Hollywood has Homes of the Stars. Portland has brewcycle pub-crawls. Pittsburgh, however, has it all.
Pittsburgh Transportation Group is launching Pittsburgh Tours & More (PT&M), a scenic tour division that will offer four unique ways to see the city this summer, from great local movie locales to famous sports sites, tasty foodie haunts and—the Amish?
And for beer lovers, PT&M recently acquired PA Brew Tours, an foray to off-the-beaten-path breweries across the great keystone state. And this is just the beginning, says Sherris Moreira, director of group tours.
This fall, PT&M will work with ScareHouse for a Halloween adventure. More tours will be announced.
“We’re the first (transportation group) to develop a tours division,” says Moreira proudly. “Our CEO found that people were renting vehicles to do tours on their own, so he figured it was a good business decision.”
Another good decision was pairing each tour with a nonprofit organization that will receive proceeds. “It’s a feel good concept,” adds Moreira. “We’re hoping this will become a guilt-free kind of tourism.”
The tours will roll out beginning in June.
Lights, Camera, Pittsburgh! The official Pittsburgh Film Office Movie Tour will take movie fans on a 2.5 hour jaunt past backdrops used in “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “Flashdance” and more. The tour will revisit scenes filmed in the Grand Concourse and the Omni William Penn and debunks some urban movie legends while validating others.
For instance, was that really Christopher Nolan in front of Weiner World? Where do Tom Cruise and Jane Fonda dine when in Pittsburgh? All film tour proceeds will benefit The Pittsburgh Film Office.
City of Champions: The Pittsburgh Sports History Tour will explore our rich sports history. The expedition includes former and current ball fields and a drive-by of Roberto Clemente’s house in the Hill District. The tour will benefit the Josh Gibson Foundation.
Flavor of Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh’s Popular Food Culture Tour will give foodies a chance to taste their way through some of the most celebrated local culinary offerings that have been made famous by the national media. The tour will also impart the little-known history of how the Primanti sandwich came to be and the truth behind the wedding cookie table.
Proceeds will benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
The longest tour is The Amish Experience, Country Living at its Best, a ride through the rolling countryside to one of several old order Amish communites. The tour will benefit Animal Rescue League Shelter & Wildlife Center.
“A lot of people don’t think of Pittsburgh and the Amish, but we have this perfectly awesome area to an hour north and felt we should develop something,” says Moreira.
Ticket prices range from $30 to $85 with discounts for those purchasing two or more tickets. Public tours run Fridays and Saturdays. Each tour can also be booked privately and proceeds may be directed toward the nonprofit of your choice.