Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania Travel Guide 2025
Game Plan for FAN-atics
2024-11-28 10:26:20
Name your favorite pro sport (or two), and Pennsylvania has a stadium (or many) with fan-friendly features.
The Phillie Phanatic, a shaggy green creature of dubious lineage, embodies the die-hard loyalty of local citizens for the Philadelphia Phillies, a Major League Baseball team based at Citizens Bank Park. While a staggering selection of Philly-accented concessions and an exhilarating team store are major attractions, The Yard caters to kids: This voluminous interactive baseball experience includes a Wiffle ball playing field complete with a dugout, hot dog launcher marksmanship, a climbing wall with depictions of city landmarks, and radar-measured speed pitching.
PNC Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates, captures the essence of the city with a stunning view of the downtown skyline and a landscaped Riverwalk beside the Allegheny River. For a memorable arrival, skip driving and board a Gateway Clipper riverboat at Station Square and step off parkside. Arrivals begin 1.5 hours before game time, enabling fans to explore numerous diversions, from outdoor play areas for kids to plentiful places to sip a craft brew for grown-ups. Periodic return shuttles begin in the 7th inning.
In sportcentric Philly, the capacious Wells Fargo Center welcomes exuberant fans to hometown competitions of the Philadelphia 76ers — better known to basketball fans as the Sixers — and the often-raucous games of the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers. Just steps away, Xfinity Live! offers a lively alternate sporting experience with massive LED viewing screens and an assortment of casual eateries, restaurants, and bars.
American football fans can catch the Philadelphia Eagles in action at Lincoln Financial Field, part of South Philly’s sprawling sports complex. For a behind-the-scenes view, book a self-guided tour that allows guests to move at their own pace, from a quick half-hour jaunt to a leisurely paced excursion that encompasses the Field, Eagles Locker Room, Team Tunnel, and post-game Eagles Interview Room. The tour route is ADA compliant, kids 3-and-under are free, and strollers are welcome.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, a National Football League team, play on the perfectly manicured grass field at Acrisure Stadium. A variety of stadium tours are available, but the Gameday Tour transforms your experience into a delightfully indelible memory. Along with pre-game field access, visitors take in the memorabilia-filled FedEx Great Hall and the voluminous Steelers Hall of Honor Museum, where rare artifacts and displays celebrate the history of the Steelers while saluting top players.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, five-time winners of the Stanley Cup, hit the ice at PPG Paints Arena, which boasts some of the most comfortable seating in the National Hockey League. Gather a minimum of 10 Penguin devotees — who come in all ages — to arrange exciting group experiences on game days. With a group minimum of 50 people, six individuals get a pre-game Zamboni ride (for instance, a school group could give teachers the special seats), and a group of at least 75 gets a post-game on-ice photo in front of the net.
The Subaru Park waterfront stadium in Chester caters to soccer crowds drawn by the Philadelphia Union team. For a rousing pre-game brew with fellow fans, head to the nearby Larimer Beer Co. for site-made IPAs, lagers, and ales, along with guest brewery selections. Hours accommodate all game days and times on the patio and screen-filled tap room, plus food trucks furnish local flavors. Come back post-game to celebrate.
Museum-Worthy
Packed with interactive exhibits and fascinating displays, visitors score a win across wide-ranging competitive athletics at Pittsburgh’s Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at the Senator John Heinz History Center.
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