Places to Visit Pennsylvania

Meriwether Lewis started his journey in Pittsburgh: he ordered a keelboat be made, recruited several men, and purchased and organized supplies for the long journey ahead.

Meriwether Lewis stopped here on his journey west. During his visit, he showed off his new air gun, and someone got shot.

The Eliza Furnace Trail, part of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a six mile out-and-back hike that leads from the southwest corner of Schenley Park to Point State Park and the Downtown section of the TRHT and back. The trail is flat and paved the entire way, allowing for it to be enjoyed by people of all skill levels! Open year-round, the trail is the perfect place to hike, bike, or walk dogs (if they are kept on a leash!).

In the 1990s, Friends of the Riverfront were tasked with establishing safe, easily accessible points where people could enter Pittsburghs’ rivers or launch non-motorized boats. With their work now complete, there are a total of 23 access points along the Ohio, Monogahela, and Allegheny Rivers, establishing what is known as The Three Rivers Water Trail.

The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1990 to protect, conserve, and restore habitat for wildlife native to the river’s floodplain. The refuge consists of twenty-two islands and four mainland tracts scattered along 362 miles of the upper Ohio River. Most of the refuge’s 3440 acres of land and underwater habitat are located in West Virginia; however, Pennsylvania and Kentucky each have two refuge islands.

The Neil Log House is the oldest existing residential structure in Pittsburgh. Located in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, it was designated an Historic Landmark in 1977. The Neill family lived in it from 1774 to 1795 on 262 acres that is now part of Schenley Park, one of two large city parks in Squirrel Hill. It was first built and occupied by a soldier stationed at Ft. Pitt.

Located at the apex of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s “Golden Triangle,” Point State Park is located sits at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers, forming the headwaters of the Ohio River. The park itself, now a National Historic Landmark, commemorates the area’s long history, going all the way back to the French and Indian War (1754-1763).   

Located in the heart of Pittsburgh’s historic Strip District, the Senator John Heinz History Center occupies a 100-year old building, formerly the home of the Chautauqua Lake Ice Cream Company, and a five-story wing of the Smithsonian Institute, of which it’s been an affiliate since 2000. Although the museum itself was established in 1879, it moved to its current location over a century later in 1996.

Built in 1789, the American Philosophical Society provided a central meeting place for its members and served many purposes in its early years. Portions of it were leased to the University of Pennsylvania, to artist Thomas Sully as a portrait studio, and the basement was used as a wine cellar for an import business.