Customer Reviews
What You'll Get
Because Greeks invented both history and history museums, famous philosophers were forced to stand for eight hours at a time behind placards bearing their biographies and accomplishments. Go on a less meta-historical journey with today’s Groupon: for $25, you get two adult tickets and two audio tours to the Vatican Splendors exhibit (up to a $50 value) at the Senator John Heinz History Center on Smallman Street.
Boasting 275,000 square feet and six floors of exhibition space, the Heinz History Center is one of Pennsylvania’s largest history museums. Experience 2,000 years of Vatican art and history with two adult tickets to Vatican Splendors: A Journey Through Faith and Art. Children older than 6 and senior citizens can also use the tickets. Audio tours are self-guided, allowing visitors to schedule around the time-consuming process of crafting their own homemade relics and patiently waiting for hundreds of years until they’re historically significant.
This Vatican-centric exhibition showcases one of the largest collections of documents, art, and historic objects to tour North America without the aid of a wizard's hot-air balloon. Stop by to peruse works from artistic masters such as Michelangelo, Bernini, Giotto, and Guercino. Remains of Saint Peter and Saint Paul are prominently displayed, as well as art and tools from the time Michelangelo spent working on the Sistine Chapel. Many of the items have never been on public display before, having spent the intervening years aging in charred oak barrels in the Pope’s damp basement.
Reviews
Six Yelpers and three Insider Pagers give the Senator John Heinz History Center a near-perfect 4.5-star average. TripAdvisors give it 4.5 owl eyes.
- This is an interesting museum with widely varied exhibits. – ral338, TripAdvisor
- We definitely spent a lot of time here on a cold day and had a great experience. There's so much to do, and so many shifting themes from one room to the next, it's like visiting several different museums in one building. – R V., Yelp
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Dec 24, 2010. Amount paid never expires. Limit 5 per person. Must use both tickets in 1 visit. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About Senator John Heinz History Center
Rising six floors above the historic Strip District, the Senator John Heinz History Center's handsome, red brick exterior houses 275,000 square feet of exhibits devoted to Western Pennsylvania history. Long-term exhibits include From Slavery to Freedom, which traces the quest for equality from the anti-slavery movement to the modern struggles for Civil Rights. Pittsburgh: A History of Innovation highlights the men and women behind the 250-year history of the region, whereas the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum delves into the history and lore of local athletics, from the Steelers’ Immaculate Reception to Bill Mazeroski's title-clinching home run in game seven of the 1960 World Series. The museum also hosts nationally renowned traveling exhibits; click to see a list of current exhibits.