Downtown Pittsburgh Neighborhood Guide – Attractions and Dining

Downtown Pittsburgh has come a long way over the years, and aside from being the economic center of the city (and truly, of southwestern Pennsylvania), the neighborhood that we would call downtown proper features a number of restaurants, activities, and attractions suitable for visitors of all ages and interests.

To share some of our own personal favorites, this guide to things to do in downtown Pittsburgh was born!

As with all our guides, it is worth noting that the following is not a collection of every business in downtown Pittsburgh. This one only features businesses we personally visit, enjoy, or are planning to visit in the near future. As such, it should only be taken as a starting point. If you see something interesting while walking around downtown Pittsburgh, do yourself a favor and check it out!

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A Quick Trip Into Nature at Girty’s Woods Near Millvale

When it comes to parks in Pittsburgh, many of the staples have been protected for decades and even generations. But that doesn’t mean the work to protect our area green spaces is finished.

Groups like the Allegheny Land Trust are working hard to protect great nature spaces in the region and regularly purchase land to pursue their conservation efforts.

Girty’s Woods near Reserve Township and Millvale is one such green space, and the trust purchased 155 acres in just 2021. So, naturally, we decided to pay this somewhat wild park a visit to see what it is all about!

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7 Ways to Get Out on the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh

Not every city can boast of having two rivers. Even fewer cities can boast of having three. Even fewer still can claim that their downtown rests on the confluence of three rivers, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, offers just that.

As such, it should be no surprise that the rivers in Pittsburgh take a prominent stage from skyline views to activities you can experience when in the city.

So in this one, we thought we’d share several of the best ways to get out on the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers in Pittsburgh!

Note: Many of our river amenities are seasonal and may be closed from late fall to early spring.

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Taking a Jet Ski for a Spin With Steel City Jet Ski Rentals

When we started our quest to do everything in Pittsburgh, if someone would’ve said that one of the most enjoyable river activities is taking out a jet ski, I would’ve had some contrarian thoughts.

But after taking a jet ski for a spin on the Allegheny River and around Point State Park as guests of Steel City Jet Ski Rentals, I have to admit, I’m a convert.

Not only is riding a jet ski immensely fun, but it is also a great way to see a number of river highlights in a craft that you are able to control outright. The adrenaline junkie in me was thrilled with the speed element, and the photographer in me even more so as it made for wonderful city photography too!

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The Armstrong Trail Offers 35 Miles on the Allegheny River

The aptly named Armstrong Trail in Armstrong County is a 35-mile rail-trail that runs north to south along the eastern bank of the Allegheny River.

During our first visit, we biked half of the trail (approximately 16 miles one-way out of Ford City) and were able to see many highlights including river views and adjunct river developments like power stations, dams, an iron furnace, and more.

So in this one we wanted to share a bit about what you can see when exploring the Armstrong Trail and also give some tips for making the most out of your ride on this exceptionally flat trail.

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Bradys Run Park – A Lot to See and Do But Plan in Advance

Brady’s Run Park is a roughly 2,000-acre park just outside of Beaver Falls that offers a wealth of things to see and experience ranging from active experiences like walking and hiking to other fun options on the lake and nearby.

But while this one is decently sized, those who visit will likely want to do some advanced planning prior to arriving as spotty cell signal and few interconnecting trails make navigating this park slightly tricky.

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Zone28 Offers Indoor Fun for Kids and Adults Alike in Harmarville

Sometimes we just want to unleash our inner child. Thankfully there are a number of options to do so in the Pittsburgh metro region.

One such place is Zone28 in Harmarville- a 50,000-square-foot complex that has virtually everything you would want for indoor fun.

Whether you have a child or simply want to act like a kid yourself, this one is sure to please with their collection of arcade machines, VR machines, escape rooms, laser tag, bowling, an on-site restaurant, and for the adults, loaded bars to name a few.

We were fortunate enough to visit this one as part of a media event and share more about what you can expect in this one.

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The Pittsburgh Tattoo Art Museum is Shadyside’s Hidden Gem

You know we are fans of unusual museums in Pittsburgh, and when the one-room Pittsburgh Tattoo Art Museum in Shadyside opened in early 2022, we had to go straight away.

This small museum in a somewhat hidden tattoo parlor is everything we look for in offbeat exhibits- namely a wonderfully curated selection on a topic we don’t know much about managed by extremely passionate Pittsburghers.

So if you want to take a dive into the world of tattoos, this one is for you.

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Palate Partners Classes Offer a Dive into the World of Wine

If you’ve read other articles on our site, you’d likely know by now that we are a bit wine crazy. Not only are we visiting all of the best Pittsburgh wine bars and local wineries, but we also have taken many wine certification classes through the global program WSET (Jeremy is working on Level 4, Angie has completed WSET Level 2) and even run our own wine blog as a side project.

We trace this love affair with wine back to one particular source, the wine school Palate Partners in Lawrenceville where we’ve visited for many of their informal First and Third Friday tastings over the years (it is also where we took our WSET Level 2 class as they are authorized instructors for some levels of the program).

The informal tastings are great for those who want to get into wine because they are relaxed and take a somewhat high-level discussion into the wines you are sampling. You don’t have to know anything at all about wine to have a great time at these. But for those who want to go a bit deeper, but perhaps not into certification level, Palate Partners offers a number of other themed classes to try out each month as well.

We recently were guests of Palate Partners for a Super Tuscan class, and thought it’d be fun to share a bit more about what the focused lessons are like!

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The Carnegie Trees & Neapolitan Presepio Are A Holiday Gem

We love it when local museums decorate for Christmas in Pittsburgh as it always gives us an excuse to visit one more time before the end of the holiday season.

The Carnegie Museum of Art gets into the holiday fun with two annual exhibits worth checking out- the Carnegie Trees and the Neapolitan Presepio. While both of these exhibits are on the smaller side compared to other exhibits we’ve been to, they pack in a lot of detail that will have you lingering for quite some time.

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