Pittsburgh hotel suggestions and activity ideas

[JustineMarie]

My father in law is very hard to shop for so I decided that for Christmas I would love to give him an experience as a gift, rather than a actual present. He is a huge phillies fan so I was thinking about sending him (and my husband) to pittsburgh to watch a phillies game in their stadium. This can start a tradition for them bc I can do a new ballpark every year and be something both my husband and him can look forward to.

That being said, im lost as to where to book a hotel at. I would like it to be reasonably priced, and not have to pay separate for parking. It doesnt have to be super close to the stadium bc they will have a car and wont mind paying for parking for the game.

They will be leaving on a friday and returning home on a monday. The game they will be seeing is on Saturday. So I’m also looking for suggestions on what other activities they could do, cool places for them to eat, etc. They are both history buffs, also sports fanatics.

I appreciate any ideas to help me pull this off. I’m trying to get this planned asap so i can put together a cute reveal gift box for them to both open! Thanks!

 

[GreatLakes]

I want to make sure you know the Phillies play in Philadelphia. You may mean it will be a road game against the Pirates in Pittsburgh but I just want to confirm.

I've been to Pittsburgh many times and highly recommend the Wyndham at Point State Park. Hotels in Pittsburgh are more expensive than you likely expect, at least downtown, and the Wyndham has good rates for the area.

It is easily walkable to the stadium or to some other downtown destinations like restaurants and the incline.

 

[JustineMarie]

Yes i know that the phillies play in philly. My fault for wording that poorly. My intention is to send them to away phillies games in different cities each year.

Thanks so much for the suggestion. Im adding the wyndham to my list!

 

[dish rag]

The Drury is where we stay. Old historic and interesting.

 

[olwyngdh]

Cool place to eat is Primanti Brothers in the Strip District. It is as classic to Pittsburgh as the Philly Cheesesteak is to Philly.
https://www.primantibros.com/

 

[dish rag]

Cool place to eat is Primanti Brothers in the Strip District. It is as classic to Pittsburgh as the Philly Cheesesteak is to Philly.
https://www.primantibros.com/

There is a one at the PNC Park as well.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We stayed at the Hyatt Place in Pittsburgh. It's very close to the baseball stadium and right next to a light rail station. It was easy to hop a train downtown each day and explore. They also have a very good breakfast included. We were in town for a few days to tour Point Park University with DS. He ended up choosing a different school, but it was fun to check out Pittsburgh. We went to the museum at Point State Park, took the funicular up the hill and explored the downtown.

 

[georgina]

If they like history the Heinz History center is close to downtown and has Pittsburgh history and a section on sports history as well (if they can stomach the celebration of Steelers history! I can't!)

 

[ncc1701]

If they like history the Heinz History center is close to downtown and has Pittsburgh history and a section on sports history as well (if they can stomach the celebration of Steelers history! I can't!)

As a Philadelphia area native/ resident my guess is the Penguin' s section will bother them much more

 

[olwyngdh]

There is a one at the PNC Park as well.

Yeah, but the 3 am Primanti Bros Fish sammich at the original after hitting the clubs on the strip is best! I miss Pittsburgh. Not that I have the energy for the clubs anymore, but when I was young? Oh yeah.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Yeah, but the 3 am Primanti Bros Fish sammich at the original after hitting the clubs on the strip is best! I miss Pittsburgh. Not that I have the energy for the clubs anymore, but when I was young? Oh yeah.

The one in the strip used to be a must see, just for the atmosphere and experience. Now there are Primantis all over the place, but none can compare to the that one. Of course, I haven't been there since college, like 18 years ago so there's a possibility that Primantis has undergone a renovation or two. I kind of hope it hasn't though. Plus, the Strip is an awesome place.

OP, if your FIL is going when the weather is decent, one of my favorite things to do in the city is to visit Station Square and then walk over to the incline and ride up to Mount Washington and stroll around up there. The view from the lookout point is amazing (even for someone like me who hates cities) and there is a great little mom-and-pop ice cream store up there, you can take your ice cream to go and experience one of Pittsburgh's unique neighborhoods.

Take this advice with a grain of salt, because as I said I don't really like visiting cities, but if it were me I'd rather find a place to stay outside the city and then drive in to the stadium for the game and sightseeing. You said they'll have a car and won't mind driving. I can personally vouch for Doone's Inn in Oakmont. It's right across from the country club and the family that runs it are so nice! The food is great and it's so peaceful there. Plus, Oakmont is a great little town with a Norman Rockwell feel that is mere minutes from the city. There are B&Bs in the old historical houses in other suburbs like Shadyside and Squirrel Hill too.

 

[dish rag]

The one in the strip used to be a must see, just for the atmosphere and experience. Now there are Primantis all over the place, but none can compare to the that one. Of course, I haven't been there since college, like 18 years ago so there's a possibility that Primantis has undergone a renovation or two. I kind of hope it hasn't though. Plus, the Strip is an awesome place.

OP, if your FIL is going when the weather is decent, one of my favorite things to do in the city is to visit Station Square and then walk over to the incline and ride up to Mount Washington and stroll around up there. The view from the lookout point is amazing (even for someone like me who hates cities) and there is a great little mom-and-pop ice cream store up there, you can take your ice cream to go and experience one of Pittsburgh's unique neighborhoods.

Take this advice with a grain of salt, because as I said I don't really like visiting cities, but if it were me I'd rather find a place to stay outside the city and then drive in to the stadium for the game and sightseeing. You said they'll have a car and won't mind driving. I can personally vouch for Doone's Inn in Oakmont. It's right across from the country club and the family that runs it are so nice! The food is great and it's so peaceful there. Plus, Oakmont is a great little town with a Norman Rockwell feel that is mere minutes from the city. There are B&Bs in the old historical houses in other suburbs like Shadyside and Squirrel Hill too.

Station Square is done with. Nothing hardly left there.

 

[KristiMc]

Church Brew Works is good. https://churchbrew.com/

 

[smadath]

Stuff to do:
Phipps Conservatory is beautiful! https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/
Into birds? We have the National Aviary. https://www.aviary.org/
I'm a fan of the Carnegie Science Center, which is right next to the ballpark. It's geared toward kids, but still interesting. http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/
And there's always the zoo! https://www.pittsburghzoo.org/

Word of caution on the Zoo, it's very hilly. Some of it quite steep. So if walking up lots of hills is an issue, might be best to skip it.

 

[luv2sewtjr]

We love visiting Pittsburgh! On our last visit, we stayed at the Embassy suites, which is very close to the stadium. They have valet parking or you can park at a lot around the corner for a very reasonable price. We were walking distance to market square. My son and I ate at the Primanti brothers there and he said it was way better than the franchised one he’s been to.

Other places we’ve enjoyed include:
Cathedral of learning at university of Pittsburgh
Andy Warhol Museum
Carnegie art museum
RandyLand
Bicycle Heaven (I recommend this to everyone!)

I don’t know how much time you have or what the interests are. My three kids are very different so we always mix it up.

We’ve been to the aviary, but we didn’t love that. There are also the inclines.

 

[Nagle]

We stayed at the Wyndham a couple of years ago. It is at the end of the strip and a 5 minute walk to the ballpark. The hotel was just ok, but being able to stroll over to the game was awesome.

A walk along the strip on a Saturday morning is a must do. Heretic that I am, I thought Primanti Brothers was a meh. It was ok, but one and done for me. I can say I tried it at the original location.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Stuff to do:
Phipps Conservatory is beautiful! https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/
Into birds? We have the National Aviary. https://www.aviary.org/
I'm a fan of the Carnegie Science Center, which is right next to the ballpark. It's geared toward kids, but still interesting. http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/
And there's always the zoo! https://www.pittsburghzoo.org/

Word of caution on the Zoo, it's very hilly. Some of it quite steep. So if walking up lots of hills is an issue, might be best to skip it.

Love the zoo! The hills are killer, especially when pushing a heavy stroller, and the last few times I was there the big escalator at the front was out of service too, but there is a tram that runs through the zoo in the warmer months. I think the tram wristband costs an extra $2.

Has anyone mentioned the casino that is next to the Science Center and adjacent to PNC Park? That's another thing the OP's FIL might enjoy.

The Carnegie Art Museum/Museum of Natural History isn't too far away either. It's worth a look.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Oh, the Frick is pretty cool too! You have to schedule a tour though.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Station Square is done with. Nothing hardly left there.

I'm not surprised. I haven't been there for at least a couple years, but the last time I was there it was pretty empty, even though it was Christmas time. They could eat at Buca di Beppo, it's an interesting place, and the view of the river is pretty right there.

 

[olwyngdh]

Station Square is done with. Nothing hardly left there.

That is sad. I ran the Historical Research Center when it was there. It was a great place to work, shop, and eat.