Sometimes we visit festivals after doing minimal research, if only because we want to take things in without any preconceived thoughts on what it should be like.
We can safely say we did this for the Pittsburgh VegFest (which takes place in the North Side each August) because we only learned of one very interesting point just before arriving- this one is a vegan festival.
This little detail only made the event better.
As it comes to all of our guides about hotels near the stadiums, it would be easy for us to list the five hotels close to Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) and be done with it. Unfortunately, that is a bit boring (and a bit impractical even) as the Pittsburgh hotel scene offers a number of options for those coming in for a Steelers game.
So if you are looking for hotels near Acrisure Stadium, we have a few options for you, both in terms of their location, amenities, and practicality!
Note: A few hotels featured in this guide are found in the North Shore right next to Acrisure Stadium. Traffic becomes pretty crazy on game days, so if you are coming in just before the start of a game or departing shortly thereafter, plan for significant delays.
Camp life near Pittsburgh is a cherished thing. Everyone knows someone with a camper, and virtually every camp is about an hour away from home (at least, every camp we've ever heard of through friends and acquaintances).
We, unfortunately, never got to experience camp life until only recently, and our first outing brought us to Bear Run Campground near Moraine State Park as guests of the Butler County Visitor's Bureau. After spending two days at the property, we now fully understand why camp life is so popular!
You may know a lot of what life was like during the early days of Pittsburgh's history thanks to the forts found nearby and famous battles that took place leading up to the Revolutionary War.
But the period after the war quiets down a fair bit (apart from the brief Whiskey Rebellion) until a few decades later due to the War of 1812. This triggered a rapid increase in iron production, which subsequently became the steel industry, and ultimately modern Pittsburgh as we know it.
One spot in the Laurel Highlands, the Compass Inn Museum, captures the history from this rather calm period, around the turn of the 19th century, and showcases what life was like for those living in (and more appropriately, passing through) southwest Pennsylvania around this time!
In the category of off-beat Pittsburgh museums, the Big Mac Museum in North Huntingdon may be the most unusual of them all.
While this one is quite small and found, quite literally, inside a McDonald's, it does highlight the history of the famous burger that was invented nearby!
In general, we don't like to say that something is a complete miss, because odds are good if a business, experience, or event is not for us there may be reasons that others like it. So even in our most negative of reviews, we can often preface things as to why they're not for us.
We're going to try to do this for Little Italy Days in Bloomfield (which occurs each August), but we have to say, this one falls about as flat as it can get.
Why? This one misses out on both the Italy and Bloomfield connections that we hoped for.
When it comes to parks in Pittsburgh, hiking trails, and other green spaces, we certainly have a lot to choose from.
In fact, it seems like you can pick any direction, drive a few minutes, and find yourself surrounded by beautiful nature. So if hiking near Pittsburgh (or even in the city limits) is on your radar, you are really in luck here!
In this guide, we wanted to share some of the best Pittsburgh parks, trails, and hiking options nearby for those who want to get out and enjoy the great outdoors!
Rose All Day is a summer festival in Pittsburgh that features all things rose – ciders, beers, wines, and cocktails from dozens of vendors were featured in the inaugural event in August 2019.
With a mix of local and national wineries and breweries, an appropriately-sized venue for the crowd, minimal lines for drinks, and a good mix of non-alcohol vendors including food trucks and shopping, we can see this festival taking hold and becoming even bigger and better in the years to come.
We're not used to thinking about nature reserves as being “new,” but the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve on the campus of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe is just that.
The 50-acre nature reserve came about after many in the area expressed displeasure in the development of nearby Route 30. To ensure that the land near Saint Vincent College was not over-developed, and protect the beauty of nature that the land held, the reserve was ultimately incorporated in the year 2000.
We are big fans of caves, and in southwest Pennsylvania, our options to go underground are a bit limited.
Closer to the city it is much easier to find an old coal mine to go deep into (like at the Tour-Ed Mine and Museum) than it is to find a cave. But for those who want to make the drive in order to explore a gorgeous cave system (and the largest cave in Pennsylvania), the 90 minute trip to the Laurel Caverns in the southern Laurel Highlands is for you!