East Liberty Neighborhood Guide – Attractions and Dining

If there is any neighborhood in Pittsburgh that has changed the most in the last few years, it would be East Liberty.

The neighborhood is the poster child for gentrification and is now home to luxury lofts, numerous restaurants, and easy access to the growing tech hub in Bakery Square in nearby Larimer (although tenants there like to call themselves part of East Liberty partly due to association-by-gentrification).

While we could spend a long time discussing the gentrification of neighborhoods like these (we encourage it in the comments!), in our neighborhood guide series we want to take a look at what East Liberty is now and highlight the history and some of the spots we visit when exploring the neighborhood- namely the restaurants and a few limited attractions.

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Behind the Scenes Tour at PNC Park is a Must for Baseball Fans

PNC Park is home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and is also considered to be one of the most beautiful ballparks in the country.

While a great place to be during a game, the park is also home to a behind the scenes tour that goes to a number of interesting spots inside the stadium that you normally won't see in a regular game, including:

  • Legacy Theater
  • The Clubhouse (away days only*)
  • Batting Cages, Tunnel, and Dugout
  • The Press Box
  • Club Level and Suites

Taking this tour was high on my Pittsburgh bucket list, but I always had trouble scheduling a visit to coincide with a date I could get inside the Clubhouse. Now that I finally made that happen, it is time to share a few highlights from the tour!

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Learning About the City With Free Pittsburgh Walking Tours

Whenever we travel (especially abroad), we always love finding free city tours as a means to get our bearings in a new location and to also learn more about the city/country's history.

While Pittsburgh does have periodic, free city tours run by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, they are often limited in frequency and location. We, as a city, simply needed more.

It wasn't until late 2018 that Pittsburgh finally got its own free walking tour, put on by the appropriately named Free Pittsburgh Walking Tours. Naturally, I jumped on this one in early 2019 to give it a try and really enjoyed the tour overall!

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Visiting the Donora Historical Society and Donora Smog Museum

One of the things we love about the boroughs in southwest Pennsylvania is that many of them have a historical society and museum dedicated to sharing the history of the area.

Some of these, like the Saxonburg Museum, are huge. Others, like the Harmony Museums, are spread out over multiple historical buildings that are all worth exploring.

In Donora, the museum managed by the Donora Historical Society is fairly small. But what it lacks in size it makes up for in sharing the borough's history and the Donora Smog environmental disaster.

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The Saxonburg Museum is a Wonderful Historical Gem

Prior to visiting Saxonburg, I only had heard a few stories about the borough's rich history.

It wasn't until I visited for a Burgh, Bits, and Bites food tour that I was able to learn more about the history due to the fact that the tour started out at the wonderful Saxonburg Museum!

If you're in the area during the museum's seasonal operating period, this one is most certainly worth a stop.

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Liberty Magic is the Kind of Performing Arts Venue Downtown Needs

A few months ago if you would've asked us if Pittsburgh's Cultural District needed another performing arts venue, we probably would've said no.

With gems like Heinz Hall, the Benedum Center, the O'Reilly Theater, the Byham Theater, the August Wilson Center, and many more (plus a number of awesome free galleries and other art installations), the district already serves up an array of wonderful shows seemingly every night of the week.

But then Liberty Magic opened, and our thoughts changed completely. This one is a welcomed addition to the Cultural District, as we could all truly use some magic in our lives.

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Touring the Historic Harmony Museum and Log Cabins

Harmony, Pennsylvania (30 minutes north of Pittsburgh) is one of our favorite boroughs for a number of reasons. It is quaint, historic, and is home to one of the best restaurants in the region- Harmony Inn.

When it comes to the history, Harmony is rather unique. To celebrate it, the borough has a robust museum that we were really excited to check out.

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