Pittsburgh

Phipps Conservatory
Winter Flower Show
November 28, 2008 to January 4, 2009

The Winter Flower Show returns in all of its glamour. Stroll through the Conservatory to see the playful animal topiaries, poinsettias and lights in this Pittsburgh tradition.

Carnegie Science Center

Carnegie Science Center
Miniature Railroad and Village - Train Displays

Carnegie Science Center Closing Schedule
Due to Steelers’ home games, Carnegie Science Center will be closed or close early on the following dates:

Sunday, November 9 – Closed
Sunday, November 16 – Closed
Thursday, November 20 – 4 pm closing
Thursday, November 27 – Closed
Thursday, November 28 – Closed
Sunday, December 7 – Closed
Sunday, December 28 – Closed

Main Building
Sunday - Friday 10 am - 5 pm
Saturday- 10 am - 7 pm

Hours are subject to change.
Call 412.237.3400 for the latest information.

Hartwood Celebration of Lights

The Hartwood Celebration of Lights is a breathtaking 3.2 mile stretch of holiday light displays leading up to the stunning mansion at Hartwood. More than two million lights are used to illuminate the holiday-themed displays standing 3- to 40-feet tall. The event is sponsored by Rite Aid and Allegheny County and is enjoyed by more than 600,000 people each year! Enjoy over 400 holiday light displays from the comfort of your car.Now in its seventeeth season, the Hartwood Celebration of Lights helps raise money for The Salvation Army's Project Bundle-Up, which provides new coats, gloves and other cold-weather clothing to children and senior citizens. Suggested contributions by visitors also help to support the Children's Miracle Network, St. Joseph's House of Hospitality and local non-profit organizations.

Where:
Hartwood Acres, Indiana Township, Pennsylvania

When:
November 21, 2008 - January 5, 2009 (including Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day)

Hours:
Sunday through Thursday, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve hours are 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Admission:
Suggested dontion of $12 per carload. Buses are $3 per person (non-profit) and $5 per person for profit organizations. Proceeds benefit Project Bundle Up and other local charities.
Directions:

FROM PITTSBURGH AND ROUTE 28
Take Route 28 North to the Route 8 North/Butler Exit (5B). At the third traffic light, make a right onto Saxonburg Blvd. Travel about 5 miles and the lights entrance will be on your left.

FROM PA TURNPIKE
Take Allegheny Valley (Exit 5). Stay right on the exit ramp. Turn right onto Route 910 West. Go 4 1/2 miles and turn left onto Saxonburg Blvd. Follow for about 2 1/2 miles. Hartwood Mansion entrance is on the right.

Note: the exit from the Hartwood Celebration of Lights comes out from a different location than where you drive in.
Map of the Roads Around Hartwood Acres
Don't Miss:

The Hartwood Mansion is decked in holiday splendor. Enjoy a holiday mansion tour, holiday candlelight tour, or a holiday musical and tea. Run the Lights!, an evening 5K Fun Run/Walk generally held a day or two before the Lights open to the public, provides a unique opportunity to view the lights at your own pace, rather than through a car window.







Hart wood Mansion - Festive Holiday Mansion Tours

The Allegheny County Department of Parks invites county residents and visitors to experience the historic Hartwood Mansion, magnificently decorated for the holiday season.

The Tudor mansion, the parks centerpiece, was designed by Alfred Hopkins. It is maintained as a house that evokes the elegant lifestyle of the Lawrence family and is a symbol of the changing American culture of the past century. It features all of the original furniture, many rare and valuable antiques, family photographs and treasured personal items. It serves as a cultural legacy to the life of leisure and philanthropy so fashionable in the first part of the 1900s.

The decorations throughout the Mansion are guaranteed to delight all of our visitors. Some of the outstanding features include the 12 foot Great Hall Tree, lavishly decorated mantels and a Kissing Bell which hangs in the entry hall.

Daily Guided Holiday Tours of the Mansion, decorated for the holidays, are offered starting on November 16. Regular mansion tour admission and hours apply. Call (412) 767-9200 to make your reservation.

Hours of Operation:
Monday through Saturday 10 am - 3 pm
Sunday Noon - 4 pm

Admission:
Adult 5.00
Senior Citizen 3.00
Junior 3.00
Youth 2.00
Children 1.00
Stable Tours (offered on a limited basis) 3.00
Candlelight Tours (evenings Nov – Jan) 5.00

Carnegie Museum of Art
Christmas Tree Displays and Nativity Scenes

Neapolitan presepio
Tues.–Sun., Dec. 5, 2008–Jan. 7, 2009
Hall of Architecture

A must-see holiday tradition for Pittsburgh families, Carnegie Museum of Art’s Neapolitan presepio delights museum visitors of all ages. The presepio, an elaborate Nativity scene re-created with lifelike miniature figures and animals arranged in a detailed panorama of 18th-century village life, has its origins in 17th- and 18th-century Naples and southern Italy. Handcrafted by artisans between 1700 and 1830, the museum’s presepio includes more than 100 superbly modeled human and angelic figures, animals, accessories, and architectural elements, covering 250 square feet.The presepio is one of the finest and most complete examples of its kind.
Guided tours of the Neapolitan presepio
Free docent-led tours of the Neapolitan presepio are offered Tues.–Sun., noon–12:30 p.m., Dec. 5 through Jan. 7. Tours meet in front of the museum store.

Carnegie Museum of Art
4400 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4080

Tel: 412.622.3131

Hours

Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday: noon to 5 p.m.
Monday: closed*
Closed major holidays

*Open the following Mondays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and President's Day; open Mondays in the summer between July 4th and Labor Day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission

Adults: $15
Seniors: $12 (65 )
Students with ID/Children ages 3–18: $11
Members and children under 3: Free

Admission includes Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Pittsburgh Crèche

This Christmas, the Christian Leaders Fellowship invites all of the faithful to see the replica of the Vatican crèche at the USX Tower Plaza on Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Crèche can be viewed 24 hours a day beginning November 16, 2007 through January 7, 2008. Throughout the Christmas season, various choirs from around Pittsburgh will perform on site.

The Pittsburgh Crèche is the world’s only authorized replica of the crèche erected in front of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. First erected in 1999 through the work of the Christian Leaders Fellowship, the Pittsburgh Crèche appears again through generous gifts from Pittsburgh labor unions, businesses, religious communities and other community members

NOVEMBER 21 through JANUARY 7

PPG PLACE WINTERGARDEN

PPG Place's annual holiday exhibits open for the season on Light-Up Night, Friday, November 21, and continue daily through January 7. Click the links above for information on the Wintergarden Holiday Exhibits and Gingerbread House Display and Competition.


November and December Exhibit Hours:

Monday-Thursday:

6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Friday:

6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday:

Sunday:



9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

9 a.m. to 8 p.m.


9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

OPEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S DAYS

The Wintergarden will close at 4 p.m. on Saturday,

December 6

The Wintergarden will be CLOSED ALL DAY ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7 and ALL DAY EITHER Tuesday, December, DECEMBER 16 or Wednesday, December 17 (call for details)

Call 412-434-1900 for updated closing information.


SPIRITS OF GIVING FROM AROUND THE WORLD EXHIBIT

See the splendor of the holidays come alive during PPG Place's breathtaking "Spirits of Giving From Around the World" exhibit. This enchanting display of life-size Santas and original paintings captures a whole world of Christmas folklore and fantasy.

The exhibit comes alive with a collection of original paintings, each depicting holiday celebrations around the world.

Capture memories of Christmases past in the Wintergarden where a tree larger than any from your childhood awaits you. Our spectacular 32-foot tree is surrounded by a showcase of gingerbread houses and a unique train display created by local artist Don Jones.

SEASONAL MUSIC: Hear a variety of seasonal music performed by area musicians daily throughout the month of December.



GINGERBREAD HOUSE AND TRAIN DISPLAY

It's "Home SWEET Home" in the PPG Place Wintergarden and Two PPG Place where a collection of unique gingerbread houses created by local individuals are encircled by a holiday train display. Houses can be purchased with a donation to Children's Hospital's Free Care Fund. Contact Carla Roehner at ppggingerbreadhouse@comcast.net for further information.

The houses are surrounded by a unique exhibit of trains created by local artist, Don Jones.

Ice Rink:
HOURS OF OPERATION

(November 21-January 4: )

Monday - Thursday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Friday

Monongahela Incline

Monongahela Incline

The Monongahela Incline was built at a cost of $50,000 and opened on May 28, 1870. Since then, it has transported millions of passengers. The incline opened up Mt. Washington to development, enabling people to live 600 feet above the city and still have easy access to factories and businesses along the river.

The Monongahela Incline was consolidated into Port Authority operations in 1964 and declared a historic structure by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation in 1970.

In 1982, Port Authority made improvements to the incline with the replacement of car bodies, improved access and renovated stations. The trestle supporting the road bed was changed to a new steel structure on concrete piers.

The 1994 renovation project was more extensive. The electrical and mechanical components of the machinery were replaced, an addition to the upper station was completed and trackway lighting was installed.


Mon Incline Facts:

* Length: 635 feet
* Elevation: 369.39 feet
* Grade: 35 degrees, 35 minutes
* Speed: 6 miles per hour
* Passenger: Capacity 23 per car
* Opened: May 28, 1870
* Renovated: 1882 (with steel structure)
* Renovated: 1982-83 new track structure, cars and stations
* Renovated: 1994 upper, lower stations, restored cars, replaced electric motors and controls

Fares:

Cash fares, passes and tickets are accepted as payment on the Monongahela incline.

* $2.00 cash fare each way (roundtrip $2.50 with transfer valid for three hours)
* $1.00 Child (age 6-11) or Disabled, cash fare each way (roundtrip $1.25, with transfer valid for three hours)

Hours:

* Monday through Saturday 5:30 a.m. to 12:45 a.m.
* Sundays and Holidays 8:45 a.m. to Midnight

Duquesne Incline

The Duquesne Incline was very close to going out of business in 1963, when a group of Duquesne residents raised money and took over its operation as the non-profit Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Incline.

View of the point from the top of the Duquesne Incline
Facts:

* Length: 400 feet
* Elevation: 800 feet
* Grade: 30 degrees
* Speed: 6 miles per hour
* Passenger: Capacity 23 per car

Fares:

Cash fares, passes and tickets are accepted as payment on the Duquesne incline.

* $2.00 cash fare each way
* $1.00 Child (age 6-11) or Disabled, cash fare each way
* Group rates are available upon request (Call 412-381-1665)

Hours:

* Monday through Saturday 5:30 a.m. to 12:45 a.m.
* Sundays and Holidays 7:00 a.m. to 12:45 a.m.

24 hours

Dept. 56
Mr. Christmas

Days / Hours of Operation
Tuesday - Saturday

January - May: 12:00pm - 5:00pm
June - August: 11:00am - 5:00pm
September - November: 10:00am - 5:00pm
December: 10:00am - 5:00pm
*During this month only: open on Sundays: 12:00pm - 5:00pm
Mondays: 10:00am - 5:00pm