Pittsburgh offers the right combination of history & pro sports

The city of Pittsburgh is in the spotlight this year for golf and for those history buffs. On the golf course, the United States Open was held in the nearby town of Oakmont at Oakmont Country Club. Off the course, Pittsburgh is celebrating its 200th year as a city and what a ride it has been.

From the early days when Pittsburgh was known as a steel town for its manufacturing of steel to the current days of one of the top sports cities in the country Pittsburgh has come a long way in those 200 years.

And along the way there have been the big events like the Heinz Company was founded in 1969, KDKA became the first commercial radio station in the country in 1920 and is the only station east of the Mississippi to start with a K, and the venerable Three Rivers Stadium was blown up in 2001 and replaced by new homes for the Steelers and Pirates.

And speaking of sports, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup this year and celebrated with 350,000 fans downtown. Pittsburgh has won Stanley Cups, Super Bowls and World Series championships.

The Pittsburgh skyline has become a photo landmark. At the confluence of the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio Rivers, Pittsburgh is also called the city of Bridges for its 446 bridges.

On the sports field, Pittsburgh is loaded with teams and history. Roberto Clemente is still honored as one of the greatest Pirates of all time and has a statue in front of the new PNC Park. There is also a Clemente Museum nearby. Golf has become a big draw in the Pittsburgh area with the U.S. Open being played at Oakmont Country Club and the Champions Tour once playing Quicksilver Golf Club, a place with its own Church Pew bunker set up on the ninth hole. Other places outside of town like Springdale Golf Club in Uniontown are also great escapes. Pennsylvania has more golf courses per capita than any other state – more than 700 courses total with 500 open to the public. There are 128 courses in the Pittsburgh area alone.
And to top it off, Pennsylvania is also the home to The King, Arnold Palmer, who is from Latrobe.

Civically, it might be tough to match Pittsburgh as well. Hometown Andy Warhol has his own museum to tour. There is the John Heinz History Center, which has a piece of all sorts of Pittsburgh history, including sports. The Duquesne Incline gives you a climb up Mount Washington and one of the best views of the downtown area you will see. Cable cars have been running up this incline since 1877.
For families, Kennywood Park is the place to be with 33 rides, seven major roller coasters and more.

And for dining …. it is truly the best you will find anywhere. The Monterey Fish Grotto sits atop Mount Washington and when you combine the food and views it doesn’t get much better. Pamela’s Diner has some of the biggest flapjacks and is the place where President Obama goes to when he is in town.

Another big tourist attraction is the Three Rivers Fountain, which opened in 1974 and was refurbished in 2013. It is a fountain that can rise to 150 feet. For more on the Steel City see www.visitpittsburgh.com.