Museums · Pittsburgh · United States
6 best museums in Pittsburgh
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Joshua Peacock jcpeacock, CC0
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Quick answer
Start with Andy Warhol Museum, Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art and Senator John Heinz History Center. Together the 6 picks below take roughly 14–19 hours across 5 areas; all charge for entry.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 6
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 14–19 hours
- Areas
- North Shore, Oakland and Strip District
Museums in Pittsburgh
Museum · North Shore
1.Andy Warhol Museum
Seven floors of a former warehouse trace Warhol's life from his Pittsburgh childhood to Factory-era fame, with paintings, films, screen prints and his time-capsule boxes of everyday objects.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Iconic
- Rainy day
Museum · Oakland
2.Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art
Andrew Carnegie's twin museums share a building and a ticket.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Museum · Strip District
3.Senator John Heinz History Center
Western Pennsylvania's history museum, a Smithsonian affiliate in a former ice warehouse, covers steel, glass and the Heinz company, and holds set pieces from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, filmed in Pittsburgh.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · North Shore
4.Carnegie Science Center
On the Ohio River next to Acrisure Stadium, this hands-on science museum has a planetarium, a robotics hall, a big miniature railroad and village, and the USS Requin, a Second World War submarine moored outside that you can walk through.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · Point Breeze
5.The Frick Pittsburgh
Industrialist Henry Clay Frick's family home, Clayton, is preserved with its original furnishings, alongside a small art museum, a greenhouse and the Car and Carriage Museum, which displays vintage automobiles including a 1914 Rolls-Royce.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Gallery · Central Northside
6.Mattress Factory
This museum commissions room-sized installations from artists in residence, spread across a former mattress warehouse and nearby row houses in the Mexican War Streets.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| North Shore | Andy Warhol Museum and Carnegie Science Center | 2–3 hours + 3–4 hours |
| Oakland | Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art | 3–4 hours |
| Strip District | Senator John Heinz History Center | 2–3 hours |
| Point Breeze | The Frick Pittsburgh | 2–3 hours |
| Central Northside | Mattress Factory | 1.5–2 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 6, 1 low cost, 5 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 5 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (North Shore): Andy Warhol Museum, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 2 (North Shore): Carnegie Science Center, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Oakland): Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Strip District): Senator John Heinz History Center, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 5 (Point Breeze and Central Northside): The Frick Pittsburgh → Mattress Factory, at least 4 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of 4°C (39°F), about 13 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Still wintry, but the conservatory and museums make good indoor days; prices stay low.
- January: highs of 2°C (36°F), about 15 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Cold and grey, with regular snow showers; a quiet month for museums and low hotel prices.
- November: highs of 11°C (52°F), about 12 rainy days, quiet crowds. Grey and chilly, with the holiday season launched downtown late in the month.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Strip District — Old produce warehouses turned into food shops, markets and new apartments
- North Shore — Stadiums, the Warhol and riverfront parks across the Allegheny
- Oakland — Universities, hospitals and the Carnegie museums around Schenley Park
More of Pittsburgh
All things to do in Pittsburgh · Where to stay · When to go.
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Pittsburgh?
Andy Warhol Museum. Seven floors of a former warehouse trace Warhol's life from his Pittsburgh childhood to Factory-era fame, with paintings, films, screen prints and his time-capsule boxes of everyday objects.