1 Billion Reasons to Say Thank You!

Since 1995 RAD has provided more than $1 billion in grants to our regional assets to help create a region that is vibrant and invests in its future.

For the eighth year, your RAD-funded regional assets are saying "thank you" for your support of the RAD sales tax with free admission days, activities and performances.

Free admission is limited to the day indicated only. Participating assets are NOT offering free admission every day. Check listings for each asset’s free date, times and limitations. Admissions are first-come, first-served. No rain checks. Some admissions required advance reservations. Parking fees in venue lots may be charged.

Download a one-page flyer (in pdf) with all the basics!

September 12

Pittsburgh Opera: Brown Bag Concert

Free Admission 12noon-1 PM
2425 Liberty Avenue (Strip District)
The Brown Bag concert features Resident Artists focusing on Tchaikovsky and Eugene Onegin, the opera which opens the new season. Food available for purchase from Right By Nature.
www.pittsburghopera.org
twitter.com/PittsburghOpera

Pittsburgh Opera: Rising Stars Concert

See location details above.
Free admission: 6:00pm Check-in begins; 6:30pm Check-in closes; 7:00pm Performance
Be the first to hear these hot young artists, members of Pittsburgh Opera’s prestigious resident artist program. The singers begin with a favorite aria and follow with one chosen by General Director Christopher Hahn.  Reservations are required. Due to high demand for this event, you must arrive and claim your reservations no later than 6:30pm. All unclaimed reservations will be released at 6:30pm. NOTE: There is a limit of four seats per reservation. Call 412-281-0912, ext. 216 or email tickets@pittsburghopera.org.. 

September 27

Carnegie Science Center

Free admission 10AM-5PM
One Allegheny Avenue (North Side)
See science come alive! Delight in a full-dome digital planetarium, a Cold War-era submarine, the world’s best model railroad display, three live demonstration theaters, roboworld™, and a building full of hundreds of hands-on exhibits. (IMAX and lasser show tickets are an additional purchase.)
www.carnegiesciencecenter.org

RiverQuest

Free admission 11AM-3PM
One Allegheny Avenue, docked next to Carnegie Science Center (North Shore)
Free walk-on activities on EXPLORER. Check on the world’s first gree educational vessel and free walk-on activities on board the docked RiverQuest EXPLORER. Hone your skills of observation while solving environmental mysteries.
www.RiverQuest.org

September 30

Heinz Field

Free admission 10AM-3PM (tours only)
Art Rooney Avenue (North Shore)
Home of the Six-Time Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and host of special events and concerts. Tours on the hour; last tour at 3PM. Limit 50 guests per hour. First-come, first-served. South Plaza and Coca-Cola Great Hall also open. Enter under the Coca-Cola Great Hall sign along Art Rooney Avenue.
www.steelers.com

Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum

Free admission10AM-4PM
4141 Fifth Avenue (Oakland)
Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum offers a unique look into American history. The museum explores the evolution of equipment and technology as well as the effects that military conflicts have had on society. Explore cultural artifacts, art, uniforms, equipment and personal mementos.
www.soldiersandsailorshall.org

October 2

Pittsburgh Glass Center

Free Admission 10AM-4PM
5472 Penn Avenue (Friendship)
Glassblowing demonstrations, plus, the opening of The Return. All day, enjoy heat defying acts of art including fiery glassblowing demonstrations. From 6-9PM: Opening reception for a new exhibition The Return by Eastside pedestrian bridge artist Sheila Klein.
www.pittsburghglass.org
www.twitter.com/pghglasscenter

Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum

Free admission10AM-4PM
See details on September 30.

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: Gallery Crawl

Free admission 5:30-9PM
throughout Downtown Cultural District
A showcase of art and entertainment in the heart of the Cultural District. All events take place at a variety of galleries and spaces. The event is ongoing and visitors may start at any location. Visit pgharts.org for a map and description of the locations and activities.
www.pgharts.org

Pittsburgh Filmmakers

Free admission 7:30 to 11:30 pm
477 Melwood Avenue (Oakland)
Short animation, documentary and experimental films from the prestigious Ann Arbor Film Festival. Screenings are on-going and visitors may come and go.
www.pghfilmmakers.org

October 3

Frick Art & Historical Center

Free Admission 10AM-5PM
7227 Reynolds Street (Point Breeze)
The Frick offers an array of FREE activities for the entire family. Explore the first floor of Clayton, the restored home of the Frick family, discover amazing vehicles in the Car and Carriage Museum, strike a pose in our photo booth, and experience Icons of American Photography at The Frick Art Museum. Scavenger hunts for kids and take-home art activities!
www.TheFrickPittsburgh.org

Venture Outdoors

Regrettably, kayaking has been cancelled due to the Head of the Ohio tournament on the river.  We regret any inconvenience.

www.ventureoutdoors.org
www.kayakpittsburgh.org

Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum

Free admission10AM-4PM
See details on September 30.

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts

Free admission 11:00 am and 2:00 pm
6300 Fifth Avenue (Shadyside)
Take the stage and strike a pose while being documented in artist Sheila Klein's outdoor sculpture, Bitmap Bonnet. The sculpture Bonnet acts as a stage, a confessional, a sunshade, a soapbox, a refuge. Visitors are invited to respond to and interact with the piece.  Documentation will be posted to the web.
www.pittsburgharts.org

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh-Allegheny Branch

Free admission for special event 1-3PM
1230 Federal Street (North Side)
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has free programs every day! Visit www.carnegielibrary.org for a complete listing of children’s activities, book discussions, storytimes, gaming, crafts and more! Visit our newest location today for books, treats and games for the entire family.
www.carnegielibrary.org

City Theatre 10th Annual Young Playwrights Festival

Free Admission for Workshops 2:30-4:30PM
1300 Bingham Street (Couth Side)
Join City Theatre artists for dynamic, hands-on workshops at the 10 Annual Young Playwrights Festival. Activities include playwriting, scene design, costume design, prop building, and scene painting. Appropriate for ages 12-18. To register, call 412-431-4400 ext. 225, or email klink@citytheatrecompany.org
www.citytheatrecompany.org

Pittsburgh Filmmakers

Free admission 7:30 to 11:30 pm
477 Melwood Avenue (Oakland)
Short animation, documentary and experimental films from the prestigious Ann Arbor Film Festival. Screenings are on-going and visitors may come and go.
www.pghfilmmakers.org

October 4

August Wilson Center for African American Culture

Free admission noon-5PM
980 Liberty Avenue (Downtown Cultural District)
Named for award-winning playwright and Hill District native August Wilson, this brand-new cultural center offers vibrant African and African American performing arts, visual arts, history, film and educational programs, all under one roof. Your tour includes five special exhibits. Performances by Chatham Baroque and Jazz Workshop, Inc.
www.augustwilsoncenter.org

Carnegie Museum of Art
Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Free admission noon-5PM
4400 Forbes Avenue (Oakland)
Two museums in one dynamic destination! At Carnegie Museum of Art, see classic photographs of African American life in Pittsburgh in Documenting Our Past: The Teenie Harris Archive Project, Part Three. Then, be sure to see Dinosaurs in Their Time, where you can see the real bones and get the real stories about the age of the dinosaurs. Performances by Bulgarian folk ensemble Otets Paissii and Children’s Festival Chorus.
www.cmoa.org
www.carnegieMNH.org

MCG Jazz Presents Jazz Insights with Gary Burton

Free Admission 1:45-2:30PM
1815 Metropolitan Street (North Side)
Join in on a lively interactive discussion with the Grammy™ Award-winning vibraphonist. These interactive discussions provide the public with the chance to interact with the artists and are hosted by a local personality.
www.mcgjazz.org

City Theatre 10th Annual Young Playwrights Festival

Free Admission for Workshops 2:30-4:30PM
See details and registration requirements on October 3.

Also on October 4: North Side "Charm Bracelet"
Get to know the sparkling charms that link Pittsburgh’s North Side family district. 

National Aviary

Free admission 9AM-5PM
700 Arch Street (North Side)
Get nose to beak with flamingoes, penguins, macaws, owls and more. Watch as birds eat, bathe, fly and play in free-flight exhibits. Discover Penguin Point, a brand-new exhibit that immerses visitors in the sights and sounds of a real penguin colony.
www.aviary.org

The Andy Warhol Museum

Free Admission 10am-5pm
117 Sandusky Street (North Shore)
At The Andy Warhol Museum, visitors of all ages will find something to talk about, chuckle over, delight in or ponder for days„Ÿand you’ll leave knowing that contemporary art is alive and kicking.
www.warhol.org

Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

Free admission noon-5PM
10 Children’s Way (North Side)
Take off on fantastic flights of imagination at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and return to earth to slide down a bowling alley, build and launch a boat, ink your own silkscreen, catch words that fall from the sky and much, much more. Performance by Saltworks Theatre.
www.pittsburghkids.org

Artists Image Resource

Free admission noon-5PM
518 Foreland Street (North Side)
AIR is an artist-run organization that integrates the production of fine art printwork with innovative educational programs that explore the creative process. AIR creates learning environments for artists, students and the community.
www.artistsimageresource.org

Mattress Factory

Free admission 1PM-5PM
500 Sampsonia Way (North Side)
The Mattress Factory is a museum of contemporary art that presents art you can get into — room-sized environments, created by in-residence artists. Located in the historic Mexican War Streets of Pittsburgh’s North Side since 1977, the Mattress Factory is one of few museums of its kind anywhere.
www.mattress.org

October 5

Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens

Free Admission 9AM-5PM
1 Schenley Drive (Oakland)
Come see the extraordinary work of internationally famous artist Hans Godo Frabel, and enjoy a close encounter with his whimsical and otherworldly glass sculpture. It's just one fascinating facet of your family's next visit to Phipps.
www.phipps.conservatory.org

Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society

Free Admission noon-3PM
224 East Seventh Avenue (Tarentum)
Discover the origins of the Allegheny-Kiski Valley towns - glass, steel and aluminum - that attracted entrepreneurs, immigrant labor and union organizers, house in a beautiful Art Deco building.
www.akhvs.org

Mellon Arena: Family Skate and ArenaTours

Free Admission 5-8:30PM
66 Mario Lemieux Place (Uptown)
Skate at and tour the home of the Stanley cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins! Family skate sessions between 5-6:30PM and 7-8:30PM. Ice cleared between the sessions. Tours (about 45 minutes) throughout the evening. Etner at Gate#2 off Center Ave. Skater MUST bring own skates; no entering ice without skates; no hockey sticks; under 12 must be accompanied by an adult; ice limited to 300 skaters per session; first come-first served. Visit www.mellonarena.com for special procedures this day.
www.mellonarea.com

October 6

PNC Park

Free Admission 10am to 2pm for tours only
115 Federal Street (North Shore)
The tour of PNC Park, the Best Ballpark in America, will take you behind-the-scenes of this intimate ballpark. Places you may visit are the batting cages, press box, seating area and Highmark Legacy Square. Areas visited are subject to change without notice. Tours take place from 10am to 2pm, last tour starting at 2pm. Tours run every hour with a 60 guest maximum, on a first-come, first-served basis. Please enter near the Willie Stargell Statue.
pncparktours@pirates.com

Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum

Free admission10AM-4PM
See details on September 30.

October 7

David L. Lawrence Convention Center

Free admission for tours 10AM-3PM
1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd. (Downtown)
Find out why the 1.5 million square-foot Center was chosen for the site of the September 2009 G-20 summit. In a one-hour tour, experience the largest "green" convention center in the world. Reserve your tour time at (412) 565-6000. Parking for tour visitors is free in the Center’s garage at 10 & Ft. Duquesne Blvd. – bring your parking ticket to the East Lobby to begin your tour.
www.pittsburghcc.com

Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum

Free admission10AM-4PM
See details on September 30. 

Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society

Free Admission noon-3PM
See details on October 5.

October 8

Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum

Free admission10AM-4PM
See details on September 30.

October 9

Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum

Free admission10AM-4PM
See details on September 30.

Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society

Free Admission noon-3PM
See details on October 5.

October 10

Bulgarian Cultural Center

Free Admission 9AM-3PM
449-451 W. Eighth Avenue, West Homestead
Preserving and presenting the cultural values and rich traditions of the Bulgarian/Macedonian people, the Museum collection includes oil paintings, graphics, icons, photographs, ceramics, woodworks, textiles and costumes.
www.bmnecc.org

Boyce Mayview Park: Regional Environment Education Center

Free Admission 9AM-3PM
1571 Mayview Road (Upper St. Clair)
Trained REEC naturalists will guide your explorations of Boyce Mayview Park. Enjoy a birding stroll. Look for salamanders along Chartiers Creek. Or simply relax in our peaceful atmosphere as families explore Hawk meadow during a nature scavenger hunt.

Activities schedule (meeting at the Picnic Pavilion)

Self Guided on-going activities in the Outdoor Classroom.
www.regionaleec.org

Senator John Heinz History Center and Western PA Sports Museum

Free Admission 10AM-5PM
1212 Smallman Street (Strip District)
The History Center is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and the largest history museum in Pennsylvania.  The History Center features the Sports Museum and the Library & Archives, and includes six floors of permanent and changing exhibitions that celebrate 250 years of regional history.  Be sure to visit Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation and Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War. Performance by South Hills Chorale and Tuesday Musical Club.
www.heinzhistorycenter.org

Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum 10AM-4PM

Free admission10AM-4PM
See details on September 30.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Free concert 11AM-12noon
Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Avenue (Downtown)
Join your world-class Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, led by Daniel Meyer in a performance featuring Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, Mendelssohn’s Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Bottesini’s Tarantella with PSO Bassist Micah Howard as soloist. Visit the box office or call 412-392-4900 for advance tickets.
www.pittsburghsymphony.org

WQED-FM 89.3 Pittsburgh

Free Admission 11AM-2PM
Plus, Noon-1PM special visit by Marvin Hamlisch
WQED-FM Carolyn M. Byham Studio
655 Penn Avenue (Katz Plaza) (downtown Pittsburgh)
Take a free tour inside WQED-FM 89.3 and meet on-air talents Jim Sweenie and Jim Cunningham as they broadcast LIVE from Katz Plaza in the Cultural District with guest Marvin Hamlisch, Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops from noon-1PM.
www.wqed.org/fm

Silver Eye Center for Photography

Free Admission 11am-5pm
1015 East Carson Street (South Side)
Discover the world with National Geographic photographs as inspiration! Families can enjoy FREE interactive scavenger hunts while exploring nearly 50 extraordinary images of China, the Alps, the American West, the Sudan, and more. Pittsburghs Melissa Farlow and Randy Olson are award-winning documentary photographers (as well as husband and wife) and long-time contributors to National Geographic magazine.
www.silvereye.org

Allegheny County Regional Parks: Hartwood Acres Hay Day

Free Admission noon-4PM
200 Hartwood Acres (North Hills
Come for all sorts of fun story-telling, slides, pony rides, an arts and crafts center, a petting zoo, miniature train, music, clowns and more!
www.county.allegheny.pa.us/parks

Attack Theatre and Pittsburgh Opera

Free Admission noon – 3pm
2425 Liberty Avenue (Strip District)
An afternoon of enchanting opera, engaging dance, and some good old-fashioned schoolyard fun and games. From noon - 1pm, eat your lunch while listening to the brightest rising stars of the Pittsburgh Opera perform repertoire from the upcoming performance of Falstaff. From 1 - 3pm, play classic games like Four-Square, darts or backgammon and between games, enjoy an excerpt from a new Attack Theatre dance work.
www.attacktheatre.com
www.twitter.com/AttackTheatre
www.pittsburghopera.org
www.twitter.com/PittsburghOpera

MCG Jazz, Manchester Craftsmens's Guild Youth Arts Open House

Free Admission 2-4PM
1815 Metropolitan Street (North Side)
"Make It and Take It": Watch demonstrations and engage in fun projects in Ceramics, Photography and Design Arts. Plus, enjoy "School of Swing," an interactive jazz concert (best for primary school aged children and families) provides a unique and memorable introductory jazz music experience.
www.mcgjazz.com
www.manchesterguild.org

Attack Theatre

Free Admission 8pm – 11pm
See location information above on Oct. 10.
Join Attack Theatre for the first Game Night and the Seven-Minute Dance Series of the season.  Voted one of the best places to meet singles in Pittsburgh and the "Best Place to Play Four-Square with Professional Dancers," enjoy games and dance in the new Attack Theatre Intergalactic Headquarters.
www.attacktheatre.com

October 11

Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

Free Admission 9AM-4PM; galtes close at 4PM; Zoo closes at 5PM
One Wild Place, Highland Park
There’s a baby boom in Kids Kingdom, a baby elephant stampede in the Savanna, and a shark attack at Water’s Edge! Visit the baby sea lion, river otters, and beavers. Celebrate the two baby elephants’ first birthdays. Be Wowed! by sharks. Sponsored by PPG. Enjoy activities with regional assets and performances Jazz Workshop, Inc.,  the Pittsburgh CLO’s cast of Forever Plaid, and the Pittsburgh Youth Ballet.
www.pittsburghzoo.org
www.twitter.com/pittsburghZ

Prime Stage Theatre & New Hazlett Theater

Free Admission 1:30-3:30PM
At New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square (North Side)
A family event of an open rehearsal of Our Town, produced by Prime State Theater.
www.newhazletttheater.org
www.primestage.com

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Presents Joy Toujours and the Toys du Jour

Free admission 2-3PM
CLP – Main; First Floor Quiet Reading Room
4400 Forbes Avenue (Oakland)
Sunday Afternoon Music Series: Joy Toujours and the Toys du Jour, featuring Moodfoot Miller (saxophone and lapsteel) and Joy Toujours (ukulele and violin) play mixed "folkcore" – music you can play while your four-year-old is sleeping.
www.carnegielibrary.org

Visit radworkshere.org and click on the asset calendar to find performances, events and exhibits year-round.

RAD supports and finances regional assets in the areas of libraries, parks and recreation, cultural, sports and civic facilities and programs. The District receives one-half of the proceeds from the 1% Allegheny County Sales and Use Tax, and the other half is paid directly to the county and municipal governments by the State Treasurer.

Since 1995, the 1% County Sales tax paid by residents of and visitors to Allegheny County has resulted in a nearly $2 billion investment in the region.

Contact RAD: