Year: 2017

Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland – A Drive-Through Light Show

Note: In 2022, Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland has relocated to Coopers Lake in Butler County. In previous years, it was at the Butler County Fairgrounds approximately 10 minutes away. This article is from a visit to the fairgrounds location. We will update accordingly when we make it to the new location.

Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland is a holiday light display that has several locations around the country.

In western Pennsylvania, Shadrack's calls Butler County its home and is one of the most popular Christmas experiences in the greater Pittsburgh region.

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Bella Bambini Cello Review – Flavorful Alcohol Infusions

Pittsburgh's alcohol scene is growing at an incredible pace, and over the last few years we've been fortunate to have many breweries, whiskey distilleries, rum distilleries, and even a vodka distillery open and call the region home.

One alcohol style we have not been fortunate enough to have is an infusion producer. This all changed when Bella Bambini Cello opened its doors in Coraopolis in late 2017.

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Tinsel Town Cocktails Review – A Laid Back Christmas Bar in Pittsburgh

Harris Grill closed their downtown location in December 2021. As such, this popup bar is likely not returning in future years.

Christmas in Pittsburgh is a big thing. We as a city go all-in for the holiday from Light Up Night until well after New Years.

The downtown Pittsburgh restaurant Harris Grill gets in on the holiday spirit and transforms their first floor bar space into a holiday pop-up known as Tinsel Town Cocktails.

While this one may not be over-the-top Christmas like nearby Miracle on Market, it does offer a laid back drinking experience during the holidays that downtown Pittsburgh could always use more of.

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Dive Bar Review – A Modern Gastropub in Lawrenceville

Dive Bar is, in contrast with its name, a modern gastropub with three locations in the area in Lawrenceville, South Side, and Wexford. The menu features several standard bar favorites like burgers and wings but mixes it up with some twists including unique appetizers and sandwiches. They've also got a great happy hour deal which is $2 off draft beer and half off appetizers.

We visited the Lawrenceville location recently for happy hour and were pleasantly surprised at our meal. We thought Dive Bar was going to be just another mediocre bar in the sea of many in Lawrenceville, but there were a few things that set it apart.

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International Christmas at the Cathedral of Learning

Note: The Nationality Rooms will not be decorated for the holidays in 2021 due to COVID. We hope the rooms will return with holiday festivities in 2022.

The Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning are one of Pittsburgh's true gems. These rooms function as classrooms for the University of Pittsburgh, but they are much more than that- they are also designed in the style of classrooms from various countries around the world.

Although we always love taking out of town visitors to these rooms, perhaps the best time of year to do so is the Christmas season.

From late November to early January every year, these classrooms come alive with Christmas trees and other holiday decorations that are representative of decorations from their respective countries. And if that wasn't enough, the common area of the cathedral is also decked out with even more Christmas trees and decorations as well!

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Udipi Cafe Review – Southern Indian Cuisine at Its Finest

Udipi Cafe in Monroeville has been on our radar for quite some time as one of the only places in the area to get delicious and authentic Southern Indian cuisine. We finally recently ventured out to this spot and we have to say, it's worth the drive.

While it won't win any points for atmosphere, this all-vegetarian spot serves up traditional dishes like dosa and Thali sets that transport you straight to India. Southern India, that is.

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Miracle on 6th Pop-Up Review – Wall to Wall Christmas

In 2022, the Miracle pop-up bar will be located at 137 6th Street and is aptly named Miracle on 6th. The below review is from past visits and may not be fully representative of 2022's menu.

Our visit to Pittsburgh's Miracle bar was two years in the making.

To call this holiday pop-up bar popular would be an understatement, as seemingly everyone wants a piece of the action. We tried to visit the Miracle pop-up twice and were met with lines out the door that barely moved.

Dejected and not wanting to wait outside in below-freezing temperatures, we waited until a future pop-up to get in to try the seasonal creations. We made it our mission to visit this one on a Thursday night, hopeful for smaller crowds, and arrived to yet another packed house.

But with a bit of persistence and luck we made it to the bar fairly quickly to order a few rounds of holiday themed libations.

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The Lawrenceville Cookie Tour – A Holiday Treat

In 2022, the Joy of Cookies tour was rebranded as The Lawrenceville Cookie Tour. We visited in a prior year with the previous name; however, we expect the format to be the same. In 2022, the Lawrenceville Cookie Tour will take place on December 10th and 11th.

The Lawrenceville Cookie Tour (formerly the Joy of Cookies Tour) has been an annual tradition for almost two decades.

This event takes place the first weekend in December and is basically an open house for Lawrenceville businesses and restaurants complete with free cookies at each stop.

If you want to support local businesses with your holiday shopping, or if there are shops you've always wanted to check out but always seem to pass by, The Lawrenceville Cookie Tour is a perfect event for you to explore this buzzing neighborhood.

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