Things to Do in Allison Park

The annual Pittsburgh International Auto Show brings brand-new cars and auto enthusiasts together for four days of gazing and gear talk. An expansive layout of sparkling domestic and exotic international rides unfurls within the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, where show-goers can snap pictures with the auto industry’s latest crop of carriages. Daily events keep attendants abreast of new, innovative technologies and reveal how automakers fit live horses into today’s car engines. The Pittsburgh International Auto Show also keeps youngsters occupied with kid-focused entertainment like the SimZilla extreme racing simulator and a NASCAR racing simulator Hank the interactive robot. For those who are not-so automotively enthused, there are plenty of other forms of entertainment including a 30 ft. ultimate gaming experience trailer, spa treatments, car raffles, and tons of other giveaways and attractions. Discount parking and free shuttles from Smallman St. in The Strip are also available.

The New Hazlett Theater, built in 1889 as the Carnegie Musical Hall, pays more of a resemblance to a cathedral than a concert space, from its austere stone walls to its soaring bell tower. In fact, the hall would serve as a religious retreat through the early 1900s. Saved from demolition in 1967 and renamed the Hazlett Theater in 1980, the venue would serve as the home of the Pittsburgh Public Theater for 24 seasons, followed by a brief stint as the summer home of a Pirates-obsessed vampire.

Since 1984, Three Rivers Rowing Association has become one of the largest community-based rowing and paddling clubs in the country, converting neophytes into boating lovers and helping experts hone their form. With the use of two boathouses located on the Allegheny River, the club is home to crews from three local colleges and nine high schools and was named the 2010 Club of the Year from USRowing. In addition to winter and summer rowing leagues, the club runs amateur dragon-boating leagues and sponsors the Pittsburgh Paddlefish, a dragon-boating team that competes at the international level.

Guests feast their eyes on the impressive athleticism on display at the Consol Energy Center, home to the NHL's Penguins, arena football's Power, and countless other events. Two LED rings circumscribe the seating bowl, and 800 high-definition televisions of varying sizes pepper the building, ensuring attendees don't miss a single slam-dunk, slap shot, or black eye. Comfy seating cushions rapt fans, boasting widths of up to 24 inches to accommodate wild, celebratory gyrations and pockets filled with packing peanuts.

Now in its 11th year, the Pittsburgh Wine Festival gathers more than 165 vendors who pour more than 500 diverse wines inside the Heinz Field East and West Club Lounges. Though many of the featured wines hail from countries such as France, Germany, Portugal, Argentina, and New Zealand, others call California, Pennsylvania, and the Pacific Northwest their home. As attendees wander between sips of reds, whites, and rosés, they sample food pairings and watch live entertainment.

Winery representatives and winemakers pour their diverse libations during the annual Grand Tasting, but also uncork specialty reserve wines at a VIP tasting. Here, smaller crowds grant visitors more time to speak with the vendors, and ask questions about fermentation or how to determine whether a wine will get along with their other bottles. Outside the main events, industry leaders also hold seminars on how to taste wine like a sommelier or pair wines to specific occasions. Additionally, private wine dinners raise funds for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

More than 50 years ago, Mr. John E. Connelly set his sights on cleaning up Pittsburgh's polluted three rivers and returning them to their former glory as the Steel City's heart and soul. As then-treasurer of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, John was in a prime position to complete his ambition. With the belief that he could get the public engaged and committed to a cleanup, he decided to give the local people access to the rivers via boat tours, knowing the city's characteristic architecture as viewed from the rivers would engender a genuine appreciation for the region's waterways and environment.

After getting his nephew, Captain Jack Goessling, on board, John purchased a 100-passenger fishing boat they would christen the Gateway Clipper, which would later launch from Monongahela Wharf for the first of its many pleasure cruises. Today, with Gateway Clipper Fleet, his dream of engaging locals and visitors in the city's history and waterways thrives with a fleet that has grown to five boats capable of accommodating 2,500 guests. Through the years, the fleet has ferried more than 25 million passengers, treating them to dinner cruises, sightseeing tours, and entertainment jaunts along the clean, blue waters of Pittsburgh's three rivers.:m]]