttsburgh, that's actually where celebrities usually stay when they are in town filming movies! Tom Cruise even stayed there when he filmed Jack Reacher.
You can check out reviews of thee and other area hotels and get the best prices from TripAdvisor.
When you Go
If you're coming to Pittsburgh from Southern California, the easiest way to get here would be to fly into Pittsburgh International Airport. There is a small network of public transportation, but the easiest way to get around the 'burgh would be to rent a car or use Uber/Lyft.
Pittsburgh is known as the City of Bridges. Three rivers flow through Pittsburgh: the Allegheny, the Monongahela, and the Ohio River. Pittsburgh has a whooping 446 bridges! Because of the rivers and all those bridges, Pittsburgh can be confusing to navigate. It's not uncommon for highways in some parts of Pittsburgh to be built so close together that my GPS gets as confused as I am. So, I highly suggest that you go a little old school and print some directions out and put your best reader in the passenger seat if you decide to drive while you're in the 'burgh.
Pittsburgh also has some great Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours that can acclimate you to the city quickly and get you to the areas you want to visit fast.
Also, Viator has tours and other discounted activities that can make your visit even better.
Which lane do you need? You've got like 300 feet, better figure it out! Photo Courtesy of Wikideas and AboutMyTrip.Com
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The children's museum seems like a lot of fun. I sure would not mind becoming a kid again over here. My 2nd choice would be Kennywood – looks like it would be a complete day trip there. Seems like a lot of good places to eat as well. Well done with that information as you always need to treat the exhilarated kids.
I cant wait to explore this part of USA and Pittsburgh is on my list and you have given me a few ideas. Now I have children, the children's museum I would check out, I am sure they would enjoy it and have so much fun there. Kennyworld looks appealing and so much fun as well. But for me, being an outdoorsy person but loving the urban environment, I would love to take walks or run alongside the river and see what life away from the centre of the city is like for the locals. Great post and again, given me a few ideas 🙂
Pittsburgh looks like a great city break, with lots for everyone but especially good for families. River cruises are always a favourite for me and I adore funiculars so I want to go on the Duquesne Incline. And the old school amusement park at Kennywood looks fun too.
I have not visited Pittsburg yet and just added it to my when I can travel again list for a long weekend getaway. It looks like Station Square is the place to stay and the view from the top of the Duquesne Incline can't be beaten. This was a great intro to the city, thank you!
Pittsburgh is still on my list. Such great tips for families. But for me also. I add The Duquesne Incline cable to my bucket list when visiting Pittsburgh. It's so exciting that it was built in 1877. I would also like to take the Gateway Clipper riverboats trip and sail through the city. Option with lunch or dinner seems perfect.
How I missed our annual Christmas trip to Pittsburgh last year! My husband is from the area, so reading this is like bringing back memories of all the food and the places in town. We also like S&D pierogis, but it's hard to find a parking spot in the Strip. And we normally spent a day in the Natural History Museum. When our son was little a trip to the Children's Museum was a fun one.
I've always wanted to visit Pittsburgh, I've heard of this charming town and it's definitely on my list. My grandparents live in DC and I know this is a close drive away. I think the things to do here would be suitable to do with them on a day trip especially because they love museums, being from DC. Thanks for the ideas!
I would be happy to be in Pittsburgh and more so when you say it's a great place for kids. Luckily I still retain my childhood enthusiasm and that should be helpful. These are great tips for someone visiting for the first time. I would love to do the Gateway Clipper riverboats trip and sail through the city. The lunch or dinner options would make it even more nice as I love these meal included trips.
I have never been to Pittsburgh but it looks like a city we would definitely enjoy. I also travel with kids, so this had so many great tips for us. Children's Museums are always fun, and we love trying local foods. I quite sure we would have great time in Pittsburgh.
It has been far too long since my last visit to Pittsburgh. Since I was last there for business, I missed many of these family friendly spots to visit. The Gateway Clipper or going up the Duquesne Incline would be a great way to see the city from a different perspective.