7 things to do in Pittsburgh

At the beginning of this month, we took our two kids on a big trip across the country. Our first non-road trip with two kids ever. 

For parents, there is always a little hesitation taking little kids on airplanes. No one wants to have the kids that scream and cry the whole time, which is why we prepare like crazy and pray that flights are on time and efficient. 

For the purpose of this post, I will not talk about how 2 of 4 flights went horribly wrong. How we missed two connecting flights due to airline mistakes or how we went without any luggage for a night and day. I won’t go into that on this post…

This post is all about how awesome and tourist/family friendly Pittsburgh is!

My husband is from a little town outside of Pittsburgh called Washington. When he decided it was time to take us out to meet his extended family, he wanted to make sure that we spent some time in Pittsburgh to be tourists and see what the city has to offer. 

Because we were traveling with kids, our plans were a little up in the air, as they generally are with littles. There were a few things we wanted to do in Pittsburgh, but we wanted to make sure our kids were in the right mood for it, the weather would cooperate, etc. 

We packed a lot of really fun stuff into the six days we were there. I will share what we did below!

Parks! 

Pittsburgh is ripe with parks. They are everywhere. We visited a few but my favorite park is called “Highland Park Super Playground”. It was rightly called super playground because it was, indeed, super. 

And the surrounding area is also quite lovely as well! Great for walking, playing, exploring, family bonding, etc. 

 The Carnegie Science Center

One of our favorites things to do in Pittsburgh was this the Carnegie Science Center. This place is definitely made for children. It has everything any kid (and adult) could possibly want from a legit submarine, model of the space station, planetarium, playroom, legos, etc. 

Our 4 year old was so excited here that he couldn’t stop. He just ran from one thing to the next so he could try it all. Our 1 year old was a little calmer through it all and was able to focus a bit more on one thing at a time. 

And we got to tour an actual WWII submarine. They both liked this. I’ll let my pictures show you the rest of. 

The Zoo

I’m sure this zoo is amazing all year round but I can personally say that it is awesome in October. And we had no idea until we got here that this one of the best things to do in Pittsburgh. They have what they call the Jack O’Lantern Extravaganza that happens during the month of October. The zoo opens from 6:30pm-10:30pm and is full of awesome things! Even the Giraffes were curious. 

It’s a long walk with littles all the way to the true attraction so don’t give up! It’s totally worth it!

Hiking Trails

I never would have guessed it but Pittsburgh has a lot of hiking and mountain biking trails in and around the city. They are well maintained and actually quite stroller friendly! Our kids found all the best sticks, rocks and leaves. We were here right as the leaves were changing. I can’t imagine how magical it would have been with all the changed leaves. 

Laurel Caverns

The Laurel Caverns are actually closer to West Virginia than Pittsburgh but it’s still a good day trip for anyone looking for some kid friendly caving. Our 4 year old was able to easily walk the whole thing and we had no problem carrying our 1 year old when she decided she was too tired to walk. 

We even got to see some of the wild life!

The Incline

If you have like an hour before you need to go to the airport, add this to your list of things to do in Pittsburgh before you go. The incline is a Pittsburgh classic. It’s just this old pulley trolly thing that goes up Mount Washington. It’s super cheap to ride, not super long, and very entertaining for kids. When you get to the top, you can go onto an observation deck to see all of Pittsburgh (and a great view of the science center) and you are able to go into the gear room and see how it works. 

The T-rex Mister Rogers

This is a cute little statue we came across while trying to find basic essentials when we didn’t have our luggage for the day. It’s near the hot metal bridge right across the street from REI. It’s fun to check out and it also happens to be in a neat shopping area, so it’s a double win. 

In conclusion….

Pittsburgh is a lot cooler than I thought it was going to be. There is a lot to do in Pittsburgh. Usually, I have absolutely no desire to visit a big city but as they say, “Pittsburgh is a big City with a small town feel.”

Looking for more fun stuff to do with your kids? Check out this post