Local Adventure: How to Spend a Day in Pittsburgh

Hey you! Happy New Year – a new year that brings a new installment of local adventures!

I realized I’ve been writing about local travel a bunch without ever defining it. For me, local travel is anywhere within PA (where I live) and the surrounding tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT). Mostly, if it’s under 5 hours of driving, I would consider it local. I’m lucky enough to get off between Christmas and New Year’s, so I took a day trip out to Pittsburgh. If you’re looking for ideas on how to fill a day out in the Three River City, keep reading!

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
I left early in the morning, coffee in hand for Pittsburgh. My first destination was the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Heads up, a lot of places require timed tickets to be purchased ahead of time. They were still doing their Holiday Magic! Winter Flower Show and Light Garden show, complete with holiday trees, themed topiaries, and more than 1,600 poinsettias as well as an outdoor light display. I loved it – highly recommend! It reminded me of Longwood Gardens in Eastern PA.

Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural Science
My next stop was the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural Science. I timed my tickets pretty far out from each other to allow plenty of time for eating and parking. I packed my lunch (great way to save some money and have an impromptu picnic). Parking is usually an issue in cities so I always leave a lot of time to find a spot. On the street I ended up parking on, I happen to stumble across this super cute used book shop, Caliban Book Shop. Despite having to plan a lot more due to COVID restrictions, there are still moments for spontaneity if you are on the look out for them.

I then walked to the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural Science (tickets and masks required). There are two websites, one for the art museum and one for the natural science museum, but your ticket gets you into both, regardless of which website you buy it from. I mostly stuck to the art museum. When I went they had Monet, Van Gogh, Pollock, and more. It was beautiful. Definitely a must see in Pittsburgh.

Duquesne Incline
Next I visited the Duquesne Incline. Built in 1877, stations like these were used carry cargo up the inclines and then later passengers. Roundtrip was only $5. Doing this, I realized I had an unfound fear of cable cars. I apparently don’t like being pulled up the side of a mountain in a box pulled by ropes. A bit dramatic, but you get my point. Still, a cool experience overall. There’s a small sort of museum at the top and a great overlook of the city. All three of these spots were only about a five minute car ride from each other.

All in all, a fun day filled with nature, culture, and history. What makes your list of must-sees in Pittsburgh?