Senator John Heinz History Center

I came here with my family the day after Christmas. We all loved it!
I will start off by saying I am NOT a history buff at all. Quite the opposite. I am awful with dates, presidents, wars, literally everything. After visiting the Heinz History Center, I wished I had paid more attention in school and knew more about WWII. That is a huge feat in and of itself.
The exhibit was huge. I loved the personal Pittsburgh connections. I have a Grandfather, Aunt, and Uncle who all worked at Westinghouse and I loved reading and learning about their contribution to WWII.
Brad and my Grandfather spent a lot of time in the «reflection room» sharing stories of Brad’s brother in a war, and my Grandpa’s experience with The Great Depression and WWII.
I definitely recommend coming! It was a wonderful exhibit!

Despite growing up in Pittsburgh, the Heinz History Center is a museum that I never came to on a school field trip. Since the student rate is only $ 6.50, I decided to see the museum over Christmas break. Since the World War II exhibit was getting so much attention, I figured this was the perfect time to test the museum out.
Most of the first floor was dedicated to the World War II exhibit, and it was tied together by telling the stories of people from the Pittsburgh area who fought in the war. There were stories, uniforms, and artifacts from a variety of servicemen and servicewomen. Some of the stories were a bit difficult to listen to, and the exhibit really makes you think. I was super impressed with this part. It was well-​done, while also being family friendly.
The other area of the museum I was shocked to be impressed with was the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. Not being a football fan, I figured this was going to be painful, as did my friends. However, this is truly a sports museum and covered popular and obscure sports. It was really fun to see snippets of many sports, and we enjoyed the mini golf area a little too much.
The rest of the museum, while aesthetically attractive, feels like a garage sale. Certain areas do try to maintain a theme, but there aren’t enough things to keep the areas coherent. I felt so overwhelmed by mix of things and just could not be bothered to go through some of the areas. The 4^th floor where the Mr. Rogers exhibit is located is the worst. All I wanted to do was enjoy the Mr. Rogers area, and there was just knickknacks and trinkets everywhere around it. It’s like helping your grandma clean out her attic; there is just too much junk in here. Sorry.
My biggest concern is that the museum glosses over some of the darker things in Pittsburgh’s history too. I walked past Andrew Carnegie reading his Gospel of Wealth, which had a sign talking about what a great guy he was under it. Now look, Andrew Carnegie has done lots of good things for me. But the Gospel of Wealth isn’t all giving back to the poor and uplifting. While I don’t think we should totally hate on the man, maybe giving a more realistic perception of Pittsburgh and its inhabitants would be a good idea.
I really wanted to love this museum, but I think that the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History are doing just as good, if not a better job, of showcasing Pittsburgh’s history right now. After my experience, I would see another travelling exhibit in here, but I was less impressed with the permanent exhibits.

You don’t realize how big it is from the outside. We were there for 3 hours and only covered 3 floors — there are 3 more to go. Everything is laid out nicely and the way they label everything is easy to follow. There is ALOT of information and it’s a nice mix of Pittsburgh history and sports history.

This museum is packed full of interesting exhibits that especially cater to that proud Pittsburgh ego. I have been in Pittsburgh my whole life and learning about all the contributions we made to society made me even more proud.
I would recommend setting aside a large chunk of time to visit the museum so that you can take it all in! The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable!

As a Pittsburgh native, I’m shocked I haven’t stepped foot in here until this week. I love all things Pittsburgh, and particularly enjoyed the Mr. Rogers, Heinz Ketchup, the WWII exhibit and obscure sports history.
The French and Indian War and slavery exhibits were interesting too. I think at this point I’ve mentioned nearly every part of the museum, haha.
I visited with my husband over the weekend during RADical Days. The Allegheny Regional Asset District offers free admission to various museums and visitors’ hot spots each year.
Nearly an entire floor is dedicated to the Steelers, which isn’t really surprising, but I’m probably the only Pittsburgher on the planet who isn’t much of a football fan. So meh. Half a floor was dedicated to the Pirates, which was slightly more interesting to me. However, I took interest in other sports that were covered in small ways: For instance, one hallway was dedicated to rowing.
As a longtime rower, this is something I truly appreciated. I even learned that rowing was the city’s first true spectator sport, since many of the steel mill workers formed teams in the 1800’s and would race on the river. All these years I’ve been told rowing historically was an elite sport, yet I’m so proud to know it had some working-​class roots here. I was also glad to see the museum recognize Pittsburgh Passion, Steel City Roller Derby and Meghan Klingenberg because #girlpower.
The aesthetics of this place were beautiful. The dramatic wall-​to-​wall murals for the Steelers and Pirates exhibits were particularly breathtaking. There were also bright colors and dominate graphics displayed on many of the walls, giving the museum an edgy, modern look.
One thing that concerned my hubby was some of the signed memorabilia had UV damage from the museum lights. It seemed like some of the artifacts were not being kept in museum-​quality, UV-​protected glass. If that’s true it’s a shame, because those things will become damaged and faded over time.
Another thing that got me were the gross number of typos I caught in reference books and written plainly on walls. To catch one isn’t a big deal, but I counted at least six errors, and I wasn’t looking for them. Grammar is so important, guys.
Overall, I really enjoyed my visit here and would recommend anyone who’s a Pittsburgh fanatic to check it out. We planned to stay an hour and instead stayed for nearly four hours. RADical Days are a great, affordable (free!) way to check out these places, but I know the museum occasionally offers Groupons too, so look out for those.

There is a nice little deli on the far left side when you walk past the lobby. You do not need to pay admission to go in and they have great wraps, smoothies and more. Have a lot of kid friendly snacks and they have a fun slide and play room above. Definitely is a small shop but it is cute, vintage, fun and not too expensive.

I love their wwII exhibit. Very fun and informative. LOve going and exploring ALL SIX of their floors.

A gem right in downtown PGH! We were staying across the street at the Hampton Inn and strolled over to check it out. I’m glad we did.
Sports history of western PA and other awesome stuff. Mr. Rogers neighborhood sets and memorabilia. Streetcar from old Pittsburgh was pretty cool and the Heinz section was informative and fun.
Each floor had a viewing window of the river and stadiums with rocking chairs that was a great place to relax and enjoy the scenery.

We settled on this museum because Andy Warhol was closed. I am so happy we did! I could spend hours here. There are 7 floors worth of exhibits. So cool. Also, you get a discount with your student ID.

I’ve made 5 or 6 trips to the Heinz History Center, and it never disappoints; something new each time. The exhibits are really well curated, and it has a nice flow.
This is a great place to spend a hot summer afternoon! The current special exhibit features WWII, and Pennsylvania’s role in the fight back home.
I’m not even from PA and I enjoy visiting the center. For reference, I’m 33, but I feel there is something for everyone here!

History buffs unite! This is a large museum, and it’s not just about ketchup. A number of exhibits highlight Pittsburgh products and people. We went for the Mr. Rogers’ exhibit, which was a little disappointing. A few set pieces and a creepy mannequin portraying our cardigan-​wearing neighbor. I was surprised the exhibits were accompanied by 3-​ring binders instead of touchscreen monitors. It’s a good way to spend a a few hours and learn some fun Pittsburgh history!

Have not been here in a few years. The hubby wanted to see the WWII exhibit. I wanted to see Mr.Rogers. it was all awesome! The WWII exhibit is awesome. And we thoroughly enjoyed the Mr. Rogers exhibit as well. Located in a cool old warehouse in the Strip, I always liked the history center and the two exhibits we went to see did not disappoint. Love it!

Was visiting family in Pittsburgh and it was a rainy day so we decided to check this place out. I gotta say this place was a let down for me. A lot of the exhibits where kind of boring to me. Yes this place does have six floors I believe but there just wasn’t a lot to see or do.
I did like seeing the Mr. Rodgers part. The Heinz part even though that part was rather small and not a lot of information. And lastly I liked the Sports part and even liked the part on Pa high school athletics.
Overall I can’t get to mad I purchased a groupon for this museum. Probably wouldn’t come back here and if you are limited time in Pittsburgh this is one you can miss in my opinion. I think there are better options of things to see and do. But if you absolutely feel you have to visit this museum make sure you have a coupon or something because if you pay full price you’ll be disappointed!

Took my kid here so she could research PA history for school, and it was pretty good. Lots of different things to see and different floors. The Heinz exhibit was cool, too. The price was pretty good for students and such, too. Parking sucked but it was a cool place.

It’s a small but great museum about the history of Pittsburgh from the start to the modern era including some changing exhibits. Parking is easy and it’s right next to the strip if you want a bite to eat.
It’s the perfect place to take kids on a rainy day. I can’t add much more. But it’s a place you should go to at least one time if you live or are stopping by Pittsburgh.

Not that much of excitement for an outsider. As museums go, it is very well done. The exhibits are modern, fresh and up to date. They have amassed quite a lot of historical, one of a kind items – wagons used by Heinz, vintage cars, and props from Mr Rogers Neighborhood.
But somehow, it does not hang together as a whole. It is, more or less, a series of unconnected vignettes that only have one thing in common– Pittsburgh.
If you are a native, that may be more than enough to make your want to become a member and visit over and over. But if your a visitor, it’s a little harder to connect.
What it may need is something at the start to give you the overview – a movie perhaps? Explain the history of the Native American tribes, the British, then colonial soldiers, through Louis and Clark to the early Heinz company, etc. Set up the context of the exhibits to come.
The Heinz stuff is not well done, especially in comparison to the Pillsbury museum in Minneapolis. It should show how they make ketchup, for instance, where they get their tomatoes, etc. Why is it in Pittsburgh?
Also, there is not much interactive so forget engaging kids – millennials don’t read museum exhibits. They made curing polio boring – that could have had an entire floor complete with an iron lung kids could try. My 14 year old breezed past the polio vignette without a second look – and he loves science.
For the experience, it is way overpriced. $ 15 a head is a lot.
The $ 5 parking lot across the street was full and the one next door for $ 9 was close – I decided to park on the street for $ ³⁄₂ hours and that was the best choice by far. If you spend more than 2 hours here you are a better man than me.

Educational displays are engaging and entertaining. Lots of family friendly, hands on exhibits. Impressive collection!

This is one museum that we’re flat out lucky to have. They’re an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and they focus specifically on Western PA. history. This isn’t to say that they skip important national historical events (the Civil War, etc.), but they do always put an emphasis on our region’s involvement in those events. It’s that connection that makes this museum so special in my opinion.
Every time I stop in here I fall in love with all of the exhibits again (well, most of the exhibits — I don’t feel as strong a connection to the Sports Museum section as other folks might). It doesn’t matter if I’ve seen them before because they’re permanent/​here for a long-​term run, or if I’m seeing them for the first time because they’re temporary — I always love them. I’m particularly fond of the «Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation» exhibit — I love reviewing the contributions our region has made to the country and even world throughout time. I admit, though, that I do find the temporary exhibits particularly enjoyable since they bring something new to the museum; for example, the recent exhibits on Pittsburgh’s ties to the Civil War and the steamboat Arabia were just breathtaking. (On a side note, if you missed the steamboat exhibit, they kept a few items to display in their collection — including perfectly preserved pickles. Yep, you read that correctly. Name another museum where you can see something like that!)
I’m also a big fan of the fact that this museum goes above and beyond basic text-​based exhibits, which is a easy trap that history museums in particular can fall into. This place knows how to use text descriptions, pictures, videos, replicas and actual historical objects, and more to create an experience that just draws you in. In the main hall of the museum alone, you can walk alongside, climb into and sit inside an old Pittsburgh streetcar. Short of visiting another museum in Washington County, there’s nowhere nearby where you can do something like this, and it’s that blend of reading and interacting with things which makes this museum such a blast for people of all ages and with varying degrees of interest in history.
Don’t think that you just have to walk in, see what they have and then go on your way to experience this museum, either; they also offer a range of special events, screenings and more that are so worth checking out. I most recently had the pleasure of attending a talk hosted by Eliot Daley — former president of the «Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood» organization — which was all about the life and legacy left by Mister Rogers himself. After this lecture we were invited to explore the newest arrivals to the history center: original sets and props from «Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.» That kind of experience is just irreplaceable in my opinion. I’ve also had the pleasure of attending events and shows hosted by this museum’s local affiliates off-​site, including one lecture that was presented by a very interesting Westinghouse impersonator. Add in additional special events such as History Uncorked and even their periodic segments on local news and documentaries, and you have a museum that’s gone out of its way to become a part of the community, not just a place to visit. And I love that — I think it’s great that this museum is able to overcome the stereotype of «dusty history museums» and make itself such an important part of the community by doing things like that.
Two big thumbs up from me — this is an awesome museum and one that I appreciate more and more with each event they host and new exhibit they put up. Visit them sometime soon to explore their exhibits or even enjoy a special event if you haven’t yet!

The Heinz History Center is yet another great museum in PGH. If you’re a history buff, an out-​of-​towner, or new to PGH, I’d strongly suggest visiting. I’ve been here three or four times, and although most of the exhibits are permanent, I always have a great time.
In terms of exhibits, my favorite is the special collections (5^th floor?), which is a hodgepodge of artifacts of historical interest. No matter who you’re perusing with, there’s always so much to talk about in this exhibit! If you go through it methodically, you can easily spend an hour here alone. The artifacts run the gamut from beds to cars to confessionals to things whose purpose you have no idea of until you read the description.
Another favorite exhibit of mine is Pittsburgh through the ages, which allows you to see how the city has changed over the years, and some of the people who’ve influenced it greatly. When I came here with my parents, they were very impressed at how versatile PGH is, and how many talented people are from here! Also, don’t forget to stop by the Pittsburghese exhibit located nearby for a laugh.
I’m not much of a sports buff, so I don’t get as much out of the Western PA sports exhibit as many people do, but it also provides some interesting background about the history of sports in PGH. Even if you’re not very into sports, I’d recommend taking a quick spin through this section unless you’re pressed for time.
I agree that the layout of the exhibits can be somewhat unintuitive (I’ve unknowingly skipped exhibits) – I’d recommend starting from the top floor and working down. This museum is located in the Strip District, which is a great section of PGH for shopping and eating, so when you’re finished at the museum, I’d strongly recommend exploring the area. 4.5 stars.

We didn’t have much time here as we were just passing through on the way to Philadelphia, but my wife absolutely had to see the ketchup area. Next time we have more time in Pittsburgh we will definitely be back to see some of the other areas as the ketchup section was interesting and comprehensive.
The location is pretty great too as it is right on the edge of the Strip District where there are tons of dining and shopping options.