Pittsburgh has so much to offer for children and families. The city has ranked recently as a top city for families and affordability. It’s so hard to choose the top ten things to do with your kids in our city.
I narrowed the list down to our favorite things to do with our own kids in Pittsburgh. We love to get out there and explore and there just are so many options!
10 Things to Do with Kids in Pittsburgh, PA
1.
Take a slide down the Blue Slide in Frick Park – The popular playground in Frick Park features a castle theme and is one of our favorite playgrounds! It is named for the blue cement slide built right into the slope of the hill. Kids will line up with their scraps of cardboard to slide down the hill over and over again. At the top of the slide, there is a fun climbing structure from which you can see the downtown skyline. We could (and have) spent all day at the Blue Slide Playground!
2.
Wade in the Watersteps on Pittsburgh's North Shore – We absolutely LOVE wading on the Water Steps on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. This stepped fountain flows down the banks of the North Shore and offers an unobstructed view of downtown. You can eat a picnic lunch right on the grass of Riverfront park and watch trains, boats, kyakers, the incline, and trucks on the bridge. This is one of our favorite warm weather play activities. And it’s completely free!
3.
Ride/Walk/Hike/Run the Trails – The Three Rivers Heritage Trail includes five connecting sections of trails in and around Pittsburgh. The trails run along rivers, cross bridges, and include all sorts of terrains. Families can jog with a stroller, walk, or ride bikes while enjoying the views. There are even many geocaches along the way for side-adventures! There is so much of our city to see from the trails and it's such a great way to spend family time.
4.
Visit the animals and fish at Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium – The Zoo houses thousands of animals right in our city's backyard. Families enjoy walking on the sloped pathways to see exhibits and to visit the Aquarium. The Kid's Kingdom portion is a huge area geared toward children and ranks as one of the top Children's Zoos in the country. We enjoy visiting the Zoo and Aquarium year-round, even during the snowy winter months!
5.
Explore and Learn at The Carnegie Science Center – Kids love the four floors of fun at The Carnegie Science Center. A planetarium, omnimax theater, miniature railroad, robotic exhibit area, and a water play floor are just a small part of the Center. There is a whole second building dedicated entirely to sports and the USS Requin submarine floating in the nearby river is just waiting for explorers. You could play for days in the Science Center. And they allow that, too: kids can register for a themed sleepover!
6.
Idlewild and SoakZone – Idlewild is a bit of a drive from Pittsburgh, but to the residents of our city, the amusement park is truly a gem! Idlewild has been voted the World's Best Kid's Park in the World by Amusement Today, and there is no question why. We love to wander through the shady pathways to ride amusement park rides, picnic, and swim. One of our favorites is the trolley through Mister Rodger's neighborhood. Families love to get inside the stories of Story Book Forest ¦you even meet Mother Goose! Don't forget to pack you bathing suit for SoakZone: there's a spray area, wave pool, lazy river, and water slides.
7.
Ride the Monongahela Incline to the top of Mt. Washington – One of our favorite things to do on a sunny weekend, is take a trip to Sation Square. We all climb aboard the incline and ride to the top of Mt. Washington. The view from the top is stunning! There is nothing like a ride on the incline as we take in the views of our beautiful city. Back at the bottom, we love to watch the dancing fountains, watch trains go by along side the river, and wave to people on boats as they float down the river. We finish up our fun with dinner at one of the great restaurants in Station Square.
8.
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh – The Pittsburgh Children's museum offers hands-on exhibits that will bring a smile to all ages. Babies through adults enjoy four floors of building, climbing, sliding, pretending, creating, and more. My kids LOVE the multi-media art studio, the whole floor dedicated to babies and toddlers, the water play exhibit, tinkering in the ˜Garage ™, and building in the ˜Workshop ™. There's not much not to love about the Children's Museum!
9.
Relive childhood memories by rollar skating at Romp N’ Roll – Romp N ™ Roll is a roller skating rink which offers Tiny Tots skating on Tuesdays. From 1-3 kids 9 and under can skate, get rentals skates, and eat lunch for one low price. We love the kid friendly music and doing the limbo. What's extra neat about the Tiny Tots session, is that parents can walk on the rink with their younger kids, which is perfect for new skaters. I ™ve even pushed my infant son in a stroller out on the rink as I helped my toddler daughter learn to skate!
10.
Spend the day at The Heinz History Center – The History Center features six floors of exhibits, but children love the Kidsburgh area where they can climb the two story play structure and interact while engaging in pretend play. We love the Discovery Place area of the museum where we can interact through hands-on learning and explore the history of the city of Pittsburgh and even pretend to work in a steel mill!
If anyone ever says “What is there to do in Pittsburgh?” They have some exploring to do! There is so much for children and families to do in Pittsburgh in all weather and seasons. From parks, fishing, boating, and hiking, to indoor activities of all kinds, Pittsburgh is an area people of all ages will love!
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