Shore Thing is the Perfect Pittsburgh River Experience

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Riverlife Brings the Fun with Shore Thing

Riverlife's Shore Thing has been many years in the making and finally opened for guests in July 2025. The space feels a bit like a barge on the water between the Clemente and Warhol Bridges (North Shore side), but really is more of a modular installation.

As you cross the gangway to board, you'll notice a few distinct areas, including seating with sunshades and art dangling from above, tables out in the sun, netting over the water, a painted sea-container selling food and beer (more on that in a moment), and even potted trees for a relaxing ambiance all around. 

Although most of the seating is exposed to the sun, it is a stunning space for those who want to get out on the water. Throw in that it is free to the public, with excellent views, and it is everything we wanted for a river amenity- and then some.

One of our favorite design elements of Shore Thing is the rope netting areas placed over the water. If you've ever been on a catamaran, it feels a bit like a similar concept, except you are not bouncing on the water and instead lie on a fixed net, almost hammock style. Sure, it isn't the Caribbean, but you are over the water all the same, which is quite relaxing.

These are perhaps the most prized spots in the entire installation, and fill up quickly. We saw a few guests leaving and scored a brief rest here, and armed with a Brew Gentlemen beer may be our favorite place to sit and relax in the city right now- it is just that nice.

Going beyond the space, Shore Thing has special programming each week, including periodic live music, yoga, fitness classes, and more. Art on the Allegheny is offered daily, where you can paint skyline scenes or whatever you fancy, and they have books, board games, and waterproof cards as well. 

It is worth checking out Shore Thing's schedule online to find some of the best events scheduled throughout the months, as we noticed some of the fitness classes in particular are often scheduled outside of the normal opening hours of the space. Yoga, for example, is often at 10 am on Sundays, despite Shore Thing's official hours opening at noon. So watch out for the fun extras that are published online (and get in early- space fills up fast)!

• Note: For 2025, Shore Thing does not have permanent restroom facilities; however, porta-potties are available nearby. Likewise, bikes are not allowed on Shore Thing; however, there are spaces to lock your bike up on the river trail, too. 

Brew Gentlemen Serves the Beer and Food

Now, we would be quite pleased to have a space on the Allegheny to relax and unwind with great views and free weekly programming, but Shore Thing goes even further- they have an on-site bar with food!

Braddock-based Brew Gentlemen has been popping up at great installations all over downtown in recent years, and has a residency at Shore Thing in the 2025 season. From a window inside a small, but beautifully painted sea container, Brew Gentlemen offers up a wonderful spread of their delicious beers, cocktails, and a menu of sandwiches, their popular spam musubi, and so much more.

Some of their classic beers, like General Braddock IPA, Garden Party (a cucumber wheat), and Muchos Mahalos (a fruited beer) were found on draft during our visits, and are the kind of beers that match the summer vibes that Shore Life brings. A hot day with a cucumber wheat beer on the river? We can't ask for much more.

But, if you are hungry, the pulled mushroom sandwich with gochujang glaze was quite delicious and we will almost always grab a snack to go along with the rest because, well, that's just what you do when hanging out for the evening!

Truly, Shore Thing is everything we wanted on the rivers and then some. It is a relaxing space that has something for everyone, and we are confident in saying it will be the hottest spot in the city this year. Now we're imagining an entire fleet of these down the rivers serving up food, art, music, drinks, and more. More river utilization is always the answer!

But for now, we'll happily start with the first one, and we plan to be there many, many times this summer. We'll see you there!

Shore Thing is a seasonal river installation by Riverlife on the North Side shore of the Allegheny River between the Clemente and Warhol Bridges.