Pittsburgh/Butler, PA
 

I will be visiting my son and DIL to attend a school play my grandsons will be in. I'll have a 3 day visit and have already planned a day in Pittsburgh with my GF. Any ideas what he and I can do to visit any interesting places in the area.? We have our own car. Also, we'll be taking them out to dinner and I would like to go to some nice, expensive restaurant in the Butler area. I know the area isn't the most exciting or the most glamorous, but, I would like to treat them to a place they wouldn't go on their own!
The next night we will bring the boys along and it can be more family style.
Any help would be appreciated.
Minette

Everyone I know in Butler goes to Pittsburgh or the North Hills for nice restaurants. Cliffords (Evans City) is supposed to be good, or possibly Hardwood Cafe, for your family night. Good luck!

If you have a day to spend in Pttsburgh, depending upon your interests and the weather, I might recommend:

1 - the Andy Warhol Museum on the North side http://www.warhol.org/
2 - the Carnegie Science Center, also on the North side http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/
3 - the Cathedral of Learning http://www.discover.pitt.edu/tour/tour-080.html, the tallest classroom building in the US which includes 20+ Nationality classrooms designed & decorated by local ethnic groups http://www.pitt.edu/~natrooms/
4 - Heinz Chapel (adjacent to the Cathedral) which includes some of the tallest stained glass windows in the world http://www.discover.pitt.edu:16080/chapel/
5 - the Carnegie museums of art or natural history, across the street from the cathedral & heinz chapel in Oakland http://www.carnegiemuseums.org/carnegie/index.htm
6 - Phipps conservatory & botanical gardens, in Schenley Park (more or less behind the Carnegie Museums) http://www.phipps.conservatory.org/

Or shopping and browsing the various neighborhoods for the different architecture, churches, and foods....

Thanks for all the help. Looks like the Carnegie Science Center and Art Museum. How are the restaurants in the museums? I find the Art museums have the nicest food areas.

I personally like the Texas Roadhouse in the Clearview Mall in Butler..also Natilli's downtown..or better yet ask them...can't think of a real expensive place in Butler..

also try:Monroe Hotel(downtown) or W Rick'sTaproom and Grill(Meridian Rd)...going towards Meridian...don't know what part of Butler they live in....try butlerwebs.com...i think that's it anyway...I'll look..

The art museum has a nice restaurant--probably better than most of what you'll find in Butler, but right around the corner, on Craig Street in Oakland, you will find a plethora of great restaurants. Many are ethnic, but depending on your choice, you can't really go wrong.
Also, the Science Center and Art Museum are not really close together. The Natural History and Art Museums are in the same building. The Science Center has the awesome-for-kids "Sportsworks" facility right across the parking lot and a submarine you can tour parked out back in the river.

If you haven't already made the trip, I would like to second the suggestion for dinner at Cliffords. It is a small, European cafe-style, family-run, reservation-only facility. Prices are steep, but the food is excellent and I love the quaint atmosphere.