Tag Archives: holiday lights

Kennywood Christmas

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Not every community can claim to have its own amusement park and it’s rare to find one that’s as authentic and historic as Kennywood in Pittsburgh.

Kennywood dates to 1898 when Anthony Kenny leased land to the Monongahela Street Railway Company for a recreational trolley park. It started with a dance hall, carousel, athletic contests, and pony rides, growing over time to include things like roller coasters and bumper cars.

While the place has a vintage flair, the 2019 Steel Curtain ride is the tallest roller coaster in the state, has the most inversions in North America and the tallest inversion in the world. 

But that’s not why you go to Kennywood in December. Instead, the park is all decked out in Christmas lights so bright and glorious that even the Grinchiest among us will be pleased. We rode the Thomas the Tank Train around Thomas Town while strangers broke out into spontaneous Christmas carols. We enjoyed life sized gingerbread men, saw Rudolph and admired beautiful carousel animals.

With over three million Christmas lights and the tallest Christmas tree in Pennsylvania, the electric glow of the holidays is visible all around. Kennywood is a time honored tradition for Pittsburghers and I can see why. It’s a charming place.

We were there on an extremely cold night but we dressed in layers and were fine. Some of the rides don’t operate under forty degrees but there’s plenty of fun to be found even without the thrills and chills of a roller coaster. 

Want to know more? Click here!

Last November

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Last November took me to Pittsburgh where a good friend gave me the holiday tour of her city.

Pittsburgh is an amazing place to celebrate the Christmas season thanks to free and inexpensive events, a beautifully decorated downtown, and tons of shopping opportunities at every turn.

Things are so different this year that I keep thinking back to that weekend – leisurely tours of museums, a crowded train car, fireworks amidst strangers, and a cramped Prantl’s Bakery where people pack in for the finest treats around. We ate in diners with people seated a foot or two away and never gave a second thought to touching doors and keypads or to how many people we would encounter while walking down the street.

My memories are a stark contrast to how we are (or how we should be) living as we try to slow the growth of this pandemic.

I hope to go back someday and experience it all again. For now, I am staying close to home and seeking ways to still enjoy life without too much interaction or risk. I hope you are doing the same and that you might enjoy the armchair travels you’ll find in these pictures.

I delighted in a display of life sized depictions of Father Christmas from around the world. Isn’t he stunning?

Notice the tree reflected in the walls of this mirrored building? There was ice skating in this plaza as well.

It seems like this man had a German accent. He was delightful to listen to as he demonstrated his wares for a seemingly endless crowd.

This tree is composed of lights on the corner of the building. A real show stopper and we were there to see the first lighting!

The Phipps does amazing things with flowers, plants, lights and good old fashioned dirt. Do yourself a favor and read this post about the Phipps at Christmas. There are more pictures.

Here’s hoping that we all can return to normal next Christmas.

For now, I think the meaning of Christmas 2020 is to do everything we can to keep each other safe and well so that we all can be here to celebrate the brighter days ahead.

Be safe, my friends.

Christmas at the Phipps

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The Phipps is a gorgeous place any day of the week but it turns magical during the holidays.

Nichola knew that my holiday spirit was lacking and kindly took me to the Phipps and some other places that would help with this effort during my Pittsburgh stay.

We will just let the pictures do the talking today.