Things to Do in Penn Hills

Though having only recently celebrated its second birthday, the August Wilson Center commands a striking architectural confidence. Its two-story steel-and-glass sail juts into the night sky with the bravado of a toddler who just lassoed his first neighborhood cat. Within the steal and glass, a 486-seat theater hosts plays, dance performances, and lectures while multiple exhibition galleries display art and cultural treasures for the community. The center draws on the legacy and culture of African Americans from Western Pennsylvania, infusing each curation with a celebration of rich history.

Steel City Airsoft's safety-conscious staff hosts adrenaline-pumping showdowns for recreational warriors as well as for law enforcement or military groups looking to train in a close-quarters, indoor environment. A modular building design allows staffers to reorient the walls, hallways, and doorways that honeycomb the 15,000-square-foot facility, ensuring unpredictable, action-packed bouts amid a hail of whistling pellets. With an emphasis on responsible play, the staff members steadfastly enforce the facility's rules and advise patrons either to wear clothing that covers any bare skin or to don their family's coat of arms. Steel City Airsoft is open on Fridays from 5 p.m.–midnight, Saturdays from noon to midnight, and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m.

The Monroeville Home Show occupies the Monroeville Convention Center with the comfortable clatter of home-improvement projects and the soft hush of leaves rustling in a range of gardening exhibits. A door opens wide to reveal the interior of a Riverview Homes model house, beckoning show-goers to explore its gussied-up interior and take note of how many fireman poles a normal domicile has. Flora sprouts around the Phipps Conservatory gardening stage, where seasoned green thumbs demonstrate a variety of techniques, and a multitude of exhibition booths dispense helpful tips, showcase products, and expound upon domestic tips for the spring season.

The friendly experts at Willi's Ski and Snowboard Shop sling the latest in contemporary snow-sport products and maintain slope-traversing gear, earning themselves a Gold Medal Award from Ski magazine. Boot technicians help guests hunt down the precise fit for their boots, and maintenance wizards use top-notch Wintersteiger tuning machines to ensure that skis and snowboards retain their integrity during outings or unexpected ice ages.

Since 1952, North Park Batting Range has facilitated outdoor baseball training on its open-air range. In each of 10 open-air baseball cages, automated pitching machines fire balls into the strike zone at 30–80 miles per hour. Five open-air softball cages loft pitches at various speeds for batters training for slow-pitch or fast-pitch leagues. On the 18-hole, par 40 miniature golf course, family-owned and operated since 1961, flourishing shrubs, sharp corners, water hazards, hills, and windmills create obstructions for golfers.

SteelTown Paintball Park embraces competition with a Sup'Air speedball field and 11-balls-per-second Envy paintball markers. Its mirrored field encourages strategizing and modest primping among teams, and often games can become up-close-and-personal affairs after tickling becomes the only true means to attain victory. The turf field also hosts competitive events, ranging from national USPA matches to local-level tourney play. Recreational players need not feel intimidated, however, as the referees ensure fair matches with equal teams.