Hands-On Fun

Interactive

Pittsburgh is so interactive! The Carnegie Science Center is all about hands-on fun. Board a Cold War submarine; experience adventure at the IMAX® theater; be a scientist at the interactive planetarium; explore hundreds of hands-on exhibits or see the Miniature Railroad & Village. Pittsburgh loves kids! The newly expanded Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is one of the most innovative museums for children in the country. Children can build, paint, fly, float or just be. The Museum has a theater, interactive arts, garage and workshop, nursery, various exhibits including Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Waterplay and special programs and events. Kids can learn about history at the Senator John Heinz History Center's Kidsburgh, an interactive, two-tier play place for families. Discovery Place at the History Center features hands-on games that teach kids about transportation, and other interactive activities invite children to learn about things made in Western Pennsylvania.

Museums

Pittsburgh has world class museums. Carnegie Museum of Art offers a distinguished collection of contemporary art that includes film and video works, as well as European and American decorative arts from the late 17th century to the present. The museum's collection also includes Asian (notably Japanese prints) and African art. Carnegie Museum of Natural History features five billion year's of the Earth's history. The Museum's three floors take you from the Arctic to the Amazon. Known as the third largest dinosaur repository in the world, Dinosaurs in Their World is a dramatic exhibit arena that reflects current scientific evidence of these colossal creatures and their environments. The ToonSeum, Pittsburgh's Museum of Cartoon Art, is one of only three museums in the United States dedicated exclusively to the cartoon arts. The ToonSeum features exhibitions of original comic and cartoon art, with new exhibits every two months. The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington County houses 45 trolleys that allows visitors to experience the Trolley Era first-hand by riding the Museum's beautifully restored streetcars for a scenic four-mile ride into the past.

Nature Up Close

The National Aviary is home to over 600 birds of more than 200 species, from Pacific Parrotlets to Andean Condors. Meet an African penguin, talk to a parrot, mingle with the flamingos or experience a tropical rainstorm (no umbrella necessary!). Take time to stop and smell the flowers at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, a 13-room Victorian glasshouse and outdoor gardens in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh. Beautiful flowers, vivid colors and exotic gardens greet you at every turn. Take a walk on the wild side at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, where can you find more than 4,000 animals and 475 species, including 32 threatened or endangered species, all in their natural habitat. The city of three rivers is a natural home for Riverquest, a non-profit educational organization that operates a river learning center for students, teachers and the community of Southwestern Pennsylvania. RiverQuest's programs provide hands-on learning while exploring Pittsburgh's three rivers on two retired U.S. Navy vessels that serve as fully operational state-of-the-art floating classrooms.