Kids Korner

Visit Pittsburgh! Pittsburgh Skyline PNC Park PPG Aquarium Here's your chance to gobble a Big Mac with ketchup or nibble on some fried Zucchini strips in the city where these things were invented. Ride an old-fashioned wooden roller coaster, try to catch a foul ball at a baseball game, cruise on a riverboat, or hit some of the most fun museums anywhere. Welcome to Pittsburgh, The Burgh, as locals say, where Mr. Rogers lived and where people like to put fries on top of their salads! That's right -- ask for a “Pittsburgh salad” and it will come with fries on top! (www.visitpittsburgh.com can give you a rundown of what's going on when you plan to visit.)

Did You Know?

• There are so many hills in Pittsburgh that before there were electric streetcars and automobiles, people caught a ride up on the Monongahela or Duquesne Incline funicular. You can still take one of these old-fashioned cars up to the top of Mount Washington. They only go six miles an hour! (www.ridegold.com or www.incline.cc)

• PNC Park, where the Pittsburgh Pirates play, was ranked the Best stadium in Major League Baseball by ESPN. Centerfield opens to a terrific view of the skyline. (pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com)

• Three Rivers - the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio - all meet in Pittsburgh at Point State Park downtown. That's where to go for lots of Pittsburgh's annual festivals including the kids' favorite, the Three Rivers Regatta. You can also navigate the rivers by riverboat. There's a Sunday Ice Cream Social Cruise, complete with DJ and ice cream sundaes and Good Ship Lollipop Cruises with Lolli the Clown. (www.gatewayclipper.com)

• Pittsburgh is halfway between New York City and Chicago. Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located, has 1,945 bridges, more than any city in the world except Venice, Italy.

• Pittsburgh was home to the first Ferris Wheel in the world - back in 1893. You can still get a feel for an old-fashioned amusement park with plenty of 21st century thrills at Kennywood, where Pittsburgh kids have been heading for more than 100 years. You can still ride giant wooden coasters like The Jack Rabbit and the Thunderbolt. There are 31 rides, including a whole Kiddieland area just for the youngest park goers (www.kennywood.com). When it's hot, head to Sandcastle Waterpark where there are 15 waterslides to choose from. There are mini slides, too. (www.sandcastlewaterpark.com)

• Chipped Ham is one of Pittsburgh's most famous foods. It's a spicy lunch meat first sold back in 1933 at Isaly's, a local chain of dairy stores also famous for inventing the Klondike, a vanilla bar dipped in chocolate and then packaged in a silver wrapper. They cost a nickel when they debuted in 1929.

What Other Kids Say You Should Do While In Pittsburgh . . .

Sydney Fulvi (age 10) Daughter of Jason Fulvi, who works at the Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau She Says: My favorite things about Pittsburgh are all the cool museums and amusement parks. I love riding the roller coasters at Kennywood Amusement Parks. (www.kennywood.com) Visiting Kids Probably Don't Know: There's a part of an old fort in Point State Park downtown. Don't Miss: The Just Ducky Tour that tours the city and goes out into the rivers. (www.justduckytours.com) Must Eat: French fries at Kennywood.

Christina Knupfer (age 10) and Jennifer Knupfer (age 12) Daughters of Bill and Lisa Knupfer, all life-long residents of Pittsburgh They Say: The best part of living in Pittsburgh is going downtown and seeing all the beautiful lights at night. There are great shows during the holidays. Don't Miss: The Pittsburgh Children's Museum, The Pittsburgh Zoo, the Carnegie Science Center (and going to a baseball game). Must Eat: Funnelcake and French fries with cheese at Kennywood, the amusement park. Don't go home without: A stuffed monkey or parrot from the Pittsburgh zoo.

Cody (age 5), Jackson (age 3) and Samantha (age 1) Gillock Children of Pittsburgh Station Manager, Mike Gillock The best part about living in Pittsburgh: Experiencing all the great hills. Rides on skateboards, scooters and bicycles make for great adventures! Don't go home without: Trying out all the great restaurants!

Tell Your Parents . . .

Pittsburgh has great kid-friendly museums as well as a first-rate zoo and aquarium. You'll want to put these on your list:

• The Carnegie Science Center where you can test your athletic prowess at the UPMC SportsWorks exhibit, explore a WWII submarine, or tour a miniature railroad. (www.csc.clpgh.org)
• The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, home to one of the best dinosaur collections in the world, where you can “dig” for dinosaur bones or watch scientists prepare real ones for display as well as tour one of the biggest exhibits on American Indians in the country. (www.carnegiemuseum.org)
• The Pittsburgh Children's Museum with climbing mazes, art project and the chance to build and launch your own flying machines. Parents who grew up with Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood will want to see that exhibit, too. (www.pittsburghkids.com)
• The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, with thousands of animals - even a dragon - has one of the best children's zoos in the country and is just seven miles from downtown. Make sure to see the gorilla families and the new reptile exhibit. (www.pittsburghzoo.com)
• The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens where kids can dig in the dirt all they like at the Discovery Garden. (www.phipps.conservatory.org)
• The Carnegie Museum of Art with a new kid size exhibit showcasing objects that were created for kids over the past 300 years. There will be plenty of hand-on activities for your kids too. (www.cmoa.org)
• The Frick art & Historicial Center where kids can see what life was like a century ago, from the playhouse industrialist Henry Frick built for his kids to the old fashioned cars and carriages. (www.frickart.org)
• The Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center where you can time travel from the 1750s, seeing what it was like to arrive in Pittsburgh as an immigrant. (www.pghhistory.org)

See Past Editions of Kids Korner.

By: Eileen Ogintz, Author of Taking the Kids™