On the surface, Fall Run Park in Glenshaw, PA (just north of the city off of Route 8) seems no different from any other as it is a peaceful hiking trail that has relatively low foot-traffic.
But for those who make the effort to visit this one, the roughly one-mile out-and-back hike rewards you with something a bit surprising: a waterfall!
The Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum (WPMRM for short) is a truly unique museum in the region as it has been able to stand the test of time in its permanent location in Gibsonia, PA, just north of Pittsburgh.
For model railroads, a substantial effort is required just to plan and build a display in the first place, and that is all before other traditional museum logistics come in to play like opening the space for visitors, generating revenue, hiring employees, and more. You're likely to see model railroads in other museums as a small portion of a larger theme, but at the WPMRM the only features are model trains, and what a beautiful design it is.
Deer Lakes Park in West Deer Township is a 1,180 acre park that is known for its man-made lakes that are stocked with numerous types of fish for residents' use. Although these are beautiful in their own right, the thing we love most about this one is the hiking trails in the woods!
Boyce Park, located east of Pittsburgh in the Monroeville/Plum area, is over 1,000 acres full of trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, and a few unexpected gems like ski slopes and a snow tubing area.
We recently did some hiking in the park and enjoyed the beauty of the densely wooded, quiet trails that had some of the best markings out of all of the parks in Allegheny County.
One of the things we absolutely love about Pittsburgh is that you can pick any direction you want to go, drive 10-15 minutes on a highway, and end up out in the middle of nature.
This lends itself to the incredible opportunity of finding hiking trails and nature preserves, well, just about anywhere.
During our exploration of Fox Chapel, we decided to make a small detour to the Trillium Trail that is featured in the book 60 Hikes in 60 Miles (Pittsburgh Edition). This small nature preserve may not seem like much on the surface, but is one of those unique features you expect to find in a nature-oriented city like this one.
Beechwood Farms in Fox Chapel, with its 5 miles of trails and varied habitats, provides a good spot for a short walk or a leisurely picnic.
This nature reserve serves as the headquarters for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, and as such, there are also many events at this location ranging from naturalist-led hikes and birdwatching events to summer camps and educational opportunities for kids.
One of the things I love about our goal of visiting every attraction in Pittsburgh is uncovering a hidden gem that most who live in the city may not even know about. The Bayernhof Museum in O'Hara Township certainly fell on that list for us, and after visiting it is now one of the many places in the city we have come to regret not visiting sooner.
The reason for this is because when we first heard about the Bayernhof it was described to us as a house of musical instruments. Okay, we love music, but that wasn't really the greatest of sales pitches that would inspire us to get out the door. In fact, we probably would not have visited at all if it wasn't for our goal of doing everything Pittsburgh has to throw at us.
After visiting, however, we came up with a better way to describe the Bayernhof. It is a gorgeous home-turned-museum housing one of the world's largest collections of self-playing musical instruments, nearly all in working order, that you can actually hear during a visit.
Excited yet? You should be.
The 16,725-acre Moraine State Park is one of the largest parks in western Pennsylvania and is located approximately 40 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh.
With land and water activities aplenty, this park is one of the crown jewels in the region and should be on everyone's radar when looking for a great park to visit on a day trip!
The estate at Hartwood Acres is often called the crown jewel of the public parks in Allegheny County. Featuring numerous hiking trails, a gorgeous mansion open for touring, and other unique features, this destination is one that truly lives up to its reputation and is a perfect half or full-day out for visitors from Pittsburgh.
Thai food is one of our favorite cuisines and one that we make a lot at home, so it takes a really good Thai restaurant for us to get excited.
Luckily there's no shortage of Thai restaurants in the city for when we just don't feel like cooking- Nicky's Thai Kitchen being one of the most universally loved and acclaimed.