Things To Do In PA

Brief History  Did you know that Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh has been open for over 125 years? Henry Phipps gifted the city of Pittsburgh a glasshouse with nine display rooms in 1893. Construction of the glass house was completed in August and it opened to the public later that year in December. The conservatory featured different varieties of plants. Arc lights were installed during 1894, allowing visitors to enjoy the variety of plants later into the night. Some plants featured in one of it's earliest fall shows in 1897 were chrysanthemums, banana plants, and rubber trees. Many expansions took place in the early years, including the addition of propagation houses, the South Conservatory, and an extra room. In 1901, Phipps funded the construction of the Botany Hall, which can still be found on the property. It was created to be used by public school teachers and enhance class trips. The debut of the Desert Room and Cactus House took place in 1902. The first Aquatic Garden wa...

 One of the many attractions here in Pennsylvania is the Mattress Factory located in Pittsburgh . The Mattress Factory museum is a contemporary art museum located in the neighborhood of Oakland. The museum features both temporary and permanent installments. It is described as "a leader in site-specific, contemporary art" on it's own website. This museum, founded in 1977, has had installments from over 750 different artists. The museum and it's exhibits are spread across three buildings in the northside of Pittsburgh. Their current hours are from 11am-8pm on Wednesday and 11am-6pm Thursday through Sunday. They offer general admission and guided tours with a museum educator. Some of my favorite installments were created by Yayoi Kusama and Greer Lankton and can be found as permanent parts of the museum's gallery. Both of Kusama's permanent installments utilize dots and mirrors. One of those pieces also features white manikins. Lankton's installation is an a...