A Stroll Through The Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

I admit, it may be because I’m a Libra, but I swear there’s nothing more beautiful than Pittsburgh in the fall. I mean. Unless it’s raining, in which case, it’s still pretty beautiful if you’re under your covers with a bottle of wine. Pittsburgh is a dynamic and beautiful city filled with attractions and sites that will mesmerize every traveler. You can go to a Pittsburgh guide with your family. Pittsburgh is the home of more than 30 museums and 446 bridges.

But we have some really lovely foliage, especially if you step just outside the city a bit. And that’s exactly what we did last weekend, checking out the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden for the first time.

The Botanic Garden is a little off the beaten path, but there are signs that clearly mark the route. If you’ve ridden the Panhandle Bike Trail, you’ve probably seen them.

In fact, that’s how we heard of the garden — driving home from a bike ride. Once you get to the road, the space is easy to find, and there’s plenty of parking.

If you’re expecting a botanical garden like we have at Phipps, you’re not going to find it. What you will find is a series of beautiful walking trails that take you through trees and natural meadows.

There are also some random buildings you can climb around in.

And one of those buildings is tiny and full of books you can read!

You can choose multiple paths to walk along, but all of them are well maintained. I would recommend wearing good hiking/walking shoes, as there are some rocks and roots and a couple of small hills, but the paths are very clear and easy to navigate (my 90-year-old grandmother was able to walk them a few days after we visited).

The foliage really is at its peak right now, and you could use up a whole camera card just taking photos of the trees.

But there are also other awesome things to see, like this random wooden mushroom patch.

And this cheerful stone dragon.

AND THIS AMAZING GIANT BIRD’S NEST!!!!!

(Seriously, this is the kind of stuff that happens to me ALL THE TIME in World of Warcraft, but I never dreamed it would happen in real life!!!)

Ahem.

There is also this beautiful lake. Apparently there are stepping stones (yes, Bog of Eternal Stench style!), but we were short on time when we finally reached the lake, so we didn’t get to check them out.

Basically, the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden is a great little place to spend an afternoon. It was $8 to enter, and you have as much time as you want to stroll the grounds. There are also real live sheep, but they were napping to stay out of the sun when we were there. Check it out during the fall foliage season!