McConnells Mill State Park in Lawrence County protects 2,546 acres of the Slippery Rock Creek Gorge, a National Natural Landmark of steep walls, huge boulders, waterfalls and scenic overlooks, plus a 19th-century gristmill and covered bridge. Open daily, sunrise to sunset. The rocks are slick and the creek is fast and dangerous: stay on the trails, and swimming isn't allowed. The gristmill runs on a limited schedule; ask the Moraine State Park office.
Tuesday–Sunday: museums and greenhouse 10am–5pm, gardens 8am–8pm; closed Mondays
The Frick Pittsburgh
At The Frick Pittsburgh in Point Breeze, the gardens, the permanent collection of The Frick Art Museum, part of the Car and Carriage Museum and the greenhouse are always free. You need a free general site admission ticket; check in at the Grable Visitor Center. Clayton house tours and some special exhibitions cost extra. Free parking lot on site.
Walk in any day to the Pittsburgh Glass Center in Garfield for a self-guided tour of its contemporary glass exhibition and studios, where you can meet the artists. Admission is free (a $10 donation is suggested, not required). Penn Avenue construction means detours nearby, so allow extra time. The make-your-own glass sessions cost extra.
Contemporary Craft, a nonprofit gallery on Butler Street in Lawrenceville, shows three-dimensional work in clay, glass, metal, fiber and wood. Admission to its exhibitions is free, six days a week, with late hours on Thursdays. A free audio guide is on the Bloomberg Connects app.
Wed–Thu 10am–5pm; Fri 10am–5pm (noon–8pm Nov 13–Jan 15); Sat–Sun 10am–5pm
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art · Pittsburgh
General admission to The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in downtown Greensburg is free, with free parking in two lots on site. Open Wednesday–Sunday; Fridays run noon–8pm from Nov 13, 2026 to Jan 15, 2027. The one upcoming paid exception is Art in Bloom, March 17–21, 2027. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day, and closes at 3pm the day before Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
Wed–Sun 11am–5pm (closed 1–1:30pm), through Jan 31, 2027
Wood Street Galleries · Pittsburgh
Wood Street Galleries downtown hosts Sound of the City by Hprizm (of Antipop Consortium), an immersive audio installation built from vinyl, tape loops and field recordings from New York and western Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh's rivers, mills and transit. Free, Wednesday–Sunday through January 31, 2027.
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art · Pittsburgh
Most Saturdays from 1 to 2pm, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art runs a free guided public tour of its galleries. Museum admission is free too. Check the museum's events calendar for the week's tour.
Kresge Theatre, College of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh
Carnegie Mellon's Wind Ensemble plays Beethoven marches, Messiaen's Oiseaux Exotiques, Milhaud's La Création du Monde, Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments and Vaughan Williams' Sea Songs in Kresge Theatre. Free and open to the public, but you need a free ticket: register online.
The Western PA Mushroom Club's meetings at the Frick Environmental Center are free and open to the public, with no registration. November's meeting is the club's annual potluck: you're invited to bring a dish to share (it doesn't need mushrooms, and any wild mushrooms must be checked by a club identifier first).
Kresge Theatre, College of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh
Carnegie Mellon's School of Music holds its Holiday Brass Concert in Kresge Theatre on Monday, November 30 at 7:30pm. Free and open to the public, no tickets required. Program to be announced.
Great Hall, College of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh
Continuing a 70-year tradition, the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic and CMU Choir give a free noon concert in the College of Fine Arts Great Hall on Friday, December 4: Poulenc's Gloria, Arvo Pärt's Sequenza and the premiere of the orchestral version of Nancy Galbraith's Hodie Christus Natus Est. No tickets required. (The full evening concert the night before at Carnegie Music Hall is ticketed.)
Every Wednesday in November, The Frick Pittsburgh's Manager of Horticulture and Grounds holds free 'office hours' in the greenhouse from 11am to 1pm to answer your indoor and outdoor plant questions. Bring photos and questions, but not leaves, roots or whole plants.
Fridays, 5–8pm, Nov 20, 2026 – Jan 15, 2027 (not Dec 25 or Jan 1)
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art · Pittsburgh
Every Friday from November 20 to January 15, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg stays open 5–8pm for Winter Nights: explore the Winter Tales immersive experience, warm up with a complimentary seasonal hot drink, try art-making and see the Ansel Adams and Victoria Sambunaris exhibitions free. Closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day (both Fridays). Cash bar drinks cost extra.
Allegheny County libraries (reserve online at radpass.org) · Pittsburgh
An Allegheny County library card unlocks RAD Pass: free or discounted passes to regional attractions such as the Andy Warhol Museum, the Carnegie Museums, Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust shows and the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. Reserve a pass for a specific date on radpass.org. The person reserving must be 18 or older.
Verified Oct 27 · pittsburghzoo.org
Catch: Allegheny County library card holders · The person reserving must be 18+ · Some passes are discounts, not free; guests beyond the pass pay
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