Things to do in Mt. Lebanon

Mt. Lebanon homes, The Fairlane restaurant, Rollier’s Hardware and Lincoln Elementary School (all photos by Tracy Certo).

Barely seven miles south of Downtown, Mt. Lebanon is a first-ring suburb of Pittsburgh with plenty of attitude to boot.

Stats (via Niche)

Population: 32,760
Size: 6.08 sq. miles
Median Rent: $861
Median Home Value: $244,800

Don’t Miss

Envied by many and misunderstood by a few, Lebo seems to have it all as a community in a compact six square miles. Blue Ribbon public schools with seven elementary schools — all walkable — are a particular point of pride. The high school completed a major renovation a few years ago to the tune of $113 million, with a new swimming pool and gymnasium. And this neighborhood consistently ranks one of the top places in Pittsburgh as well as Pennsylvania.

Lebo, as many fondly call it, exudes a rare blend of sophistication and small-town charm, especially in the eclectic architectural mix of its neighborhoods. American Craftsman homes share driveways with stone colonials; Prairie and English Tudor styles stand side by side. There are plenty of apartments, condos and senior living, too, throughout the rolling hills. It’s often said that more architects live here than in any other community in Pittsburgh.

For walkers (and runners), sidewalks connect to main thoroughfares and one of three business districts, including Washington Road’s “Uptown,” a thriving and walkable commercial district that’s home to great pancakes (Pamela’s), sushi (Little Tokyo), Napoli-style wood-fire pizza (Il Pizzaiolo), beer (Hitchhiker Brewing Co.), coffee (Orbis Caffe and Uptown Coffee) an intimate Thai restaurant (Thai Touch Kitchen), a garden boutique (Mt. Lebanon Floral), incredible slices from A’Pizza Badamo, locally-made gifts (Commonwealth Press), fashion (Ona Boutique) artwork (Create A Frame / Handworks Gallery), health foods (Eden’s Market) and lots more.

Beverly Road is a small commercial hotspot with Cafe io, Taco Diablo, The Fairlane, Bado’s Pizza Grill & Ale House, Barefoot Stitches & Gifts, The Blooming Dahlia, Inner Rutz, Lee Heckman Custom Framing & Gallery, the Himalayan Institue and Scoops on Beverly, and more.

If that isn’t enough, the community also boasts beautiful clay tennis courts, an ice rink, a public pool, a nine-hole golf course (deemed a National Historic Landmark), the recently expanded St. Clair Hospital a First Fridays concert series in Clearview Commons — and on the main street of Washington Road near the popular Rollier’s Hardware — a SpringHill Suites hotel.