Sure, the blast furnaces and steel mills have cooled in recent years, but the ’Burgh is hotter than ever. We’re talking a burgeoning food scene, riverfront recreation, lively culture, and a yearlong bicentennial celebration. Ready to forge ahead? First tell us more about you. 

Have multiple palates to please? Choose your own culinary adventure at Smallman Galley, a food hall in the Strip District that opened in December. The restaurant “incubator” gives aspiring restaurateurs 18 months to showcase their cooking chops, establish a following, and learn valuable business skills. Smallman’s inaugural class of eateries includes the meat-centric Provision PGH by Stephen Eldridge; Josephine’s Toast by Jacqueline Wardle; the veggie-forward Carota Cafe helmed by Jessica Lewis; and Rafael Vencio’s Aubergine Bistro. 

The Vandal:

This convivial neighborhood joint in Lawrenceville offers an affordable mix of toasts, veggies, bowls, snacks, and sandwiches. 

Station:

American fare with Mediterranean flair is the name of the game at this Bloomfield gastropub. Don’t leave without trying the lavender pound cake.

Tako:

This downtown street-food spot’s eponymous taco plate comes with grilled octopus, harissa aioli, preserved lemons, mizuna greens, and pickled red onion.

Bar Marco:

Set inside a historic firehouse, this Strip District staple puts out inventive, custom-made tipples.

Butcher and the Rye:

The bar program, twice named a James Beard semifinalist, features 12 cocktails on draft and more than 600 whiskeys.

Industry Public House:

The bourbon-based Smokestack comes with maple syrup, bitters, and your choice of wood chip, torched atop the glass.

Every day is a beautiful day in the neighborhood at the Heinz History Center in the Strip District. The Smithsonian affiliate, which presents compelling stories from Pittsburgh’s past two centuries, unveiled a Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood installation last year. Highlights include King Friday XIII’s castle, the Great Oak Tree, and a life-size figure of Fred Rogers (a native son) sitting in his living room. On the second and third floors, the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum displays memorabilia significant to the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates, and others.

Kennywood:

This 118-year-old park boasts three of the oldest wooden coasters in the U.S. and the only remaining Auto Race ride in the world. 

The Duquesne Incline:

For the best views of the city, scale Mount Washington inside an 18-passenger cable car, running since 1877. 

Gateway Clipper Fleet:

Set sail from Station Square on a Good Ship Lollipop Cruise. Adults will enjoy the captain’s narration, and a pirate interacts with little ones. 

Carnegie Science Center:

Climb the 21-foot “Zero-G” wall in SpacePlace and try to complete simple tasks without the aid of gravity.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens:

Unearth the wonders of bugs and botany in the Butterfly Forest and Children’s Discovery Garden.

Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh:

Kids learn how to throw clay on a pottery wheel in the multimedia studio. 

If Pittsburgh was personified, the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers would be its arteries. And after serving as the City of Bridges’ lifeblood for 200 years, the waterfront is receiving a face-lift. New pedestrian-friendly promenades, urban trails, and entertainment districts are replacing dilapidated parking lots and forgotten stretches along a 13-mile interconnected riverfront system known as Three Rivers Park. Completed projects include the North Shore Riverfront Park and Trail, popular among joggers and cyclists; the Monongahela Wharf Landing; and the 2013 renovation of Point State Park.

Kayak Pittsburgh:

Paddlers can push off from two convenient locations: the boathouse at North Park and beneath the Roberto Clemente Bridge in North Shore.

National Aviary:

Come face-to-beak with African penguins, feed a pair of flamingos, snap a photo with a bird of prey, and even pet a baby sloth.

Great Allegheny Passage:

Bike or hike along the 150-mile trail from PGH to Cumberland, Maryland, where it connects with the C&O Canal Towpath.

Mellon Square:
This tranquil escape in the heart of the downtown corridor was the first garden plaza ever built atop a parking garage.

Frick Park:

The city’s largest expanse, at 644 acres, is also its youngest—not quite 90 years old. Coming this year: a cutting-edge environmental center.

Schenley Plaza:

Once an asphalt eyesore, this five-acre green space features a carousel, dining kiosks, entertainment programs, and more. 

All throughout PGH, once-abandoned warehouses and industrial spaces have taken on new life as innovative art galleriesand esteemed museums. A few of our faves? The nonprofit Society for Contemporary Craft, the seven-story Andy Warhol Museum (more on it to the right), and the avant-garde Mattress Factory in the Central Northside neighborhood. A Stearns & Foster showroom until the 1960s, the Mattress Factory houses room-sized contemporary installations created by artists in residence. It’s art you can literally get into. 

Carnegie Museum of Art:

The galleries stay open late (8–11 p.m.) on the third Thursday of the month. 

Carnegie Museum of National History:

Go behind the lens of Nat Geo’s most captivating images in 50 Greatest Photographs.

Andy Warhol Museum:

Pop into one of the most comprehensive single-artist museums in the world, home to thousands of the Pittsburgh native’s works.

Ace Hotel:

Architecture fiends: Flock to this century-old former YMCA building in the up-and-coming East Liberty neighborhood. 

Hotel Monaco:

Rooms include bold hues and quirky design touches, like birdcage-ensconced chandeliers and ceramic penguin lamps. 

Mansions on Fifth:

This luxurious B&B houses Galerie Werner, an impressive collection of European art dating from the 18th century.