Sober Fun in Pittsburgh
Toward the end of 2023, I decided that I was sick and tired of the constant chaos that plagued my everyday life. At the root of that chaos was casual drug use and beyond excessive alcohol consumption. On November 26th, 2023, I took my last sip of alcohol, and I, proudly, haven’t looked back.
Fair warning: I’m gonna speak pretty loosely on this one, so if you’re a small human that shouldn’t be consuming content with cuss words, go away. Additionally, if a story or two about alcoholism is going to trigger you, this post isn’t for you.
When I visit Pittsburgh, my stops, historically, have all been the same. Steel Mill Saloon, Southern Tier Brewing Company, Tequila Cowboy, Shorty’s Pins x Pints, Fine Wine & Good Spirits, just to name a few. And, shoutout to the great people I’ve met at all of those places; I’m in no way shape or form trying to say anything negative about any of those businesses. If you can handle your alcohol, give those places a try. They’re great. However, I ran into some trouble while planning for my next visit to the best city on Earth. I’ve never gone there with the goal of maintaining my sobriety.
I took to Reddit for some assistance, and I was a little disappointed in what I found. A lot of yinzers on those subreddits seem to think that most of the fun things to do in the city are influenced by, if not full-blown centered around, alcohol consumption. One of the things that lures me to the city of Pittsburgh, and why I love it so much, is that it’s so rich in history and culture. Surely, there are more ways to connect with the city and the people than getting shitfaced. So, I created my own little itinerary, if you will, of some things I’d like to do in and around Pittsburgh at some point in 2024.
I love a good roller coaster. Every time I’ve been to Western Pennsylvania, I’ve wanted to stop by Kennywood and check it out, but I have yet to make it happen. Obviously, I’m a massive Steelers fan, so this place has intrigued me ever since they opened the Steel Curtain roller coaster. How many NFL teams can you name that have their own roller coaster?
They have some pretty cool events at Kennywood, including the Fourth of July Celebration, Phantom Fall Fest, and Holiday Lights events. Also, I have a six-year-old son that I plan to drag with me to the Steel City sooner rather than later, so Kennywood is definitely going to be a stop for me at some point.
Short Story Time: In December 2022, I went to see ‘A Christmas Carol’ live at the Byham Theatre in Pittsburgh. However, I started drinking at about 10 that morning, and after quite a few (including several at dinner right before the show), I was pretty damn hammered by the time the show began. I ended up just falling asleep and missing most of it (I’m just lucky I didn’t make a fool of myself). Still, I never forgave myself, because I love ‘A Christmas Carol’. So, I would like to run it back and try again in December 2024.
The historic theater sits in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh and is absolutely stunning. It was built back in 1903, and has since been renovated, so it’s just a cool piece of history to see and experience. I’m sure I’ll appreciate it even more in my sober mind. Of course, my desire to return to this theater stems from my own personal experience and my inclination to redeem myself for the last time I visited this theater. I’m well aware that there are other, even more luxurious theaters in Pittsburgh, such as: The Benedum Center, Kelly Strayhorn Theater, and Heinz Hall.
Liberty Magic is a speakeasy-style venue where various magicians offer an intimate, one-of-a-kind experience to their viewers. This sounds really cool to me. I’ve always been a fan of magic, and I have to imagine that performances in an environment like this are a much better experience than sitting in a big ass theater, up in the nose bleeds, watching Penn and Teller in Vegas. So, I definitely look forward to checking this one out. Liberty Magic is BYOB, for anyone else who plans on checking this out. I’ll be bringing Mountain Dew.
Downtown Pittsburgh as seen from the Duquesne Incline Observation Deck. Photo by Jiuguang Wang.
Emerald View Park includes five different parks and a Pennsylvania Scenic Byway located in the neighborhoods of Mount Washington, Duquesne Heights, and Allentown. Now, I have been here many, many times before. However, I haven’t quite explored it to the extent that I want to, yet. The Duquesne Incline Observation Deck offers one of the best views in the continental United States, in my opinion, and Steel Mill Saloon (which is located here), as I mentioned before, is a very cool place that I probably won’t frequent as I have in the past.
One thing I have yet to do in this area that I would like to take advantage of, is walk along some of these hiking trails and, hopefully, catch a glimpse of the Downtown area from some different vantage points than I’ve seen in the past. I also have a big, derpy-ass 100-plus-pound dog that would be in absolute heaven in this place, based on the pictures I have seen.
Mr Smalls Fun House
Honorable Mention: Thunderbird Cafe
This probably isn’t the best option for somebody who is in active recovery and is prone to potential triggers.
While I was perusing Reddit looking for unique experiences in Pittsburgh, one thing that was mentioned fairly consistently by yinzers was the number of intimate music venues that bring in tons of unique and local talent. One thing I’m trying to do in my next few trips to the city is build up my connections. I have met some great people in Pittsburgh that I still talk to-to this day. I would just like to build upon that, and this seems like a fun way to do it, assuming people don’t go to these places with the sole intention of blacking out.
St. Clair Social is touted as an approachable neighborhood bar located in East Liberty. According to my friends on Reddit, and some lifelong yinzers that I’ve asked about this place, it’s awesome. The reason I was seeking feedback about this place is because they have an awesome drink menu that includes quite a few alcohol-free/NA drinks and beer. Additionally, their food menu looks freakin’ delicious, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it from the folks that have been there. It seems like they do some pretty cool events, as well. Right now, their website is showing a Trivia night and an open-mic comedy night. Surely, they update this as new events are added. So, this seems like a cool place that could be worth checking out next time I’m in town.
Again, this is one of those things that may be triggering for some. Also, be mindful of the fact that NA cocktails and beers often have trace amounts of alcohol. If your goal is to truly stay sober, that may not work for you.
The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh include the Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Science Center, and the Andy Warhol Museum. Again, these are some of those things I’ve always wanted to do, but alcohol takes over, and I find myself doing other shit.
This may not be everyone’s thing, especially those who grew up in the Pittsburgh area and had this stuff shoved down their throats on every field trip and family reunion they ever attended. For me, however, I find this stuff cool as hell. I’ve always been into history, and I can’t wait to get to these places and learn more about what information they can offer me, specifically, about the history of Pittsburgh.
The Open Road is just a storefront in the Allentown neighborhood of Pittsburgh that offers an assortment of non-alcoholic beverage options including, but not limited to, NA and alcohol-free beer, wine, and spirits. This place started as a pop-up bar, and now serves exclusively (as far as I can tell) as a retail store. However, some folks in the Pittsburgh Recovery community really rave about the owner of this place, so I wanted to include it on this list and give them their flowers. Also, their website includes a list of businesses local to the Pittsburgh area that offer NA drink options. So, the next time you’re looking for something to do in that area, check that list out.
To this point, most of the time I’ve spent in Pittsburgh has consisted of bar-hopping, tailgating, going to Steelers games, and walking around, aimlessly, staring at the beautiful architecture. Of course, there’s tons more that I would like to do during my next few visits to Pittsburgh, but for the sake of keeping this relatively short, I’m going to leave it at that, for now. I’m certainly open to suggestions, as well! Just reach out to me on one of the socials!
Click here for a list of Pittsburgh Area AA Meetings.
Click here for a list of Pittsburgh Area NA Meetings.
SAMHSA National Helpline
Confidential free help, from public health agencies, to find substance use treatment and information.
1-800-662-4357
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