No need to spend money on fun in Pittsburgh!

Looking for FREE fun Pittsburgh activities with kids? I have the perfect suggestion for you.

Pittsburgh is a very kid friendly city. There’s a reason they call it Kidsburgh! But with 3 full months of summer to explore, you don’t want to be dishing out money left and right to entertain your kids (at least I don’t!). When MY kids start the “I’m bored” complaining, I pull out my list of kid friendly things to do in Pittsburgh. Last week, we hit our FAVORITE spot on the list: the Troy Hill Spray Park.

We love the Troy Hill Spray Park because:

1. It’s FREE entertainment for kids. With no gift shops around for them to beg for!
2. There is a large variety of spray features. Constant water streams kids can run through and hide under, dancing streams out of the ground, thick arches of mist, and of course the fan favorite- buckets of water dumping down. 
3. The ground doesn’t fill up with water, so even the littlest crawlers are able to play without fear of danger. And my toddler loves the mist area!
4. There is a decent sized playground, too, with a nausea inducing spin chair that my kids LOVE. 
5. The park is CLEAN and has attendants on site. 
6. Driving up in Troy Hill gives you a great view of the city- we always stop to take a look before heading home.

 

The Troy Hill spray park is located at 1200 Goettman Street in (you guessed it) Troy Hill. From the North Side you head up past Penn Brewery toward the top of the hill. Make a sharp U turn onto an adjacent road (Goettman St). It is a steep 2-way road wide enough for one minivan, so make sure the path is clear before you head up! The park itself is nestled behind a large building adjacent to a baseball field. 

Street parking is available across the street from the baseball field. Space is relatively limited, but it’s free. 

Make sure you bring:

• Food. The park has a handful of metal food tables under umbrellas. Bring water and snacks! We usually swing by Bistro To Go on our way, because I will jump on any excuse for their cornbread. 
• Sandals/flip flops. The playground is not exposed to the water from the splash park, and the ground there gets HOT. My kids will run back and forth from spray park to playground… if they forget to put on shoes, they figure it out QUICKLY haha!
• Your camera. It’s tempting to avoid photographing your kids at the park, because of the whole mixing electronics and water thing. But that would be a mistake- Kids make the BEST expressions in water play!! Remember your DSLR is built to resist small amounts of water. Just don’t submerge the darn thing. 

 

If Troy Hill is a hike for you, keep in mind that Pittsburgh boasts other splash parks. There are some in Lawrenceville, Beechview, and Cranberry; and my kids LOVE the water steps on the north shore. Last week someone even set up a giant community slip and slide by the water steps- complete with dish soap- my kids had SO. MUCH. FUN. 

You really can’t go wrong with kids and water.