things to do with children in Pittsburgh (Carnegie, California: ski resorts, waterpark)

[cmow]

We are considering a move to Pittsburgh and I was wondering if there is a lot to do in the area with small children - amusement parks, museums, etc. The winters seem to be fairly long there and we want to live somewhere where I can take the kids and get out of the house to go to museums, etc. We currently live in California where you can go outside pretty much year round. Thanks for the help.

[subdivisions]

Originally Posted by cmow

We are considering a move to Pittsburgh and I was wondering if there is a lot to do in the area with small children - amusement parks, museums, etc. The winters seem to be fairly long there and we want to live somewhere where I can take the kids and get out of the house to go to museums, etc. We currently live in California where you can go outside pretty much year round. Thanks for the help.

There are many activities in the Pittsburgh area suitable for children, including a Children's Museum, a Science Center, the National Aviary, Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art, and a decent zoo. There is also an amusement park in the city (Kennywood) and a water park (Sandcastle), but I don't know how late in the year either of those stay open.

[ontheroad]

I have two grandchildren in Pittsburgh and whenever I stay for a long visit, I have many wonderful places to take them--the Children's Museum is among the best in the country; the Science Center, Natural History museum, Warhol, aviary, zoo, have all brought delight to my 3 year old grand-daughter. She associates these day trips as some of our quality time together.

Even adult museums like the Warhol have touchable objects anchildren-friendly exhibits.

[CortlandGirl79]

Isn't there an indoor waterpark in erie?

[likepgh]

Don't forget Phipps Conservatory. This is one of the largest indoor botanic gardens in the country with Victorian-era glass buildings and a big new addition. Our (little) kids love the garden railroad (which is up for a good part of the winter) and the butterfly room. It's a great place to go in the winter. (Also excellent food in the cafe.)

We certainly have our share of winter here, but the city rarely shuts down altogether. (And when it does, your kids will enjoy playing in the snow at the house, right?)

[morefromcali]

Hi Cmow,

We're moving to the Pittsburgh area from California next month, and our kids loved it there both times we visited. They absolutely loved the Science center and the Children's museum, and I've been following their schedules since we decided to move and I've seen that that they have lots of activies throughout the year that sound fun for little ones in both places. My kids also enjoyed the zoo, and we are looking forward to seeing some of the other things that we keep hearing about like Ohiopyle (spelling???) which looks amazing -- not to mention the amuzement parks Kennywood and Idylwild -- so much more reasonable than Disneyland! One of the things that we liked best about Pittsburgh was how child friendly things were wherever we went -- another huge difference from Los Angeles! I'm not sure where in California you are from, but we certainly didn't find it lacking. Tons of parks, and classes, nature walks and children's music and theatre programs for example. And you don't have to spend the whole day in your car to get to any of it!

Good luck!

[Gerbil]

The winter here isn't too bad, really. I mean, it'll rarely prevent you from going places. So try not to worry about that. Besides, as someone pointed out, the snow can be great fun for children. Sledding, snowball fights, building snowmen...

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by cmow

The winters seem to be fairly long there and we want to live somewhere where I can take the kids and get out of the house....

Ski slopes are only an hour away in the mountains. Children are never too young to learn skiing. We practically live at the ski resorts in the winter. Seven Springs has many indoor facilities---roller skating, bowling, etc.

Originally Posted by cmow

We currently live in California where you can go outside pretty much year round.

You can go outside year round here more often than you think. It's not freezing here all the time.

When it snows, take your kids outside to make snowmen, go sled riding, and have family snowball fights.

Don't forget outdoor ice skating too! There's a rink downtown at PPG Place and one at each county park.

Try to embrace winter instead of viewing it as something to avoid.

In the fall, you can take them to an orchard farm, go for a hay ride, or pick a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch. There are lots of fall harvest fairs and festivals too.

You can also simply take them for a walk in the woods----picking up fall leaves and doing something fun with them when you get home. Or make raking the leaves in the yard a fun time by letting them jump in the leaf piles.

Depending on where you live you can join a club that has an indoor swimming pool or you can take them to a hotel that has a swimming pool for a nominal fee.

There's a boat company called the Gateway Clipper fleet that has a boat called the Good Ship Lollipop. They can enjoy a children's boat ride on Pittsburgh's rivers.

Even three and four year olds can take dance lessons, swim lessons or whatever. It's a great way to get them out of the house on a scheduled basis.

Join a MOPS group and take advantage of group play dates geared towards preschoolers.

[NewBurg]

I also enjoy the number of free events that various neighborhoods offer, like free summer jazz concerts in Highland Park. The gallery crawls are also great for kids, the 3 Rivers Arts Fest every summer, concerts at Hartwood Acres, free outdoor movies every Sunday and Wednesday through the summer.

Pittsburgh is also a great outdoors town with lots of hiking, kayaking, parks and trails.

[Gerbil]

And the free movies in the city parks are usually family-friendly. I think this summer they are showing, among other things, Moster House and Happy Feet.