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Pittsburgh Children’s Museum 21+ Night – Being a Kid Again

One museum we’ve always wanted to visit in Pittsburgh, but had few to no opportunities to check out, is the Children’s Museum. As adults without kids (or kids we can adopt as defacto parents for an afternoon), we always felt uneasy with the idea of going to this one on our own.

Our problems were solved when one of the museum’s quarterly 21+ night events came about, and we put on our detective hats and went to work as the Murder Mystery theme ensured that all of us became a kid again- for one night at least.

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Maxo Vanka Murals at St. Nicholas in Millvale are a Must See

St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Millvale was built in the early 1900s as a place of worship for the large Croatian population in the region. In 1921 the church was devastated by a fire, and was rebuilt in 1922.

In the years that followed the congregation worshiped in a church that was relatively devoid of imagery, and in the late 1930s the church commissioned acclaimed Croatian artist Maxo Vanka to adorn the walls with his work. He was given significant creative control in his art, and the resulting murals are nothing short of a masterpiece that is often referred to as his “gift to America.”

Since then, the murals been appreciated by countless parishioners and visitors, and in the early 2000s a comprehensive restoration effort began in order to ensure they survive for generations to come.

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Lawrenceville Neighborhood Guide – Attractions and Dining

If there is any neighborhood in Pittsburgh that would be the perfect case study for a revival, Lawrenceville would be it. In just under 10 years the neighborhood went from being one you likely never stepped foot in (let alone drove through), to becoming a hipster mecca, to being so trendy it is beyond hipster, and is now one of the most popular neighborhoods in all of Pittsburgh for visitors with all interests.

As Lawrenceville has grown to be a shopping, eating, and drinking hot spot, our neighborhood guide was created to cover our very favorite spots in each category!

As with all of our neighborhood guides, this is not a complete list of everything in Lawrenceville. It is simple a guide to places we personally visit when exploring the neighborhood. If your favorite is not included, it is likely that we have not checked it out yet. If this is the case, please comment at the end of this post and we’ll happily check it out on our next visit!

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The Quest to Explore all 90 Pittsburgh Neighborhoods

Duquesne Incline and Pittsburgh's Skyline

Since founding Discover the Burgh, we’ve made it our mission to do everything Pittsburgh has to throw at us. From eating at all the great Pittsburgh restaurants, visiting all the museums, to exploring the many public spaces and hiking trails (to name a few), we’ve tried to live by the mindset of if it is there, we want to check it out.

Naturally, one of our goals along these lines was to visit all 90 Pittsburgh neighborhoods and find the highlights in each of them.

While we have visited all 90 neighborhoods multiple times throughout the years, we are still working our way to finding something unique in each of them as many are primarily residential. That being said, to date we have found unique highlights in 66 neighborhoods which is nothing to scoff at.

In this guide we wanted to share one recommendation for each neighborhood we’ve found something awesome in so far.

Are you ready to go exploring?

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Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens – A Secluded Garden in Oakdale

The Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens is a nature reserve in Oakdale, PA- located right next door to Settlers Cabin Park. The park opened in early 2015 on a 460 acre plot of land once used for mining and logging, and currently has about 60 acres that was transformed back into pristine nature and open for visitors to enjoy.

This one does require a payment for entry, and those who visit will enjoy a serene hike in nature through several themed zones and unique art pieces.

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City Brew Tours Review – An Introduction to Pittsburgh’s Beer Scene

Pittsburgh’s brewery scene is pretty astounding. In the past ten years we’ve gone from having just a handful of breweries to having well over four dozen in an hour radius with another couple dozen set to open in the next few years.

As such, tackling them all can be quite tricky unless you’re able to go out for a beer every single weekend.

To help get you out to more breweries in one go, City Brew Tours launched a Pittsburgh beer tour to help introduce beer fans into Pittsburgh’s growing and thriving craft beer scene.

We were invited out by City Brew Tours to check out their After Hours Brew Tour which was just the evening out we were looking for.

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The Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology at the Pittsburgh Seminary

The Pittsburgh Seminary wouldn’t be your first place to expect to find a museum, but tucked in the basement of Long Hall is a rather unique museum in Pittsburgh called the Kelso Museum for Near Eastern Archaeology.

For those who like history, especially when surrounding the holy land, a visit to this small museum is a must.

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28 Unusual Pittsburgh Museums You Must Check Out

Bicycle Heaven in Pittsburgh

For those who love museums, Pittsburgh is a great place to explore.

We have world class art museums like the Carnegie Museum of Art, the contemporary Mattress Factory, and the Warhol Museum. We have the fantastic Science Center and Children’s Museum that are family oriented. We even have the Fort Pitt Museum and Heinz History Center that focus on the amazing history of Western Pennsylvania from the very first settlements to the present.

But you probably knew this already.

We could actually spend a lot of time writing about all of the more mainstream museums in Pittsburgh and barely begin to scratch the surface.

Today we wanted to go beyond those and talk about a few Pittsburgh museums that you would never expect to find here. These hidden (and not-so-hidden) gems are what make our museum scene truly special, and on your next trip out we highly encourage you to visit one of these unusual finds.

To get started, we’re going to begin with a few you’ve likely heard of before, and then go down the rabbit hole to some really unique spots you can find only in Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania! To read more about each museum featured in this list, click the link in the description to head to our full review.

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Better Maid Donut Review – Donuts Worth Getting Up Early For

Better Maid Donut relocated to 2101 Green Tree Road in 2026. This review was from a visit to their prior location.

To enjoy a creation from Better Maid Donut in Pittsburgh, you’re going to have to set your alarm early. Very early.

This popular donut spot is known for its limited production and die-hard fans who will wait a half-hour or more for their devious creations. Put these two together and you’ll quickly understand why this one often sells out within an hour of their ~6:30 am opening on weekdays and ~7:30 am opening on weekends.

  • Note: Hours as published on Google and may not be the most accurate- we’ve heard stories of them opening at 6:45 am lately but it can truly vary. Checking their Instagram (particularly, Instagram Stories) is now the best place to receive day-of updates.

As someone who is averse to getting up early in almost all cases, I’ve been trying (and failing) to visit Better Maid Donut for the better part of the last two years- through no one’s fault but my own.

It wasn’t until a late-spring morning, where the sunrise woke me up well before 6 am, that I realized the stars were aligning to make my visit to Better Maid Donut happen.

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