If you’re thinking about attending PulpFest, why not bring your entire family? The convention will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry, just nineteen miles north of the exciting city of Pittsburgh. You can book your room at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry directly through the PulpFest website. Just click the “Book a Room” button found at the top of our homepage or call 1-724-776-6900. When calling, please be sure to mention PulpFest or use the code CDT91J to receive the convention rate.
Once the center of America’s steel industry, Pittsburgh ranks among the top places to live, work, and visit in the United States. The city is consistently recognized by major tourism organizations as a great destination.
Located where the Allegheny and Monongahela converge to form the Ohio River, Pittsburgh was once known as the “Gateway to the West.” Fort Pitt, a key British fortification during the French and Indian War, also served as the western headquarters of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
By the dawn of the 19th century, roads, canals, and eventually railroads connected Pittsburgh with the major cities of the East Coast. Pittsburgh became a hub of entrepreneurs and skilled craftsmen who created a region seething with the fire and smoke of industry, earning a new nickname, the “Smoky City.” The years following the Civil War saw an unparalleled explosion of creative genius and productivity that attracted enormous capital investment and made Pittsburgh one of the world’s great industrial centers. Steel was king and immigrants in search of a better life eagerly responded to the insatiable demand for labor. Under a mighty cloud of industrial smoke, the “Steel City” prospered and matured, giving birth to philanthropy and cultural institutions that became models for the rest of the United States.
By the 1970s and 1980s, the crippling decline of the steel industry changed the region’s image as well as its economic base. Industries and businesses retooled and diversified. Innovative leaders adapted to this changing world, engineering another remarkable renaissance. By the mid-1980s and again throughout the 2000s, Pittsburgh gained a reputation as one of the nation’s most livable cities. Today’s Pittsburgh is a model of adaptation, maintaining its work ethic, independence, and inventive spirit while exhibiting an old-world charm that is cherished by people who care about heritage and preservation. It is a rapidly advancing leader in medicine, education, health care, robotics, software engineering, hi-tech industries, and cultural tourism. With 90 neighborhoods and districts, Pittsburgh is a city to be explored one delightful section at a time. What’s most amazing about the city is the people that make up each of these neighborhoods. They are proud of the heritage reflected on their streets and willing to share their stories of strength, perseverance, and triumph.
Pittsburgh’s topography has played a large part in how each neighborhood developed. Start with the city’s dynamic Downtown and Point State Park. Next, cross one of the three rivers — the Allegheny, the “Mon,” or Ohio — to find unique areas shaped by more than the region’s distinctive and beautiful topography. Natural geographic boundaries such as sloping, wooded hillsides and rivers do their part to define, but Pittsburgh neighborhoods are also known for the clusters of attractions they offer. Most of them offer outdoor farmer’s markets during the warm weather. You’ll find a schedule for them below.
Visitors can plan their itineraries by the points of the compass, first focusing on attractions Downtown and in the Strip District (one of the city’s most popular spots for great food and nightlife). Across the Mon is the South Side, Mount Washington — home to the Duquesne and Monongahela Inclines, Station Square, and East Carson Street.
On the banks of the Allegheny is North Shore — home to the Pirates and the Steelers, the Rivers Casino, Carnegie Science Center, and the Andy Warhol Museum. Pittsburgh’s East End and Oakland are home to several outstanding attractions that owe their existence to the philanthropists who made their fortunes in the city’s early industry. Here you’ll find the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, the 42-story Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh campus, the brand new space museum, the Moonshot Museum, and more. While in this corner of the city, don’t miss Shadyside and Squirrel Hill, two walkable neighborhoods with an upscale flavor, and plenty of shopping and dining options.
More family fun is waiting on Pittsburgh’s East End in Highland Park, home of the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, featuring an indoor penguin exhibit and a rainforest exhibit. In nearby West Mifflin, visit Kennywood Park, the 125-year-old “roller coaster capital of the world,” or Sandcastle Waterpark in West Homestead And, just outside of Pittsburgh are stunning examples of Frank Lloyd Wright’s amazing architecture, including Fallingwater, called one of the “fifty places of a lifetime.”
Pittsburgh is very walkable with hip galleries, shops, dining, nightlife, sports, museums, and more throughout the city and the surrounding region. So while you’re enjoying yourself at PulpFest — the summertime destination for fans and collectors of all types of popular fiction, art, and related materials — your family can be taking in the many sites and sounds of this very vibrant city. They’ll probably want to stick around for a few days more with their favorite pulp fan.
And don’t forget that this year’s Confluence, Pittsburgh’s longest-running literary conference, will be held in person from July 26 – 28 at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel. It ends just a few days before PulpFest 2024. Why not spend the time between the two conferences by visiting the city of Pittsburgh?
Below are some resources for conventioneers and their family members to learn more about the many things that PulpFest’s host city has to offer (including some articles about the city’s independent booksellers):
The Atlas Obscura Guide to Hidden Pittsburgh — 43 unusual things to do in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Best Indie Bookstores in Pittsburgh — three stores for lovers of the “old-book smell,” hardcover collectors, and bookaholics on a tight budget.
Confluence — Pittsburgh’s longest-running literary conference, will be held in person from July 26 – 28 at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel.
Cozy Up With These Bookstores In Pittsburgh — your guide to the thriving independent bookstores in Pittsburgh.
5 Indie Bookstores You’ll Love — a guide to some of Pittsburgh’s coolest literary hangouts.
11 Of The Coolest Bookstores In & Around Pittsburgh, PA — Culture Trip takes a look at Pittsburgh’s bookstores.
11 Independent Bookstores in Pittsburgh Worth Browsing — Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods are alive with local booksellers.
Fungus Books Sprouts Up in Wilkinsburg with Grand Opening — Books on film, horror and weird fiction, science fiction, old pulps, strange little pamphlets, and more.
Guide to EVERY Independent Bookstores in Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh is home to over a dozen independent booksellers.
Littsburgh — the online destination for the writers, publishing professionals, organizers, institutions, and readers who make Pittsburgh one of the world’s most literary cities.
Pittsburgh Eventful — provides the most popular Pittsburgh events, concerts, movies, comedy, nightlife, and family events.
Pittsburgh Improv Jam — a night of spontaneous, comedic scenes inspired by audience suggestions and performed by experienced improvisers.
Pittsburgh Pirates — the Bucs are the city’s Major League Baseball team. They play at PNC Park on the North Shore. They’ll be at home right before and right after this year’s PulpFest.
PlanetWare’s Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Pittsburgh — ideas on where to go, what to see, and tips for making the most of your trip.
Popular Pittsburgh — information about one of the most livable cities in the USA and links to help you enjoy the experience.
TripAdvisor Things to Do in Pittsburgh, PA — helping you make the most of every trip.
U. S. News Best Things to Do in Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh is full of fun things to do, especially for families.
What’s Next for Pittsburgh — the must-read Pittsburgh publication about the innovative and cool things happening in the region.
VisitPittsburgh.com — the official site of the Greater Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The visitors’ bureau also offers these more specified pages to help you plan your visit:
Airport Transportation — get a lift from Pittsburgh International Airport.
Arts and Culture — explore the vibrant arts and cultural scene that Pittsburgh takes much pride in.
Discovering a City of Neighborhoods — with 90 neighborhoods and districts, Pittsburgh is a city to be explored one delightful section at a time.
Parks and Green Spaces — the top green spaces and public parks in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Sports Teams — see for yourself why Sporting News magazine awarded Pittsburgh the coveted “Best Sports City” title.
Won’t You Be Our Neighbor? — Pittsburgh is fun, affordable, and packed with family entertainment.
Restaurants and Culinary — choose from casual family spots, upscale and romantic eateries, late-night bites, or convenient take-out.
Neighborhood Farmer’s Markets — shop locally-grown produce, farm-fresh meat, prepared foods, craft beer, local wine and spirits, artisans and so much more.
Shopping in Pittsburgh — travel in any direction in Pittsburgh and find great shopping to suit every budget and taste.
Things to Do — find out why Pittsburgh has been named one of the best places in the world to visit.
Visitors Guide — get your one-stop guide for everything to see and do in Pittsburgh.
VisitPA — for those who’d like to check out other Pennsylvania destinations, including the birthplace of liberty, the City of Philadelphia.
Pictured is a nighttime view of Point State Park and downtown Pittsburgh from Mount Washington; pouring steel; the Duquesne Incline; Dinosaur Hall in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History; downtown Pittsburgh from PNC Park — home to the Pittsburgh Pirates — on the city’s North Shore; and a nighttime view of downtown Pittsburgh from the Monongahela River.
If you have any questions about Pittsburgh or Pennsylvania, PulpFest Marketing and Programming Director Mike Chomko is the man to contact. You can reach him at mike@pulpfest.com. For questions about the Pennsylvania Dutch, please write to PulpFest Goodwill Ambassador Barry Traylor at barry@pulpfest.com.
