Destination guides > North America > USA > Mid-Atlantic > Pennsylvania > Pittsburgh > Sightseeing, museums & tourist attractions
Pittsburgh
Sightseeing, museums & tourist attractions
CITY CENTRE
Fort Pitt Museum
This history museum depicts Pittsburgh’s early history from the original French settlement up to the dawn of the industrial age in the late 18th century.
101 Commonwealth Place, Point State Park, Pittsburgh
Tel (412) 281 9284
Website www.fortpittmuseum.com
Admission $7
Open Wed-Sun 9am-5pm
Senator John Heinz History Center & Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum
Western Pennsylvania's largest history museum in the Strip District (north of the Amtrak train station) tells the story of 250 years of Pittsburgh’s history. The complex also features a Sport Museum that includes displays on baseball, American football, ice hockey and the Olympics with a focus on local sporting achievements.
1212 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh
Tel (412) 454 6000
Website www.heinzhistorycenter.org
Admission $9 ($5 students)
Open 10am-5pm daily
NORTH SHORE
Andy Warhol Museum
The Andy Warhol Museum on Pittsburgh’s North Shore is home to one of the world’s biggest collections of artworks of Pittsburgh native, Andy Warhol.
117 Sandusky Street, Pittsburgh
Tel (412) 237 8300
Website www.warhol.org/museum_info/
Admission $15 ($8 students)
Open Tue-Sun 10am-5pm
Carnegie Science Centre
This leading science museum features hundreds of interactive exhibits plus and IMAX cinema, a planetarium and a submarine on the Ohio River.
1 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh
Tel (412) 237 3400
Website www.carnegiesciencecenter.org
Admission $14, $19 including standard IMAX film
Open Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-5pm
Mattress Factory
This contemporary art gallery on the Pittsburgh’s North Shore features exhibits of room-sized installations created by in-residence artists.
500 Sampsonia Way, Pittsburgh
Tel (412) 231 3169
Website www.mattress.org
Admission $10 ($7 students)
Open Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1pm-5pm
National Aviary
The largest aviary in the United States is home to over 600 birds representing more than 200 species.
700 Arch Street, Pittsburgh
Tel (412) 323 7735
Website www.aviary.org
Admission $10
Open 10am-5pm daily
Photo Antiquities Museum of Photographic History
This museum on the history of photography has historic photographs dating from 1839 plus exhibits of vintage photographic equipment.
531 East Ohio Street, Pittsburgh
Bus 1A, 1B, 1D, 1E, 1F, 3D, 6A, 6C, 6D, 11A, 11B, 11G, 11K, 12A, 54C
Tel (412) 231 7881
Website www.photoantiquities.org
Admission $6.50 ($5 students)
Open Mon & Wed-Sat 10am-4pm
OAKLAND / EAST END
This neighbourhood, around 5km east of the city centre, features two major universities plus the Carnegie Institute and it is home to several of Pittsburgh’s leading museums. Oakland is a vibrant area that is considered Pennsylvania’s third largest “downtown”, with only the city centres of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh having more economic activity in state.
Cathedral of Learning
This 42-storey (163m) building at the University of Pittsburgh is the second-tallest educational building in the world. This landmark is the most prominent building in the Oakland neighbourhood. It is noted for its 25 Nationality Rooms, classrooms whose decor reflects the heritage of various nations throughout the world.
Corner Fifth Avenue & Bigelow Boulevard, Pittsburgh
Tel (412) 624 6000
Website www.tour.pitt.edu/tour-080.html
Admission to Nationality Rooms $3
Open Mon-Sat 9am-2.30, Sun 11am-2.30pm
Carnegie Museum of Art
Regarded as one of the nation’s top art museums, the Carnegie Museum of Art is home to a world-class collections of American and European art dating from the 17th century.
4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh
Tel (412) 622 3131
Website www.cmoa.org
Admission $15 ($11 students)
Open Tue-Wed 10am-5pm, Thu 10am-8pm, Thu-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History is noted as home of the world’s third largest dinosaur collection. There are also displays on geology, botany, North American and Arctic wildlife plus Native American and ancient Egyptian artefacts.
4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh
Tel (412) 622 3131
Website www.tour.pitt.edu/tour-080.html
Admission $15 ($11 students)
Open Tue-Wed 10am-5pm, Thu 10am-8pm, Fri-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm
Frick Art & Historical Center
This museum complex is spread over 2ha of gardens in Pittsburgh’s East End. The centre features the Frick Art Museum, which houses early-Renaissance Sienese painting, 18th century French art and decorative arts plus an Antique Car and Carriage Museum and there are also exhibits on Henry Clay Frick, the industrialist and art collector who’s former home houses the centre.
7227 Reynolds Street, Pittsburgh
Bus 67A, 67F, 71C, 74A
Tel (412) 371 0600
Website www.frickart.org
Admission free
Open Tue-Sun 10am-5pm
Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
This is one of the United States’ largest war memorial museums with exhibits commemorating war veterans from the Civil War to the present day.
4141 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh
Tel (412) 621 4253
Website www.soldiersandsailorshall.org
Admission by donation
Open Tue-Sun 10am-4pm
SOUTH SHORE & MOUNT WASHINGTON
Mount Washington is best known for its stunning views of the city centre. It can be reached by funicular from the South Shore.
Duquesne and Mononghela Inclines
These two funicular railways (known in Pittsburgh as inclines) are the world's oldest continuously operated funiculars. Both funiculars are worth a visit although the Monongahela is more easily accessible as its southern terminal is near the Station Square T light rail station.
SUBURBAN PITTSBURGH
Kennywood
This traditional theme park features five roller coasters including three wooden rollercoaster, the more modern Phantom’s Revenge and the indoor Exterminator coaster. It is one of only two amusement parks listed on the National Register of Historic Places and one of the few that allow guests to bring their own picnic lunch.
4800 Kennywood Boulevard, West Mifflin
Website www.kennywood.com
Admission $33.99 includes all rides except the Sky Coaster, which is an additional $24.99
Open 2 May-20 Sep ; 10.30am-10pm daily (although opening hours vary according to weather conditions and demand)
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