15 things to do in Pittsburgh that are off the beaten path

Looking for unique things to do in Pittsburgh? Here are 15 activities to try. 

Some of the most popular attractions in Pittsburgh are popular for a reason. The city’s famous museums, the inclines that traverse Mount Washington, and the three jewel-like sports venues, for example, are testaments to Pittsburgh’s impactful history and exciting future. But there are plenty of unique museums, historic sites, and other things to do that fly under the radar of the average tourist — and even some locals!

We’ve put together a list of some of our favorite hidden gems in the Steel City and the surrounding area. And as you explore Greater Pittsburgh, you’re sure to find more.

1. Carrie Blast Furnaces – Swissvale

Anyone in Pittsburgh knows that the city was a steel powerhouse in the 20th century, but if you want to learn more about the city’s steel history, you can head to the Carrie Blast Furnaces just outside of Pittsburgh.

Now known as the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark, the site is home to tours and workshops to keep the city’s industrial legacy alive. For example, you can take a seasonal, two-hour tour of the blast furnaces, learning about the iron-making process and the culture of the steelworkers who built Pittsburgh — and the rest of the country.

General admission for the tours between May and October is $25, but check the website for other events.

2. Allegheny Observatory at Riverview Park – Pittsburgh 

The historic Allegheny Observatory building was constructed in the early 1900s and has allowed countless researchers, students, and Pittsburghers to learn about the skies beyond our own. Part of the University of Pittsburgh’s Physics and Astronomy Department, the observatory is located in the wooded Riverview Park north of Pittsburgh, itself a destination for nature lovers. 

Besides its history, Allegheny Observatory hosts events, like free seasonal tours, for the public to check out the stars with a powerful telescope.

Allegheny Observatory in Pittsburgh, Pa. surrounded by trees. (Karen Woolstrum/Unsplash)

3. Bayernhof Museum – O’Hara Township

Nearby, O’Hara Township is home to the Bayernhof Museum, a 19,000-square-foot abode full of one of the largest collections of self-playing musical instruments. These automatic music machines include music boxes, automatic harps, and many more.

Take a tour of the museum to learn about the collection as well as the fascinating man behind it. Daily admission to the Bayernhof is $10.

4. Center for PostNatural History – Pittsburgh 

Rather than the more common natural history museum, Pittsburgh’s Center for PostNatural History focuses on how humans have influenced natural history — that is, how we have engineered, genetically modified, or otherwise altered living beings.

At the Garfield neighborhood museum, you’ll see lots of biological specimens on exhibit, including Freckles, one of several goats genetically modified by a company to produce strong spider silk in its milk.

5. Moonshot Museum – Pittsburgh

The Moonshot Museum is a space museum unlike any other. First built in 2022, the museum offers a peek into the construction of real spacecraft and the contemporary space age. You’ll also learn about the space careers of today, making this museum more of a lesson for the future than a history lesson. Adult admission is $10.

The Moonshot Museum is a museum in Pittsburgh where you can get up close and personal to outer space. (Visit Pittsburgh)

6. Murals of Maxo Vanka – Millvale 

Located just across the river from Pittsburgh in Millvale’s St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church, the Murals of Maxo Vanka are 25 murals created by Croatian American artist Maxo Vanka. Painted between 1937 and 1941, the towering murals depict moving scenes of inequality, industry, and immigration.

Follow a docent on a public tour of the murals for $15 on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

7. Old Economy Village – Ambridge 

Nestled along the Ohio River not far from Pittsburgh, Ambridge’s Old Economy Village allows visitors to step back in time to learn about the Harmony Society and the community the society built in the 1820s. You can explore the gardens and the 17 historic buildings that make up this historic site to learn not only about the communal religious movement that sought to establish a utopia in southwestern Pennsylvania, but also what life was like for early settlers of this rough landscape.

Old Economy Village is open seasonally, with $5 admission for just a grounds pass or $10 to enter and participate in a tour.

8. Fort Ligonier – Ligonier 

The small town of Ligonier, roughly an hour from Pittsburgh, was a pivotal site in one of the earliest wars in modern history. It was home to Fort Ligonier during the French and Indian War, which took place between 1754 and 1763 and ultimately cemented the British hold on the New World. Today, you can visit the Fort Ligonier Historic Site and museum and learn about the area’s role in the war and then-Colonel George Washington’s career while viewing old artifacts and exploring the reconstructed fort.

The museum is open year-round with special winter hours. Adult admission is $14.

Fort Ligonier hosts the Fort Ligonier Days festival each fall. (Alex Byers/GO Laurel Highlands)

9. Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village – Jefferson Township

Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village is about an hour from Pittsburgh, but it is certainly worth the drive. The area is an archeological site believed to be the oldest site of human habitation in North America! Humans are believed to have lived at the rock shelter for more than 19,000 years. You can learn about the prehistoric peoples who lived in this area and also explore constructed historic villages depicting the lifestyles of Native Americans and settlers from hundreds of years ago.

Meadowcroft is open seasonally, and admission is $15 for adults.

10. Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning – Pittsburgh

The tall structure on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus, the Cathedral of Learning, is not merely an architectural gem — it’s also home to 31 historic classrooms celebrating various ethnic and heritage groups. Many of the Nationality Rooms, with their elaborate decorations and displays, are nearly 100 years old, and the majority serve as classrooms for Pitt students. While you can explore some of the rooms on your own when classes aren’t being taught in the rooms, you can also take a guided tour of different rooms, which may include the Czechoslovak Classroom, the French Classroom, the African Heritage Classroom, the Swedish Classroom, the Syria-Lebanon Classroom, the Early American Heritage Classroom, and many more.

Guided tours of the rooms are $10 for adults.

11. Three Rivers Heritage Trail – Pittsburgh

You can explore Pittsburgh via one of those double-decker buses or the Gateway Clipper, but you can also explore the rivers by foot along the 35 miles of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. The trail follows all three of Pittsburgh’s rivers, linking historic areas as well as cultural centers like the city’s downtown. Interpretive signs along the trail detail the city’s history and the ecology of the rivers.

While the trail may be most popular in the warmer months, if you bundle up, you can enjoy the beauty of Pittsburgh and its rivers even in winter.

12. Pittsburgh’s City Steps

Given Pittsburgh’s unique topography of steep hills and slopes, there are some areas in the city where pedestrians may need to rely on stairs. And so, public-use stairs across Pittsburgh abound, some in unlikely places and others seemingly hidden.

You can find these hidden gems on your own by embarking on a self-guided tour of some of Pittsburgh’s steps, such as the neighborhood step tours written and shared by a Pittsburgh local. You can also check the Venture Outdoors website for 2025 guided tour availability with a city steps expert.

The Pittsburgh skyline is just visible from the top of a set of public steps. (L____/CC BY 2.0)

13. Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Highmark Stadium – Pittsburgh

Sure, you know the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Pittsburgh Penguins — but what about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds?

The Riverhounds are a USL Championship soccer team, and you can watch their home games at Highmark Stadium along the Monongahela River during soccer season. Cheer on the home team for a fraction of the price — and the crowd — of the city’s major league teams! Riverhounds preseason games (which are free) start in February 2025, with the season officially beginning in March.

14. Troy Hill Art Houses – Troy Hill

Four houses in Troy Hill have been reimagined as public art installations. The Troy Hill Art Houses are open to the public by appointment only but are free to visit! Each house is the work of one contemporary artist. The houses are known as La Hütte Royal (closed for renovations until fall 2025), Kunzhaus, Darkhouse Lighthouse, and Mrs. Christopher’s House, and are each wildly different.

15. Saint Anthony Chapel – Troy Hill

Pittsburgh’s Saint Anthony Chapel, a Catholic chapel located in Troy Hill, is said to have the most Christian relics of any church outside the Vatican — more than 5,000! You can take a trip to Troy Hill to see some of the relics, which can be body parts of saints or items that were used by or belonged to saints. Some of the church’s relics, according to the chapel, include skulls of saints, a piece of Christ’s cross, and documents that are hundreds of years old.

The chapel is open to visitors most days in the early afternoon.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.