The Mattress Factory contemporary art museum in Pittsburgh's North Side is known for its large-scale installation works by international artists. It offers public programs, talks and workshops, and has an onsite gift shop and cafe.
Best and worst time to go
The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday, and on Sunday afternoons. Weekends can be busiest, particularly if a new exhibition is opening, when entry can be restricted to allocated time slots. Weekdays are quieter, and admission is half-price on Tuesdays.
Must see at the Mattress Factory
Exhibitions at the museum are always changing, so the experience is different every time you visit, but it's always worth taking a wander through the outdoor garden area for hidden sculptures and surprises. The gift shop is a treasure trove for art and design lovers, with limited-edition posters, t-shirts, screen prints and bags.
Admission to the Mattress Factory
Adult entry is $20, seniors and students are $15, and veterans $10. Children under 6 and members are free. Members of reciprocal museums elsewhere in the U.S. can also enter free by showing their membership card.
Parking and public transportation
Parking is free in the museum lot at 505 Jacksonia St, but space is limited and parking can be tricky to find on surrounding streets. From Downtown Pittsburgh, the number 13, 15 or 16 buses run every 15 minutes to Brighton Rd, just a few minutes' walk from the museum.
Food at the Mattress Factory
The MF cafe is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 11.30 a.m to 3 p.m. Located in the lobby with extra seating in an outdoor patio, it offers a range of casual snacks and meals including soups and salads.
Insider Tip for visitors to the Mattress Factory
The Mattress Factory is located in the heart of Pittsburgh's historic Mexican War Streets area, a great place to take a stroll and view the beautifully restored row houses from the 1800s.
Author's bio: Heather McCracken is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh who loves writing about travel, art and food.
The Frick Art and Historical Center, known locally as the Frick, is a shining example of the legacy of steel money of the Steel City. The former estate of the Henry Clay Frick, a founder of US Steel, was converted into a museum and showcases how the wealthy Frick family lived as well as displaying many pieces of priceless art. Located at the edge of Pittsburgh's Frick Park, the museum is a perfect place to relax after a long stroll.
Parking and public transportation at the Frick Art and Historical Center
The Frick has a decent sized parking lot that is free to visitors. Visitors can also take the P1 bus from downtown, which travels along a car-free busway and gets to the museum in no time. Exit the Homewood station if taking the bus.
Best and worst time to go to the Frick
The warm months of June and July are the best time to visit the Frick. Since the museum is located on the grounds of a former estate, it is very pleasant to meander from building to building to enjoy the sun and then escape into the air conditioning. Also, Fridays in June and July are open until 9 p.m. February is the worst, as Pittsburgh is freezing and the Frick holds few events.
Admission to the Frick Art and Historical Center
Most exhibitions in the Frick are free. Tours into the magnificent Frick family home, Clayton, are $12-$15 for adults. Seniors, students, and active military are $10-$12, while kids under 16 years old are $6-$8. The grounds and exhibits are closed on Mondays and most major holidays.
Must see at the Frick
Though it costs extra, tours of the beautiful Clayton mansion are worth every penny. Not just for the glimpse into the life of a wealthy steel baron from the late 1800s, but also for the priceless art. Don't miss a chance to sneak into the old green house too; it has a bunch of retro charm.
Other places to visit near the Frick Art and Historical Center
East End Brewing in nearby Larimer, is arguably the city's best brewery. It is very hard to find since it is located in an old warehouse and you enter through barely advertised door, so keep your eyes peeled. Point Brugge Cafe has been serving up affordable Belgian fare for years, and is consistently voted best fries in the city. Also, don't miss a chance to wander through Pittsburgh's largest park, Frick Park, just south of the museum.
Insider tip to visitors to the Frick
If you are in Pittsburgh for the whole week, or live in the Steel City, visit the Frick on Tuesdays. It is buy one get one for tours of Clayton. Not to mention it is not very crowded on Tuesdays, you might have the whole estate to yourself.
Author's bio: Ryan Deto, originally from California, has been exploring the streets of Pittsburgh for more than four years. He has been published in "LA Weekly" and has traveled to more than a dozen countries and more than 40 states throughout America.
Dinosaurs are the big attraction at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, one of four Carnegie museums in Pittsburgh. The museum's Dinosaurs In Their Time exhibit features immersive displays from the Mesozoic Era, and several complete dinosaur skeletons. The museum also has permanent displays dedicated to geology, wildlife, botany and anthropology.
Best and worst time to go
On a midweek visit you're likely to have exhibition halls almost to yourself — as long as you can steer clear of school children on class visits. The museum is open late on Thursday nights, when you have the best chance of avoiding both weekend crowds and school groups, and half-price admission applies after 3 p.m. It's open every day in summer and reduced hours in winter.
Must see/do at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History
The Discovery Basecamp interactive exhibit offers the chance to touch and explore real and replica specimens, talk with museum staff, and learn about their work. It's one of two interactive exhibits, including Bonehunters Quarry, where children can take part in a realistic fossil dig recreating the Dinosaur National Monument dig in Utah.
Admission to Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Admission to the Natural History museum includes same-day entry to Carnegie Museum of Art next door. The admission price may not include some temporary exhibitions. Discounts are available for seniors and students, and members and children under 3 are free.
Parking and public transportation
From downtown Pittsburgh, the 61 bus (A,B,C or D routes) leaves every five minutes and drops off on Forbes Ave., outside the museum. The museum has a six-level paid carpark at the rear of the building.
Food at Carnegie Museum of Natural History
The Fossil Fuels Cafe, on the lower level, offers basic sandwiches, snacks and drinks. The Carnegie Museum of Art's cafe, overlooking the front entrance and fountain, has a more extensive menu. On Thursday evenings it's open for wine, beer and snacks while the museum is open late.
Insider tip for visitors to Carnegie Museum of Natural History
For a great way to capture the scene in the dinosaur exhibition hall, head upstairs to the Jurassic Overlook, where you'll get a great birds eye view of the enormous skeletons — and it's the perfect place to take a photo of the family pretending to run from a charging T-Rex.
Author's bio: Heather McCracken is a freelance journalist based in Pittsburgh.
Since 1991, Pinball Perfection has been a vintage arcade game supplier, entertainment center and service center. The downstairs showroom features a large variety of nostalgic arcade games available for purchase. The upstairs is a fully-functional players club museum, where anyone can play as many vintage games as they want for $10. The players club museum is only open on the weekends.
This zoo is for the birds -- literally. The National Aviary is the nation's only independent non-profit zoo solely dedicated to birds. Located on Pittsburgh's North Side, right in the middle of Allegheny Commons West Park, the aviary offers close-up encounters with birds from all over the world. Perfect for a day out with kids, children can listen to tropical birds squawk from the treetops, watch small, grassland birds zip by, and even witness penguins float over them from underground tunnels.
Parking and Public Transportation at the National Aviary
The aviary has its own personal lot, which cost between $5-$10 for non-members. The streets right outside also offer metered parking and some free parking with 1-2 hours limits, depending on the day. The North Side T subway station is about a half mile walk away and will take you to other North Side and Downtown destinations for free.
Best and Worst Time to go to The National Aviary
Most of the birds, including the penguins, are indoors, so seasons do not generally affect visitors. Weekends and summer time will be busier, because children are not in school, but the aviary hosts many field trips during the week, so generally, anytime to visit is as good as any other.
Admission to the National Aviary
General admission tickets cost $14-$20. Children (ages 2-12) are a couple bucks cheaper and seniors get a dollar discount. Children ages 2 and under are free.
Must See at the National Aviary
There is no doubt that the South African penguins are the aviary's main draw. Their rock and water filled exhibit is the largest and their interactions are the funniest. Also, you can then brag to everyone that you saw the namesakes for Pittsburgh's NHL Hockey Team, the Penguins.
Other places to visit near the National Aviary
The North Side is chock full of fun things to do, but since the aviary is a family friendly place, the suggestions will be in that vein. The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is just two blocks away and offers great classes and exhibits catered towards learning and play. The Carnegie Science Center offers interactive exhibits and is also close by. Or take your kids to a ballgame and watch the Pirates play at PNC Park.
Insider tip for visitors to the National Aviary
If your kids continue to beg you to take them to the aviary to see the penguins, but you have already taken them every weekend for the last two months, there is a way to appease them. The aviary's website has a special penguin cam that broadcasts the antarctic birds doing their thing.
Author's bio: Ryan Deto, originally from California, has been exploring the streets of Pittsburgh for more than four years. He has been published in "LA Weekly" and has traveled to more than a dozen countries and more than 40 states throughout America.
Pittsburgh is grey all year round, even in the sticky days of summer. The Steel City's cloudiness is up there with Seattle; seriously, look it up. But inside the Phipps Conservatory, even on the coldest, drabbest day, it feels like a tropical vacation. With more than a dozen indoor botanic gardens, and some outside for warm days, visitors are easily transported to the landscapes of the jungle or desert. Phipps is the perfect escape right in the middle of the bustle of Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.
Parking and public transportation to the Phipps Conservatory
The best spot to park is the median in between Schenley Drive, right in front of the conservatory. Spots here are free to Phipps visitors, but fill up fast. Street parking is available across the bridge in Oakland, but rates are fairly high. To reach Phipps without a car, take one of the many buses to Oakland, exit near the Carnegie Public Library, walk over the Schenley Drive bridge and you're there.
Best and worst time to go to the Phipps Conservatory
Avoid the summer weekends and holidays, if possible. Tourists and suburban dwellers flock to Schenley Park and the conservatory and clog up the gardens, making it hard to enjoy the natural beauty. Weekends in the winter are not nearly as bad, and provide a warm, organic feel, even though you are indoors. Mondays and Tuesdays are generally the slowest times of the week to visit.
Admission to the Phipps Conservatory
Tickets are between $15-$20, with a small discount for students and seniors. Children 18 and under are $10-$15. On special Sundays throughout the year, the conservatory offers free and discounted days, so check their website before visiting.
Must see/do at the Phipps Conservatory
The tropical forest room in the back of the conservatory is the most is impressive. With its two stories, high clear glass ceiling, and water falls, it is a must see. Also, through the gardens out back, sits the Center for Sustainable Landscapes, which is billed as one of the greenest buildings in the world and is a great example of how modern architecture can balance with nature.
Other places to visit near the Phipps Conservatory
The conservatory is part of Schenley Park, one of the cities best parks, so explore some of its trails. On Atwood Drive in Oakland, is Pittsburgh's best ice cream, Dave and Andy's. If you are feeling collegiate, walk the campus of the renowned Carnegie Mellon University, named for Pittsburgh's most famous son, steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie.
Insider tip for visitors to the Phipps Conservatory
Remember to check the Phipps website for Sunday free and discounted days, and before leaving the conservatory, don't miss a chance to eat at the cafe inside. It is consistently voted for some of the best museum food in the country, which is pretty stiff competition. Plates are beautifully presented and prices are affordable.
Author's bio: Ryan Deto, originally from California, has been exploring the streets of Pittsburgh for more than four years. He has been published in "LA Weekly" and has traveled to more than a dozen countries and more than 40 states throughout America.
