As far as sports are concerned, Pittsburgh is home to most of the conventional ones you would want to watch or even play yourself.
But in late 2017 a new sport came to Millvale- axe throwing. And at Lumberjaxes, you are sure to get your fill through a lane rental or tournament!
When it comes to getting scared senseless at a haunted house during Halloween in Pittsburgh, it is safe to say that Angie and I are not rushing to volunteer.
To put it bluntly, we don't really care for horrors, frights, or bumps in the night even when we know what is about to happen. The best horror scenarios to us are left to the movies- ones that are contained to a DVD, shrink wrapped in a case, and on the back of a store shelf far, far away.
But when Hundred Acres Manor came knocking and asked if we wanted to visit their haunted attractions just south of Pittsburgh for a review, we were in. Well, I was at least, and Angie came along kicking and screaming all while threatening to fake a heart attack to get out of it.
As it turns out, the reason we don't really care for haunted attractions is not because we don't like being scared (I may be speaking for myself on this one), but rather no one has done a good enough job to date to make us excited to visit a haunted house in the first place.
That is, until now.
Mingo Creek County Park is a 2,600 acre park located in Finleyville, PA, about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh.
With a beautiful paved walking trail along the creek, covered bridges, an observatory, and picnic pavilions abound, it should be no surprise that this park is often considered to be a favorite among residents of Washington County!
Ohiopyle is a 19,000 acre state park located in southwestern Pennsylvania, about an hour and a half south of Pittsburgh.
It is often considered to be one of the star attractions of the region as the park offers numerous hiking trails, historical landmarks, and so much more- making it impossible to see it all in any single visit.
During a recent trip we tried the hike from Cucumber Falls to the Cascade Falls and quickly found out why it is one of the best trails to experience in the park (and the perfect hike for a day trip from the city)!
The end of summer is marked with several annual events in the Pittsburgh region, and one that has been a favorite in the Laurel Highlands for many years is none other than the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival!
We have been to many Renaissance Festivals elsewhere in the past, but our recent visit to Pittsburgh's festival was a first- and it delivered the nostalgic experience we were looking for.
When it comes to Giovanni's Pizza in Pittsburgh, we have to take a step back and make an important distinction: there are actually several Giovanni's in the region.
In fact, there are three very close by- two in downtown proper and one in Dormont, and they all appear to be independent of each other.
So it should be no surprise that when we ordered our pizza from Giovanni's, we assumed we were getting it from one when it in fact came from another. Oops.
As it turns out, we ordered from the Dormont Giovanni's which boasts that it is home to a winner of “Pittsburgh's best pizza” and “famous” bread twists- two claims we wanted to find out about first hand.
Normally when we review Pittsburgh hotels we select our properties to stay in to review them for their location or unique amenities.
In the case of the Hampton Inn Greentree, we selected this one for its price as we were getting some work done on our house and needed to be away for two nights with our dog without spending a lot of money.
As many hotels do not allow pets, and those that do charge an insane pet fee on top of their price, we set our sights on the Hampton Inn Greentree to take a look at their offering as one of the most budget friendly hotels in the city- and we were pleasantly surprised by what we found.
Round Hill Park in Elizabeth, PA, is a 1,100 acre park that takes on a familiar layout as far as local parks are concerned- namely being home to a large concentration of pavilions, unblazed hiking trails, and a few play areas for kids.
In fact, for the longest time we thought this was all that was available at Round Hill Park, and for that reason we made it the last of all of the Allegheny County Parks we visited.
But there was one thing we did not know that Round Hill Park has, and that is a working exhibit farm that is so impressive it is worth the drive to Elizabeth alone.
Golden Pig is a hole-in-the-wall Korean joint in Cecil, PA, that has pretty much everything you'd expect from such an establishment: super welcoming owners that will treat you like one of the family, delicious Korean food made from scratch, and an abundance of kitschy pig knick knacks located just about everywhere.
There is something about a barbecue shack on the side of the road that just gets me excited.
You don't need a fancy restaurant, a unique ambiance, or even real seating to be a good barbecue joint in Pittsburgh. So when you find one that is literally just a small building with a window to order from, two picnic tables, and a portapotty outside, you know something good is going on.
At Rowdy BBQ, you get just that.