HighlandPark

Wild Illuminations Brings Holiday Lanterns to the Pittsburgh Zoo

In recent years, the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium was known for hosting the Asian Lantern Festival for a night-time walkthrough amongst beautiful, massive lanterns.

In 2024, this changed as the zoo did not bring the show back for another year. Instead, the zoo announced a new show for the holidays, known as Wild Illuminations, that would be a similar experience to the lantern fest- with a holiday twist.

Naturally, as fans of the Asian Lantern Festival we had to visit this one on opening weekend to see what it is like!

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Enjoying Christmas at the Pittsburgh Zoo Lights Display

In 2023, the Pittsburgh Zoo will be offering walk through experiences of the Christmas lights on select nights in addition to the drive through experience described below.

To celebrate the holiday season, there are a number of drive-through light display experiences in the Pittsburgh region.

The zoo is one such place and offered an animal-centric light show during our visit in 2020. While this one is likely best enjoyed by young children who love zoo animals, visitors of all ages are likely to find a favorite animal represented in lights.

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Teppanyaki Kyoto Review – Unique Japanese Fare in Highland Park

When you hear the word teppanyaki, your first thoughts are probably about those horribly themed hibachi restaurants that are available in just about any city in the country.

I'm here to report that the Japanese restaurant Teppanyaki Kyoto in Highland Park is not that.

What this restaurant is, however, is one of the most authentic Japanese establishments you'll find in Pittsburgh. As someone who has eaten his way around Japan, and loves just about everything there is about the country, it is high praise when I say that Teppanyaki Kyoto does it right.

But as much as Teppanyaki Kyoto offers an incredible menu full of Japanese items you may never have tried, the real gem of this restaurant is one particular dish: okonomiyaki– my favorite Japanese food of all.

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Highland Park – Exploring the Gardens and Reservoir Path

Highland Park, located in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of the same name, is a bit different than the rest of the city's urban parks.

Although you probably won't achieve that “lost in nature” feeling like you will in the other city parks, this one has some unique features that are well worth a visit.

The beautifully landscaped entry garden, the walking track around one of the city's water reservoirs, playgrounds, picnic shelters, swimming pool, and volleyball courts are just some of the highlights of this urban park.

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