Events

Dazzling Nights at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden is a Premium Holiday Treat

In 2022, the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden near Oakdale announced they were hosting a new holiday light experience, aptly named Dazzling Nights, which transformed 65 acres of the property into a gorgeous walkthrough experience.

We, naturally, were quite excited about this one as walk-through Christmas lights in Pittsburgh are few and far between, and hit this one shortly after it opened in November.

While this one comes at a significant premium over just about every other holiday experience in the city, we have to admit, we had quite a good time here all the same!

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Phipps Conservatory’s Winter Flower Show – Holiday Magic

When it comes to holiday festivities, one of the best places in Pittsburgh to visit is Phipps Conservatory. Their winter flower show, which begins the Friday before Thanksgiving and runs until early January, is a celebration of the holiday season with festive art pieces, an array of gorgeous winter flowers, and some of the most beautifully decorated Christmas trees in Pittsburgh.

The 2022-2023 flower show is themed Holiday Magic and features numerous arctic animals plus those inspired by stories from the North Pole- like the abominable snowman and unicorns!

As members of the conservatory, we got the chance to visit this one on opening day in the 2022-2023 season (running until January 8th, 2023) and wanted to share a few of our favorite rooms here!

Note: The outdoor garden shots were from 2021's show while indoor shots were from this year's 2022-2023 show. As such, there may be some differences outside when you visit this year.

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Petersen Events Center Concerts – Is The Venue Worth It?

When it comes to concerts in Pittsburgh, many venues have regular shows throughout the year. Some spots, like the Petersen Events Center, host concerts less frequently as this particular venue is primarily used for Pitt basketball games first and foremost.

But clocking in at about 12,000 seats, the Petersen Events Center is a serious stadium (roughly 2/3 the size of PPG Paints Arena) and does attract star talent periodically. While stadium performances are not typically our favorite, we have to admit we loved our show at this particular spot (Billy Strings) and have some thoughts on where to sit, what to consider before visiting, and what to avoid!

So if you plan to attend a concert at the Petersen Events Center soon, keep these tips in mind!

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How to Get the Most Out of Light Up Night in Pittsburgh

In Pittsburgh, the start of the holiday season is not ambiguous.

It is not after Halloween when department stores put out Christmas decorations (or do they do it before now?). It is not the day after Thanksgiving that many traditionally observe. It is also not the first snow sighting, December 1st, the fall time change, or any other arbitrary benchmark.

This one particular instance should not be up for debate, as the start of the Christmas season in Pittsburgh is Light Up Night- the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

In this guide, we want to share some of our favorite tips on how to get the most out of what is perhaps our favorite annual event in Pittsburgh!

Note: Prior to 2021, Light Up Night took place on the Friday before Thanksgiving. Starting that year, Light Up Night became a weekend affair with most of the true Light Up Night festivities taking place on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

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18 Concert Venues in Pittsburgh to Take in a Great Show

There was a time in the not-so-distant past that if you brought up the Pittsburgh music scene, odds are good the response you'd get from others was “it is terrible, [city] is better”. 

For a while, we thought that too.

But in recent years, the popularity of live music in Pittsburgh has really exploded both for bands that make stops into the city and for our music venues outright. So in this one, we thought we'd round up some of the best Pittsburgh concert venues, what you can expect when visiting, and more!

We've also decided to arrange this one by capacity (from smallest to largest, roughly), just for fun. As with everything on this site, this list only features venues we've personally visited. As we take in more shows in the area, we'll update this guide accordingly!

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GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World in Pittsburgh

The Carnegie Science Center on the North Shore is truly a world-class museum in Pittsburgh. This one features an array of science-based exhibits ranging from robotics to water, the human body to sports science, and so much more.

In a recent expansion, the Carnegie Science Center added an extra venue to allow for touring shows to come for limited-time runs in the city and we love visiting these to put our Carnegie Museums membership to good use.

In the summer of 2022, The Science Center welcomes a new exhibit entitled GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World– a touring exhibit with many historical guitars and exhibits showcasing the science of music.

Whether you are a budding guitar player like me, or simply interested in music at large this one is a must-see.

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Kennywood Bites and Pints Offers an Array of Food & Drinks

Kennywood's Bites and Pints event is a fun, month-long celebration of all things food and beverage that typically runs from the end of May through June. 

As this one runs from Thursdays to Sundays during regular park hours (starting in the afternoon each day), guests can enjoy a la carte purchases or sample their way around the various stations using an aptly named Bites Card.

We were able to visit this one during a pass holder preview night for its second year (thanks to our good friend Alex Eats Too Much) and wanted to share more about what you can expect when attending this one plus give some tips on how to get the most out of a Bites Card purchase!

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Pittsburgh Magazine Wine & Spirits Festival Offers Up a Delicious Duo

We always want a good party in Pittsburgh, and when it comes to a food and beverage celebration, Pittsburgh Magazine always does it right.

In the past, we have attended events like their Best of the Burgh Party, as well as their Best Restaurants Party, which, in our opinion, is one of the greatest celebrations you can attend every year if you love our local Pittsburgh restaurants. 

In 2022, Pittsburgh Magazine returned with a new spring party, aptly named the Wine & Spirits Festival, to go along with their other libations-themed celebrations (separate wine and whiskey festivals typically taking place in the fall).

We were guests of Pittsburgh Magazine for this party at Rivers Casino in its inaugural year and wanted to share a bit more of what this one was like in this one!

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Phipps Conservatory’s Summer Flower Show – Monet in Bloom

Whenever Phipps Conservatory features a famous painter as the focal point for a flower show, you know you're going to be in for a good time.

2022's Summer Flower Show does just that with its theme “Monet in Bloom” and features floral recreations of some of the master's top works (next to copies of the paintings themselves for reference), quotes from the artist, themed sound elements, and more!

As with all of our museum posts, we do not like to give away every exhibit. In this one, we're only going to share a few of our favorite rooms and encourage you to visit to see the rest!

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The Best Places to View Pittsburgh Fireworks

Fireworks from Mount Washington

For reasons unknown to us, Pittsburgh is crazy about fireworks.

Fourth of July? Massive fireworks. Randomly scheduled nights during Pirates games? Fireworks. When the Pirates get a home run? Mini-fireworks. A mega-band playing at Acrisure Stadium? There will probably be some fireworks. A celebration to welcome winter and the Christmas season? It's freezing outside, but sure, let's have some fireworks anyway.

If you are wanting to check out these festivities, Pittsburgh will give you a chance to see some good shows roughly ten times per year (give or take based on the Pirates schedule). The only question from there is where you must be in order to have the best view. After exploring the city for several years, we have come up with a list of our favorite spots.

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