From bonding with nature to exercising your mind, from riding a cable car to strolling through gardens, Pittsburgh has romantic attractions to suit any heart's desire.
Andrew Carnegie made a fortune off the steel era and in turn donated a fortune to advance education and culture in Pittsburgh. The Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh includes a Museum of Natural History, Museum of Art, and a Music Hall with world-class chamber music. The Carnegie Science Center includes an Omnimax theater, planetarium, restaurant, and a view of the Ohio River.
All of the Carnegie museums are situated between the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, three miles east of downtown in the clean, cultural center of Oakland. With its formal parks and impressive museum and university buildings, "˜The City Beautiful' was a historic haven during the times when Pittsburgh was less attractive. University of Pittsburgh is one of the US's oldest schools and has an impressive 44 story, neo-gothic, stone Cathedral of Learning, the tallest educational building in the Western Hemisphere.
On the east end of Oakland is the 456 acre Schenley Park. Stroll through the magnificent green space and indoor and outdoor gardens at the more than hundred year old Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. The conservatory boasts flowers from worldwide and a peaceful Japanese garden. Walk trails through rolling hills in the summer or ice skate on Schenley Park's rink in the winter.
Formal gardens can be found at the sixteenth century recreated Tudor-style country estate, Hartwood. The re-created English mansion on Saxonburg Boulevard can be toured and has antique furnishings. On the 629 acre grounds couples can hike or cross country ski on wooded trails or take a hay ride in a horse drawn carriage.
For a more natural setting visit the 476 acre Frick Park. Hike long trails over forested hills in the 150 acre Frick Woods Nature Preserve. Experience the nature center, bird-watch, or observe other wildlife in this primarily undeveloped park.
Point State Park, on Commonwealth Avenue, sits where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet to form the Ohio. The Grant Fountain symbolizes this "˜golden triangle.' An eighteenth century fort remains and Fort Pitt Museum has displays of early life in the Ohio Valley. Point State Park on the waterfront is home to many of Pittsburgh's outdoor concerts, festivals, and other seasonal events.
Animal enthusiasts can visit the Pittsburgh Zoo in Highland Park. The zoo has a 45,000 square foot fresh and salt water aquarium that includes a shark tank. In the north end of Pittsburgh is the National Aviary. Wander through enclosed areas where hundreds of different birds fly freely amongst the trees.
Riding a nineteenth century cable car is sure to spark your romance. Take a trolley up either Duquesne or Monongahela inclines, in the south end, to the top of Mount Washington. Walk to Grandview Avenue overlooks for views of the three rivers converging and the city directly below. The trendy hill-top neighborhood offers romantic restaurants with spectacular vistas of the skyline and rivers.
More adventuresome riders can enjoy nicely landscaped Kennywood Park, a National and State Historic Landmark. Kennywood is Pittsburgh's amusement park with water rides and modern and traditional roller coasters.
Couples looking for excitement can attend one of many professional sporting events. Pittsburgh fans enthusiastically cheer on their football, baseball, and hockey teams; the Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins. The stadiums sit near the banks of the Ohio and are within walking distance of downtown restaurants, shops, and hotels.
For a more subdued way to spend an evening, take a Gateway Clipper boat cruise from Station Square Dock or even splurge on a private charter. There are dance, brunch, sightseeing, dinner, and various entertainment cruises available on the historic Gateway Clipper and other steamboats and yachts. In the autumn cruising is a great way to see the fall foliage from the rivers.
A fun way to spend time together is to take a short, delightful drive through the countryside, southeast out of Pittsburgh, to Fallingwater on Route 381. Fallingwater is a dramatic house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1936 with a breathtaking waterfall within the piece of architecture.
This city in the hills of Southwestern Pennsylvania lies on the banks of three rivers boasting outstanding views. From bonding with nature to exercising your mind, from riding a cable car to strolling through gardens, Pittsburgh has romantic attractions to suit any heart's desire.
