Seasonal

Take a Stroll Through a Sunflower Maze at Maple Bottom Farm

At this point, it should be no surprise that we love checking out sunflowers near Pittsburgh when they're blooming. They're Angie's favorite flower and one of mine as well. 

So when we heard that there was a sunflower maze at Maple Bottom Farm in the Laurel Highlands, I had to go check it out shortly after it opened for the season.

While you may want to temper your expectations for the maze element of this one, this field checks a lot of boxes for us in that it is quite large, gorgeous, and allows for ample opportunities for photos inside the field itself!

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Pick Your Own Sunflowers at Renshaw Farms in Freeport

There are two things we know about sunflowers. The first is that they're Angie's favorite flower, and the second is that they only bloom for roughly 10-14 days each July in southwest Pennsylvania*.

As such, during these brief blooms we rush to get out to as many places as we can to view these gorgeous flowers.

One such farm is Renshaw Farms just outside of Freeport, PA. While the sunflower field here is not terribly large, we'll take any opportunity we can to see thousands of flowers in a field. So in this one, we wanted to share more about what you can expect with a quick visit!

*Note: 2023's sunflower dates are July 21st through 30th with varying times by day.

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7 Awesome Places to Enjoy Sunflowers Near Pittsburgh

When it comes to enjoying fields of sunflowers near Pittsburgh, we have to admit that we're quite spoiled. Between the many farms open to get photos within a field and others open for pick your own bouquets, you really have a number of options to get out and see these gorgeous flowers in southwest Pennsylvania. 

But there is one caveat- most of the fields require a bit of a drive outside of the city.

In this one, we wanted to share a few fields you can visit as well as give you an idea of costs and their respective opening dates as these flowers can have quite a limited blooming period!

Note: We are updating this article for 2023 dates and pricing as they become available, but note that many listings still include 2022 information. Please reconfirm at the farms directly via their respective links below as prices, dates, and times are liable to change based on bloom progress. Most of the farms below are cash only.

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Take a Trip Around Lake Arthur on Preston’s Pearl

Lake Arthur at Moraine State Park is one of our favorite outdoor spots in southwest Pennsylvania. It is hard to ask for more than a beautiful lake with a number of fingers and inlets that just beg being explored.

We've featured many ways you can explore the lake including taking out kayaks from Bear Run Campground, standup paddleboarding with SurfSUP Adventures, and even enjoying Moraine State Park's bike trail which runs along the shoreline. But all of these activities required some degree of effort in order to enjoy. For something a bit more leisurely, the park offers boat tours on the resident pontoon boat from late spring to early fall. 

For many years, guests would enjoy the waters via the resident boat Nautical Nature, but in 2021 the Moraine Preservation Fund launched a new pontoon boat that offers 90-minute sightseeing tours, dinner/brunch cruises, and more.

I was fortunate enough to get out on the water for the ship's inaugural sailing as part of a media preview and share more about what you can expect on this one here!

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A One-Mile Drive through the Clinton Christmas Light-Up

The Clinton Christmas Light-Up drive-thru experience has been entertaining visitors and raising money for charity since 1993. This one-mile light display about 30 minutes west of Pittsburgh features an array of lights, holiday decorations, bible verses, Christmas trees, and so much more on its route.

But the best part is perhaps its price. During our visit in 2020, they only charged $10 per car. A great price supporting good causes? Sign us up.

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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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Sliders Curling Offers an Hour of Ice Curling Fun

I'm always into unusual sports, and when Lumberjaxes in Millvale announced the opening of Sliders Curling, their on-site variant of the popular winter sport, I knew I had to go.

So shortly after opening a friend joined me in one of the most unusual outings I've had in a while- going ice curling in Pittsburgh.

As it turns out, this one may be a bit different from what you are expecting.

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Lumaze Offers an Indoor Christmas Light Display in Pittsburgh

At this time it does not appear that Lumaze is returning in 2020. However, we will look out to see if it is returning in 2021.

What do you get when you pack a large warehouse in Pittsburgh's Strip District with over 1,000,000 holiday lights, arranged in unique designs, and set to an overall theme? 

You get Lumaze Pittsburgh. This international holiday show made its local debut in 2019 with lights, music, and a whole lot of holiday cheer.

But is this one worth attending? For us, it really depends on how much you love Christmas lights!

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Experience Village Life in the 1800s at Depreciation Lands in Allison Park

The history of the Depreciation Lands is a fascinating one and was a novel solution to a problem that the early United States had after the Revolutionary War.

While the living history museum of the same name in Allison Park covers this unique history, it also takes a look at what life was like in the region in the early 1800s- a time when southwest PA was the wild frontier.

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