Seasonal

The Millvale Music Festival Fills the Borough With Sound

When it comes to enjoying music in Pittsburgh, there is no shortage of events going on from local performances, mega artists visiting on a global tour, and local festivals.

One festival stands out as being one of the very best in southwest Pennsylvania- the Millvale Music Festival.

This one, located in Millvale just outside of Pittsburgh, brings over 300 bands to more than two dozen stages all within a roughly one-mile radius over two packed days. Truly, you're never more than a few feet away from music at this one, and it is a whole lot of fun!

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Boyce Park Ski Slopes and Snow Tubing Offer Winter Fun

Boyce Park is one of the most popular parks in Allegheny County. It offers an array of trails and outdoor activities to be enjoyed all year round, but unlike other county parks this one is perhaps best enjoyed in Pittsburgh's winters!

The reason for this is that Boyce Park is home to a modest winter resort that includes several trails, a tubing course, and many other outdoor activities scheduled throughout the season.

After having enjoyed tubing at Seven Springs, we made the trip to Boyce Park to check out their tubing slopes (plus skiing!) and had a great day out!

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Laurel Ridge Cross Country Ski Center is a Perfect Winter Day Out

If there is any state park in the Laurel Highlands that we have had trouble exploring properly over the years, it would be Laurel Ridge State Park.

The reason for this is simple- the state park is sprawling. Instead of covering one (often round) area with nested hiking trails, Laurel Ridge State Park follows along Laurel Mountain through four counties.

Short of through-hiking on the 70-mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail, getting to enjoy Laurel Ridge State Park often comes in small segments.

In the winter, one of our new favorite sections of the park is the groomed cross country ski and snowshoeing trails maintained by the Laurel Ridge Cross Country Ski Center. Seeing the beautiful of the state park in winter? Sign us up for this one!

Although this one offers rentals in addition to the paid entry to the groomed trails, we picked up our own snowshoes and went out for a day of winter fun in the Laurel Highlands!

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7 New Year’s Eve Parties in Pittsburgh to Consider

It is hard to beat a good New Year's Eve party to say goodbye to the year that was and look forward to the next one. 

As far as Pittsburgh New Year's Eve parties are concerned, there are many to choose from- way more than even we could feature in a single article. So, in this one, we wanted to share some New Year's Eve parties at various business types, party styles, and more!

So whether you are looking for a bar to toast the new year, a dinner experience to send 2023 off with a bang, ring in the New Year at a dance club, or to enjoy other activities that wind down for the holiday season on December 31st, we've got some ideas for you.

As with most of our guides, this is not a complete list of New Year's Eve parties. This is just a selection covering different styles that we wanted to highlight!

Note: Most New Year's Eve parties put on by local businesses require tickets being purchased in advance as capacity is limited.

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Tinseltown is a Different Kind of Holiday Pop-Up Bar

Prior to 2023, Tinseltown was known as The Tipsy Elf and was located in Hough's in Greenfield. Starting this year, the popup was renamed and can be found at Mixtape in Garfield.

Tinseltown is a ticketed pop-up bar experience with mulled wine, cocktails, holiday games, and more.

As we are always on the lookout for the best Christmas popup bars in Pittsburgh, you know we had to check this one out. As it so happens, we were invited to this event by the folks at Hidden Pittsburgh for a media night and couldn't pass up on the opportunity.

As ticketed pop-up bars are a different kind of bar experience, we thought we'd share a bit about what the pop-up was like and then dive into the ticketing aspect of it more to share what you get for the entry fee.

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Sippin’ Santa Brings a Christmas Tiki Pop-up Experience

Christmas popup bars are a dime a dozen these days, and we almost always treat new concepts with a bit of suspicion.

But when we heard the international charity pop-up, Miracle Bar, was launching a second concept, we were interested. When we heard that it would be called Sippin' Santa and was going to be tiki themed, we were in.

Naturally, we went to this one as quickly as we could after it open for the season. With tiki classics, unique house creations with tropical themes, and profits going to charity, this certainly makes for a different kind of pop-up bar that we hope will return in future seasons!

Note: This review is from a visit to Sippin' Santa in a previous iteration. Cocktails and designs may change in future popups.

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Epic Pass Review – An All Access Pass to Vail Resorts

We are quite fortunate enough to have several major ski resorts right in our backyard- Seven Springs, Hidden Valley, and Laurel Mountain.

These Laurel Highlands gems have been our go-to spot for winter skiing each year. But at the end of 2021, these properties were sold to Vail Resorts to become part of the larger global brand of ski resorts.

With the merger came access to Vail Resort's incredible Epic Pass, a season pass valid at most all Vail Resorts properties with little restriction.

We were fortunate enough to get our hands on this pass for a few seasons courtesy of Vail Resorts and wanted to share a bit more about our experience in this one!

Note: Epic Pass sales are typically only available prior to the start of the season. In 2023, Epic Pass sales will end on December 3rd. After that, only individual lift tickets will be available.

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10 Christmas Bars in Pittsburgh to Visit During the Holidays

The holiday season is a wonderful time of year, and Christmas in Pittsburgh is truly a sight to behold.

But as the holiday season is as much about spreading goodwill, taking in the decorations, and the like, Pittsburgh also has another avenue for enjoying the holiday- via its libations scenes!

In fact, there are several Christmas bars in Pittsburgh to enjoy during the holiday season, ensuring that you'll have some holiday cheer from Light Up Night (or in the case of a few of the pop-ups, Black Friday) to New Years. Check them out below!

Please Note: We are featuring all of the holiday popups we are aware of in this guide, whether we have personally visited or not. As such, experiences may vary. When available, click the link to read our full review of the bars we have visited!

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Zombies of the Corn Offers a Family-Friendly Haunt

Everyone wants to shoot a zombie horde during Halloween, right?

If this is something you have always wanted to try, you are in luck! Zombies of the Corn in Freedom, PA, offers a chance to contain a zombie apocalypse armed with glow-in-the-dark paintballs!

Although the star attraction at this one is indeed the Zombie ride, the grounds are home to four haunted attractions and makes for a fun, (mostly) family-friendly haunt north of the city.

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Sommerfest at Teutonia Mannerchor for German Beer and Fun

The era of the social club often feels like a distant memory. But Pittsburgh is actually home to many private clubs focusing on heritage, sports, and a whole lot more.

Perhaps one of the most well known is Teutonia Mannerchor, the German club residing in none other than Deutschtown in the North Side. Not only is this one of Pittsburgh's oldest and largest private clubs, it is also somewhat difficult to get into without knowing a member or joining yourself.

Thankfully, Teutonia Mannerchor offers a number of public-facing events throughout the year. For roughly nine days each summer, the aptly named Sommerfest is your chance to check out this beautiful building, listen to German music, eat German food, and, of course, drink copious amounts of German beer!

As we have a soft spot for all things German beer, we naturally visited as soon as possible.

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