🛶 Explore Our Three Rivers
Summer is the perfect time to get out on the water. We recommend enjoying our rivers from the safety of a boat, kayak or canoe. (Swim in the Mon at your own risk!) You can watch the Perseid Meteor Shower on a peaceful night paddle from August 10-12, take a boat tour to learn the secrets of the Ohio River, or brush up on kayaking basics along the Allegheny.
If you prefer to simply sit by the water, you can catch a river circus performance by a traveling troupe of musicians, circus artists and puppeteers. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and check out the free show.
Producer Sophia Lo triumphantly holds up an arctic swirl from Page's Dairy Mart. The first bite after waiting in line for an hour is always the sweetest! (Sophia Lo / City Cast Pittsburgh)
🍦 Enjoy a Summer Treat
Did you know the banana split was (most likely) invented in Latrobe — and there’s a local festival dedicated to the dessert? Take a roadtrip to check out the Great American Banana Split Celebration, then continue on to Chambersburg for freshly-grown peaches. (If you need an extra ice cream fix, Shatzer Fruit Market has peach sundaes.)
Closer to home, you can bring your own banana to Bruster’s on Thursdays and get half off a banana split, or dig into a yinzer sundae at Page’s Dairy Mart.
- 🍽️ Want more food recommendations? Check out our roundup of the best food festivals to close out the summer.
🎵 Listen to Live Music Outdoors
Is there any better way to take advantage of the warm Pittsburgh weather than heading over to a city park for a free musical performance? You can hear live rock (and sip on local drinks) at Grandview Park on Saturdays, and enjoy live jazz in Highland Park on Sundays. Pro tip: stick around to the end for free line dancing lessons.
For even more music in an even grander location, check out Summer Fridays at the Frick — a summer concert series on the museum’s lawns.
- 🎺 Pay it forward. If you have an instrument collecting dust in your closet, bring it to the Frick. You can donate it to a local music non-profit during the concert.
The City Cast Pittsburgh podcast has even more August recommendations, including a farm show, a flower festival, and a special citywide bike ride.
