Category Archives: Just Outside of Pittsburgh

This Looks AMAZeing! Coolspring Corn Maze

2017 UPDATE: The Coolspring corn maze is open until November 5, 2017. Address and hours are available on the Coolspring Corn Maze website here.

I caught a glimpse of this thing from the article in the Post-Gazette last Friday and I can’t believe I didn’t find it sooner. The Coolspring Corn Maze is a 10 acre maze of cornfields, which is impressive enough but the whole maze is in the shape of a stage coach. This field of fun is located near Mercer, PA it is probably about an hour and a half drive away from Pittsburgh. This year’s theme is the Wild West, so that explains the stage coach and they have set up a wild wild west town.

This family checked out the maze on Oct. 12 – I think it is funny that just two weeks ago they were wearing shorts to check out the maze and now I am sitting here watching the snow falling.

I did some asking around about this and I found someone who did the maze last year – you can go at night and try the maze in the dark. They also have hay rides and a farm market too.

Maze Hours:

Friday 5-11pm
Saturday 1-11pm
Sunday 1-6pm

The maze is open through Halloween weekend. More info at CoolspringMaze.com Continue reading →

Fall fun in Mt. Lebanon

I spent last weekend exploring Mt. Lebanon and wanted to share my new-found love of this neighborhood! We had a late dinner at Little Tokyo, a fabulous Japanese restaurant right on Washington Road. Because my friend lives literally right beside LT we were able to take a walk and check out the shops that were bursting with energy on a beautiful Saturday night while we waited for our order. We caught an art show at a gallery and went back in time at Rollier’s Hardware Store. After enjoying some of the best sushi I’ve ever had… we called it a night. But my time in Mt. Lebo was not over. In the morning, we woke early and trekked down Washington Rd. to Pamela’s for breakfast. We sat at one of their many outdoor tables and enjoyed the people and fall foliage. Just a few more reasons to love Pittsburgh and it’s surrounding neighborhoods!

The World Pinball Championships are in Pittsburgh

Actually, I believe that the last 7 Pinball Championships have been held in Pittsburgh. PAPA stands for the Professional & Amateur Pinball Association. One of the reasons the PAPA tournament is here in Pittsburgh is because there is a dedicated Pinaball hall in Carnegie. The pinball facility suffered extensive damage after the flooding in 2004. But they were able to rebuild in time for the 2005 competition. The facility has over 400 pinball machines.

The Pinball facility is only open to the public for tournaments and is located at 501 Keystone Dr., Carnegie, PA 15106. The Tournament runs all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday – August 15-17,2008. Click here for a detailed schedule.

According to the PAPA website there will be food vendors and there is wifi – perfect for bloggers wishing to cover the event. The tournament is free for spectators.

Click here to watch the WQED OnQ segment about the tournament and facility.
Check out Coinball.com for a website dedicated to pinball machines in the Pittsburgh area.

Continue reading →

Wine Festival at La Caasa Narcisi Winery

Yes, I often write about beer, I have some friends that are beer drinkers so I tend to be around more beer lovers than wine lovers. But this event is for the wine loving folks of this region. La Casa Narcisi winery is Allegheny County‘s only winery and on August 30, 2008 they will be hosting their annual wine festival.

The festival is free to attend. There will be food available or you can bring a picnic (this could be a great idea for a place to take your next date). Wine will be available for purchase – the winery offers 26 varieties of wine and bottles range from $9.50-$18.00 – (State law prohibits you from bringing your own alcohol.)

The Festival runs from 11am-8pm

Noon – Grape Stomp
1pm – Andrea Pearl performs
Mid Afternoon -winners from the amateur wine competition will be announced
4pm – Good Brother Earl performs

More info: info@narcisiwinery.com or 724-444-4744
Image via Wikipedia

2nd Annual Millvale Brew Festival

I am always happy to write about events that become annual events. I wrote about and attended this festival last summer. The good folks in Millvale are back with their 2nd Annual Brew Festival. 3 hours of beer tasting. This festival is great because you get to hang out at the Millvale riverfront park – which is located right along the river – which is a great place to spend some time on a Saturday in August.

The Brew Festival is a fundraiser for the Millvale Borough Development Corporation and Millvale MainStreets Program and supports the continued revitalization of Millvale since the flooding in 2004.

The awesome poster for this years event was created by Tom Walker who is a Millvale resident, a graphic designer at Mullen and well known for kayaking to work. Click on the poster to see the full size version.

Saturday August 9, 2008
2 Sessions: 1-4pm and 5-8pm
Tickets: $30 in advance, $35 at the door. Designated driver tickets – $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Click here to see a list of places to purchase tickets.

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