City as a Canvas Explore Urban Art Landscapes Explore vibrant street art with public art programs, guided mural walks, and sculpture installations throughout the state. From the grandiose walls of the Allegheny County Courthouse to the mural stretched across Strawberry Way, Pittsburgh’s Grant Street Corridor is where art and architecture blend to create an eye-catching visual adventure. While this self-guided tour requires a bit more seeking, it makes the 32 noteworthy sights all the more rewarding — like finding the stained-glass goddess Fortuna hidden in the Frick Building or spotting another intricately carved relief on the County Office Building. For an all-day art extravaganza, travel across the self-guided Lackawanna Mural Trail , which boasts 60+ murals spanning from Scranton and Dunmore to Carbondale and Clarks Summit. On your journey, you’ll meet fan-favorite characters like Dwight Schrute, Michael Scott, and Pam Beesly from “The Office” and get inspired by renowned leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Other highlights include sports-icon dedications, nods to historical landmarks, and critters so real they could jump off the wall. In Johnstown, take a stroll down Washington Street to discover a mural of heroic proportions — and the only one approved by Marvel Comics. Here, stretched across the side of Stone Bridge Brewing Co., you’ll find a friendly neighborhood “ Spider-Man mural ,” showing him flipping and leaping over buildings in a tribute to the Johnstown-born comic book artist and Spider-Man co-creator, Steve Ditko. Doctor Strange, also co-created by Ditko, looks on from the corner. In 2018, the Street Art Society of NEPA began with the goal of connecting residents with their environment while enhancing the aesthetic and cultural richness of local communities. Since then, the society has worked across Kingston, Edwardsville, and Luzerne to create 10 stunning murals, many with themes around nature, such as the swimming turtles of “Empire Arcade” or the nod to the nearby Susquehanna River and the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in “Manifest Elevation.” Named after a renowned resident sculptor, the Karl Stirner Arts Trail in Easton is a 1.75-mile-long sculpture park and recreation path that winds along the rushing Bushkill Creek. Choose from multiple access points along the tree-lined trail to explore the 27 art installations, including sets of playable steel chimes, temporary murals by young artists, and Stirner’s “Hounds of Hell,” made of leftover metal from the Bethlehem Steel Plant. In downtown York, the Royal Square Mural Park transforms city streets into an open-air gallery bursting with vibrant colors and creativity. Here, a peek around red-brick buildings may reveal a three-story painting of black bears in a flower garden, a townhouse decked out in rainbow-colored geometric patterns, or walls covered in friendly, graffiti-style cartoon characters. Explore the whole Royal Square District , an area surrounded by Duke, King, Princess, and Queen streets, to uncover all 30 murals. 22 visitpa.com NATHAN MADISON
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Travel Guide 2026: Page 22
