Off The Trails » Pittsburgh Adventure

Pittsburgh Adventure

Pittsburgh Adventure

Welcome to Pittsburgh, our latest off the trails destination! www.pittsburgh.net Pittsburgh as a choice may surprise you, but there are many attractions that Pittsburgh and the surrounding area offers. For the kids, there are parks and playgrounds, the Fort Pitt Museum, Carnegie Museum, the Nationality Rooms of The Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, and Buhl Science Center. That’s a lot! For the sports fans, Heinz Stadium houses the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pirates play at PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Penguins play in town, too. There are fishing, boating, hiking, and bicycling. In winter, cross country skiing and ice skating are popular. In summer, there are swimming pools and wave pools, and water parks at Sandcastle and Ligonier Park. For those seeking history and culture, there are the museums: Senator John Heinz History Center, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, Heinz Hall, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. There are art galleries, the Pittsburgh Ballet, the neighborhoods, and the Pittsburgh Symphony. If adventure is what you’re looking for, rock climbing at McConnell’s Mills, or white water rafting in the Yough at Ohiopyle should satisfy. For just plain fun, ride either the Duquesne Incline or the Mon Incline, stroll through Point State Park and enjoy the fountain and the three rivers, (Allegheny, Monongahela, Ohio) or ride out McKnight Road, north of town, and enjoy the shopping. Venture further afield to Tarentum and visit the tour-Ed Mine, to discover how coal mining works in a real mine. Harmony has the Harmony museum, a recreation of an 1800’s Mennonite village. Round Hill Farm, in Elizabeth, is a working exhibit farm.
Offthetrails visited the Cathedral of Learning’s Nationality Rooms first. Guided tours and audio tours are available on weekends and summers; self-conducted are allowed in the un-occupied classrooms. Some of the nationalities represented are Scottish, Yugoslavian, Italian, African, and Indian. www.pitt.edu

We stopped to see the Stephen Foster Statue and Memorial. Stephen Foster is a Pittsburgher who wrote many songs in the 19th century, including “I Dream of Jeannie,” “Swannee River,” and “My Old Kentucky Home.”
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has beautiful gardens and a delightful café, serving healthy and tasty salads, soups, and sandwiches. MaryJo’s lunch was falafel and homemade potato chips, for about $8. Greg’s was a chipotle Chicken Panini with chips, for about $7. We included a glass of wine and an organic beer for a total bill of $26. Organic wines and beers are offered, along with soft drinks, teas and coffee. Vegan chili was on the menu. Customers can sit inside or outside on the patio in pleasant weather. The gardens have many beautiful plants and seasonal flower shows. Admission is $10. Allow an hour to stroll through. http://phipps.conservatory.org/

A trip to Point State Park offers the opportunity to see the Ft. Pitt Blockhouse, the Ft. Pitt Museum, the fountain, and the three rivers: the Mon, the Allegheny, and the one that is formed by the other two, the Ohio. The blockhouse was built in 1764 by the British, and admission is free. The museum highlights the early history of Pittsburgh. Admission is $5. Allow about an hour for both. The park provides a quiet and pretty oasis to stroll, bike, people watch, play Frisbee, or just enjoy the views.

Lastly, we rode the Duquesne Incline in South Side. The Incline is unique. It operates on a balance system, so when one car goes up, the other must come down. The Incline climbs Mt.Washington, and Mt. Washington offers breathtaking views of the city! The round trip is only $2.50 per person. http://incline.pghfree.net/index.shtml

Off to the hotel, Comfort Suites in Belle Vernon, so we’ll be near the Pittsburgh Renaissance Faire. We have a lovely two queen bed room with a microwave, fridge, coffee maker, work table, and dining table, for the relatively moderate price of $99 per night. Breakfast is included. There is an outdoor pool, closed for the season. The staff is very helpful!

The Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival

The Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival was fantastic! It is held in West Newton, about 40 minutes south of Pittsburgh. From the first sign proclaiming “Eat, drynk and be merrie!” to the “Fare thee well!” from the people on the entry gate wall, the fun was nonstop! The time period is the 16th century, in the time of Henry VII. Visitors to the shire can meet the king, the queen, and the prince and princesses. Entertainment, food and shopping are the major attractions. Entertainment featured such acts as Celtic Commotion, bagpipes and drums with a contemporary flair; Mad Mechanics, a group that very loosely and comically adapts Shakespeare; The German Brothers, an absurd pair of “German rap stars”; and Caste in Bronze, a dramatic entertainer who plays the carillon bells. Food items that include smoked turkey leg, BBQ pork sandwiches, soup in a bread bowl, fish and chips, fresh berry cobbler, apple dumpling, and root beer floats will fill empty stomachs and satisfy cravings. As for shopping, candles, artwork, renaissance clothing, jewelry, toys, sky chairs, and weaponry will provide many opportunities to buy. The Children’s Realm is a haven for the young ones. Games are fun for the whole family. The fair is in glens, dales, and open fields. Each weekend has a theme, and this one was Irish Festival. Admission is $13.50 each for advanced tickets. Faire hours are 10:30 – 6:30, weekends.
www.pgh-renfest.com

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The Irish community sponsored the Irish Festival in West Homestead at Riverplex. We saw Irish entertainers; sampled Irish foods such as potato chowder, sheppard’s pie; and shopped at Irish vendors. We tried Potcheen, an Irish moonshine, which was very tasty and potent. For children, there was a special tent with children’s activities. It was a nice afternoon for only $10 each.

Irish Festival

Finally, we drove out Rt. 30 to Ligonier, a charming little town and the site of Ft. Ligonier in the mid 1700s. We toured the fort and chatted with the historical interpreter. It was fun and educational. For example, we learned that a “mess” was a group of six soldiers who shared cooking duties. The barracks held groups of 30 to 40 soldiers and they slept two to a bunk. Life size dioramas in various buildings depict militia life in the British army in 1759. We saw wagons, cannons, an Indian wigwam, and much more. Exhibits with artifacts from the period are in the museum. Admission is $8 per person. Allow an hour.

The town itself is worth a stroll and a stop for lunch. Tree lined streets, a town square, and a gazebo give Ligonier an air of old fashioned charm. Lunch at Ligonier Tavern was excellent.
Greg had French Onion Soup for $4 and Roast beef and Mushroom Hoagie for $9. MaryJo started with a cup of Zucchini Asiago Soup for $3 and ordered the Pittsburgh Salad for $9. It was all delicious. Our server, Alex, was pleasant and attentive.

We concluded our trip to the Pittsburgh area and began a trip on the back roads of Pennsylvania. http://ligonier.com/

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Cathedral of Learning