May 16, 2023
If there are 104 days of summer vacation, before school comes along just to end it, then why do we spend it being bored? Summer is just around the corner so we need to get to planning so we can have a fun, exciting summer. Here are some ideas of things you can do and get the gears turning so we don’t waste any time.
ZOO
Personally, I LOVE the zoo. I don’t know anyone who openly hates the zoo. You get to have a nice stroll outside all while looking at cute animals. The food might be overpriced, but if you starve yourself during your time in the zoo, then you can grab some food from a restaurant nearby on the way home.
Location: 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Hours: 9:30AM – 5:30PM
Admission: Adults – $17.00 Child: $14.00 Senior: $15.00
ART INSTALLATIONS/MUSEUMS
There are countless different art exhibits and museums in our surrounding area. Many people are missing out on the opportunity to see some really cool art because they think museums are boring and filled with old stuff they don’t care about. They are wrong. These people probably haven’t gone to the right places, or maybe they just didn’t try to enjoy it. If you still find it boring, you could at least use it as a photo opportunity. Here are some popular museums and art installations in the Pittsburgh area:
Andy Warhol Museum
Location: 117 Sandusky St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Hours: 10:00AM – 5:00PM Friday ~ 10:00AM – 10:00PM Sunday ~ 12:00 – 5:00PM Tuesday ~ closed
Admission: Adult – $25.00 Child, Senior, & Student – $13.00
**Carnegie Pass Holders & members get in free**
The Mattress Factory
Location: 500 Sampsonia Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Hours: 11:00AM – 6:00PM Wednesday ~ 11:00AM – 8:00PM Monday & Tuesday ~ closed
Admission: Adult – $20.00 Senior & Student – $15.00
**members get in free**
Randyland
Location: 1501 Arch St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Hours: 10:00AM – 9:00PM Sunday ~ 12:00 – 9:00PM
Admission: Free
The Frick
Location: 7227 Reynolds St, Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Hours: 10:00AM – 5:00PM closed Monday
Admission: Free
Carnegie Museum of Art/Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Location: 4400 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Hours: 10:00AM – 5:00PM Thursday ~ 10:00AM – 8:00PM Tuesday ~ closed
Admission: Adult – $25.00 Senior – $20.00 Child – $15.00
**Carnegie Pass Holders & members get in free**
Carnegie Science Center
Location: 1 Allegheny Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Hours: 10:00AM – 5:00PM Tuesday ~ closed
Admission: Adult – $25.00 Senior – $20.00 Child – $15.00
**Carnegie Pass Holders & members get in free**
Concerts
Going to concerts is one of my favorite things to do. Being able to actually feel the song is like no other. Especially if it’s your favorite song. You can go with your friends, family, or even by yourself and have a great time. This is a unique opportunity to meet people that share the same taste in music and depending on what kind of ticket you purchase, you might be able to meet the artist/band. Here are some concerts that are coming to the Brugh’:
Noah Kahan
Location: Stage AE (400 N Shore Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15212)
Date: Jun 6, 2023
Time: 6:30
Taylor Swift
Location: Acrisure Stadium (Heinz Field) (100 Art Rooney Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212)
Date: Jun 17, 2023& Jun 18, 2023
Time: 5:00
Ed Sheeran
Location: Acrisure Stadium (Heinz Field) (100 Art Rooney Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212)
Date: Jul 8, 2023
Time: 12:00
Backseat Lovers
Location: Stage AE (400 N Shore Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15212)
Date: Jul 26, 2023
Time: 6:30
Beyonce
Location: Acrisure Stadium (Heinz Field) (100 Art Rooney Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212)
Date: Aug 8, 2023
Time: 7:00
Drive-In Theater
The drive-ins are very nostalgic for me, as this is how I spent most of my summer nights as a child. As an 18 year old I still go to watch a movie or two, however, not nearly as often as I used to. The Starlight Drive-In (1985 N Main St Ext, Butler, PA 16001) is the very same one I used to go to, and still go to, and hasn’t changed that much. It’s still the same concession stand, restrooms, and layout just with a fresh coat of paint. The only thing that is different is the newly added mini golf course I have yet to check out. Grab some of your friends and go watch something on the big screen from the comfort of your own car this summer.
Buttermilk Falls
Want to get in touch with nature? Take a little hike in Indiana County (570 Valley Brook Rd, New Florence, PA 15944) and you’ll wind up at Buttermilk Falls. The main part I’m talking about is the swimming hole in the area. From the parking lot to the water, it is only a short walk through the woods (unless you get lost the first time like I did). Once there you can park all of your stuff down on the flat rocks and enjoy. You can tan out there or you can take a dip in the water. The main attraction is being able to go rock jumping. You climb up onto the big rock and can either jump straight into the water or you can use the rope swing to help hurl yourself into the water. It’s a fun time to go with your friends and you might even make friends with other people there.
Amusement Parks
If you love the exhilarating thrill of roller coasters or other rides, I’m positive you’ll want to go to some of these amusement parks. You can go with your family or your friends, but make sure you have an even number of people in the group or else you might be stuck sitting by some stranger for all two minutes of the ride.
Idlewild
This park is more tailored towards children, but if you have younger siblings this is your best option if you don’t want to hear them crying all day.
Location: 2574 Lincoln Hwy, Ligonier, PA 15658
Kennywood
One of the closer parks that you can really enjoy and have more of an all day experience..
Location: 4800 Kennywood Blvd, West Mifflin, PA 15122
Hershey
Still in Pennsylvania, but a little far into Amish country. Overall All ages can find something to ride here.
Location: 100 Hersheypark Dr, Hershey, PA 17033
Six Flags (Ohio)
This ones a little bit of a hike, but I’ve heard many great things about it. That is if you don’t mind traveling to Ohio.
Location: 7350 Aurora Rd, Aurora, OH 44202
Busch Gardens
You might have to turn this into an overnight stay, but it is totally worth it. This park was incredible and I would go again in a heartbeat.
Location: 1 Busch Gardens Blvd, Williamsburg, VA 23185
Spelunking
In the area that we live, there are so many underground caves and caverns. With these caves and caverns, you have the opportunity to explore them. Almost all of them have tour guides that will take you through the underground labyrinth while pointing out cool rocks or spots where people have gotten stuck. I guess you should explore with a professional guide instead of doing it yourself and becoming one of the spots the tour guides share. And when you leave, you can get a souvenir. I always grab a geode so I can have a pretty rock.
Sporting Events
Since the weather should be nice the majority of the time, it’s the perfect time to get active. You can go to a local park with your friends and play a game. You could be playing baseball, football, volleyball, soccer, badminton, tennis, or anything you can think of. You could also go and watch a game while you get some sun. It could be a professional game, like seeing the Pirates, or just a local little league game.
Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold
This place was recently brought to my attention and looks so cool and beautiful. It is in West Virginia (3759 McCreary’s Ridge Rd, Moundsville, WV 26041) so you will have to travel a little, but once there, you will have a pretty cool sight. You can get pictures for your insta and brag about how cool you are for traveling and seeing this or you can just marvel at the architecture. I suppose you can do both too. Keep in mind this is run by the Hare Krishna’s and the only food served is vegan food options.
Mingle on Main
If you want to stay close to home, Mingle on Main is always something you can do. Walk around Mait St and gossip with your friends while eating a ginormous burrito from a sanitary(?) food truck. Or at least that’s how my last Mingle on Main went. Looking back, it’s probably not a good idea to drop first and last names during one of the busiest days in a small town, but no one called me out for it so I guess it wasn’t that bad.
Water Sports
There are so many different activities that fall into this category. You can go up to Lake Erie to go boating and maybe even fish a little. You could go paddle boarding or take a yoga class on the water at North Park. Maybe you want to go kayaking or canoeing, you can certainly find a river to travel on. Give jetskiing, tubing, water skiing, parasailing, or surfing a try; you might like it. I would even consider a water gun fight a water sport you can partake in. Pretty much anything revolving water can be fun this summer. The possibilities for this category are endless.
Blue Hole
Similarly to Buttermilk Falls, Blue Hole (Blue Hole, Middlecreek Township, PA 15557) is a hidden swimming hole that you can hang out at. Although, there isn’t much sunlight through all the trees so you can’t get a great tan. The plus side is you can bring your dog and there isn’t a far walk to get to the hole, it is pretty close to the road. You just need to be able to navigate there without getting lost and travel down the rocky road.
Ohiopyle
The theme here is water. Ohiopyle (1491 Mill Run Rd, Mill Run, PA 15464) is perfect for any hot day where you can hide in the shade and enjoy the numerous water features. These include waterfalls, rivers, swimming holes, rock slides, and a rock jumping area. Or, if you want to be in the sun you can go kayaking, tubing, rafting, or boating. Overall, it’s a fun excuse to splash about in the water to cool off.
Seven Springs
Most of you probably know Seven Springs (777 Water Wheel Dr, Seven Springs, PA 15622) from being one of the only resorts around. You probably think that they just shut down in the summer, but they have other summer activities such as the alpine slide, golf, horseback riding, adventure course, swimming, biking, different running events, ax throwing, bowling, and kayaking. There’s something you can find to occupy your time, I guarantee.
Falling Water
Are you a fan of architecture? Or maybe a Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiast? Then come check out Falling Water (1491 Mill Run Rd, Mill Run, PA 15464). It’s a cool house in the middle of the woods that is built in harmony with a waterfall. It is honestly a really cool house and it is so pretty, so check it out.
Mac Miller Tour
Kind of. You could create your own personal tour. For instance, take the Pittsburgh icon, Mac Miller, since Pittsburgh is his home city you can make your own personal sites-to-see list that you go to all in one day. If you choose Mac Miller, the tour can include: Frick Park Market, Blue Slide Park, the murals of him, and any other references from his songs that you feel like taking a visit to. For lunch you can even stop at Primanti’s because “Capicola sandwiches are tasty from Primanti’s”. Of course you’d only be listening to our king Mac for this entire trip. And you can personalize this to pretty much anything you want.
There is no reason to be bored this summer. Go out and do something.
