Pittsburgh’s Must-See Holiday Attractions

Dear Diary,

You don’t have to drive far to experience the magic of Christmas. Pittsburgh is home to the state’s top holiday happenings. Only a short drive away, your family can make new traditions or revisit their favorite holiday. There’s a long list of performances and exhibits taking place now through the New Year. Here are our favorite family outings during the break from school.

Carnegie Museum

What’s a Christmas in the Burgh without checking out the Holiday Tree display at Carnegie? The massive Colorado Spruce trees decorated with handcrafted ornaments are on display now through January 9th in the Hall of Architecture. The trees surround the museum’s 18th-century Neapolitan presepio Nativity scene. You can also check out The Polar Express on the big screen and the world-renowned Miniature Railroad & Village at the Carnegie Science Center.

Downtown’s Pittsburgh Crèche

The Pittsburgh Crèche, the world’s only authorized replica of the Vatican’s Christmas crèche on display in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, is on display now through January 7th in the USX Tower Plaza on Grant Street. The display features twenty life-size figures, including Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the Three Kings.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

The Winter Flower Show and Light Garden is a must-see holiday attraction. The changing exhibits feature topiary penguins, bears and reindeer, LED lights, decorative trees, festive props, colorful poinsettias and more. Children will marvel over the Garden Railroad, which offers interactive buttons for kids to bring the train display to life before their very eyes. The Outdoor and Discovery Gardens are illuminated with orbs, trees and fountains under the star filled sky.

Click here for more holiday outing ideas.