Experience Kits

About the program

Allegheny County libraries are offering FREE ADMISSION for four people to a number of museums and historical sites around Pittsburgh! Each pass can be checked out for up to one week at a time. Plus, each pass comes with virtual access to educational information, itinerary ideas, and other fun content.

The Experience Kit program is being coordinated through the Heinz History Center’s Affiliates Program (HCAP), which includes more than 125 regional historical societies and organizations dedicated to preserving local history. The Affiliate Program members include history, genealogy, and library organizations located primarily within the counties of Western Pennsylvania.

2026 Participating Museums

  • Heinz History Center
  • Fort Pitt Museum
  • Meadowcroft Rock Shelter & Historic Village
  • Beaver Area Heritage Museum
  • Bradford House
  • Gibson House Manor
  • Historic Fort Steuben
  • Lincoln Highway Experience
  • McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center
See all available Experience Kits on the online library catalog

Museums & Historic Sites to Visit

LOCATION: 1212 Smallman Street (Strip District), Pittsburgh, PA 15222

HOURS: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily. The History Center is open 361 days a year and closed on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

*For updated information concerning hours of operation or changes to their calendar of events or programs, please check their website and/or call before your visit.

WEBSITE: www.heinzhistorycenter.org

CONTACT: 412-454-6000 or info@heinzhistorycenter.org

ADMISSION: Complimentary — up to two (2) adults and six (6) children under the age of eighteen per visit and per one lending time period (approximately one week and per each library’s procedures).

DESCRIPTION: America’s #1 History Museum. The Heinz History Center was recently voted the #1 History Museum in America by USA Today as part of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards. Established in 1879, it is one of Pittsburgh’s oldest cultural organizations and Pennsylvania’s largest history museum. The History Center is a proud affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and also works with more than 200 historical organizations throughout the tri-state area.

Devoted to the history and heritage of Western Pennsylvania, the museum features six floors of long-term and changing exhibitions with hands-on activities, events, and programs. The museum system includes the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum and the Detre Library & Archives.

In addition, the Heinz History Center operates the Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village in Avella, PA, and the Fort Pitt Museum at Point State Park in Pittsburgh.

As Pittsburgh’s “people museum,” the History Center preserves and interprets the region’s story through immersive exhibitions featuring iconic artifacts like the set from “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and the world’s oldest jeep. The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum is located on the second and third floors of the History Center.

LOCATION: 601 Commonwealth Place, Point State Park, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222 

HOURS:  

  • 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily.  
  • The museum is closed on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. 

*For updated information concerning hours of operation or changes to their calendar of events or programs, please check the website and/or call before your visit. 

WEBSITE: www.heinzhistorycenter.org/visit/fort-pitt  

CONTACT: 412-281-9284 or fortpittinfo@heinzhistorycenter.org  

ADMISSION: Complimentary-up to four (4) admissions per visit and per one lending time period (which will be approximately one week and per each library’s procedures). 

DESCRIPTION: Discover the world-shaping events that occurred right here in Pittsburgh at the Fort Pitt Museum, located within Point State Park.  The Fort Pitt Museum tells the story of Western Pennsylvania’s vital role during the French and Indian War and the American Revolution.  It was also the birthplace of the city of Pittsburgh.  The museum opened in 1969 in a reconstructed bastion at the forks of the Ohio River, which was an important and strategic location in American history.  

Through interactive exhibits, life-like historical figures and artifacts, visitors can discover the important role that our region played in shaping the country.  Visitors can also learn about daily life of 18th century residents of the area, and they can experience sights and sounds of a frontier fort during Living History events at the museum. 

During the summer months, you can witness living history in Point State Park as the Fort Pitt Museum’s colonial reenactors demonstrate how life was lived during the 1700s. 

An affiliate of the Heinz History Center, the Fort Pitt Museum helps visitors discover the importance of Western Pennsylvania to our country’s history and also learn about frontier life of 18th century America. 

LOCATION: 401 Meadowcroft Road, Avella, PA 15312 

HOURS:  

  • May: Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
  • Memorial Day to Labor Day: Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
  • Labor Day and October: Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

*Expires Sunday, November 22, 2026 [the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving] 

*For updated information concerning hours of operation or changes to their calendar of events or programs, please check the website and/or call before your visit. 

WEBSITE: www.heinzhistorycenter.org/visit/meadowcroft 

CONTACT: 724-587-3412 or meadowcroftinfo@heinzhistorycenter.org 

ADMISSION: Complimentary-up to four (4) admissions per visit and per one lending time period (which will be approximately one week and per each library’s procedures). 

DESCRIPTION: Take a day-long adventure at Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, located in Avella, Washington County, PA.  Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village was created by Albert and Delvin Miller who wanted to preserve the rural history of Western Pennsylvania, while developing a place where youth groups could camp, learn about history, and investigate the natural environment. 

 A variety of tours and educational experiences are offered at Meadowcroft. Visitors can:

  • investigate archeology and the prehistoric people who lived in the area under a massive rock overhang 19,000 years ago; 
  • travel 400 years into the past to explore a re-created 16th century Indian village; 
  • explore an 18th century frontier trading post; 
  • visit a 19th century rural village containing a one-room schoolhouse, an 1870s log church, and a blacksmith forge, while learning from re-enactors dressed in period costumes and from living history demonstrations. 

 Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village is a National Historic Landmark. 

 At Meadowcroft’s interpretive villages, you can step back in time to encounter rural life over the past 500 years.  Explore a wigwam and test your aim with a spear thrower (the atlatl) at the 16th-century Eastern Woodland Indian Village, experience an 18th-century log cabin and open-sided trading post, and watch a blacksmith forge red-hot iron or take a lesson in a one-room schoolhouse at the site’s 19th-century Historic Village. 

LOCATION: 1 River Road, Beaver, PA 15009 

HOURS:  

  • 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Saturdays, April-Nov, and the first Sunday of each month. 

*For updated information concerning hours of operation or changes to their calendar of events or programs, please check the website and/or call before your visit. 

WEBSITE: http://www.beaverheritage.org  

CONTACT: 724-775-7174 or info@beaverheritage.org  

ADMISSION: Complimentary-up to four (4) admissions per visit and per one lending time period (which will be approximately one week and per each library’s procedures). 

DESCRIPTION: The Beaver Area Heritage Foundation oversees three major historical sites in Beaver, PA that are a “must see” for history lovers: 

Fort McIntosh was built in 1778 during the American Revolution as a headquarters for the largest army to serve west of the Alleghenies and north of the Ohio River.  It was located near what would become the town of Beaver, PA.  Its purpose was to protect the western frontier from possible attacks by the British and raids by the Native Americans.  In January 1785 a treaty was signed, which cleared the way for the Land Ordinance of 1785 that marked the beginning of the westward migration that continued for the next one hundred years.  After its original use, it remained empty until 1974 when local archaeologists began excavations to locate the remains of the fort.  The dig and restoration took four years; the site was dedicated on the 200th anniversary of the fort’s original construction. 

Beaver Area Heritage Museum features an extensive collection of thousands of rare local artifacts, as well as exhibits on the people and events that shaped the community’s history; it is located in the 90-year-old renovated freight station. 

The 1802 Log House is used in partnership with local schools and retired educators to tell the story of people, places and events that have shaped the history of the area.  

The Beaver Area Heritage Foundation also sponsors a speaker series and major local events such as Garrison Day and the Fourth of July week “Concert in the Park.”  Check their website for updated information on their calendar of events.  

An affiliate of the Heinz History Center, the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation offers a view of early life in the area through these three important historical sites. 

LOCATION: 175 South Main Street and 184 South Main Street, Washington, PA 15301 

HOURS:  

  • Wednesday-Saturday, from April through November, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.  
  • From December-March, to schedule a tour, make an appointment, with a 48-hour notice.  

*For updated information concerning hours of operation or changes to their calendar of events or programs, please check their website and/or call before your visit. 

WEBSITE: http://www.bradfordhouse.org  

CONTACT: 724-222-3604 or bradfordhouse@verizon.net  

ADMISSION: Complimentary-up to four (4) admissions per visit and per one lending time period (which will be approximately one week and per each library’s procedures). 

DESCRIPTION: David Bradford was a successful lawyer, businessman and Deputy Attorney General of Washington County.  The construction on his house began in 1786 and was completed in 1788.  His home reflected his high social standing, not only because of its size but also because of its construction.  It was an architectural showpiece, especially for the time period, and compared to its rustic surroundings. 

The Bradford family lived in the house from 1788 to 1794.  However, their residence was cut short because of David’s leadership role in the Whiskey Rebellion, which was an uprising of farmers and distillers in western Pennsylvania who opposed a whiskey tax enacted by the federal government.  When 13,000 troops were sent to end the protest, David fled south to present-day Louisiana to avoid being arrested. 

The goal of the Bradford House and Whiskey Rebellion Center is to educate visitors about their historical significance, which is unique to western PA.  Visitors will learn the importance of the Whiskey Rebellion and how it shaped American history through hands-on artifacts and displays, such as an 18th century tavern bar and distilling materials, or a classroom set of the young adult novel, 1794: Janie Miller’s Whiskey Rebellion Saga with accompanying historical materials. 

Prior to your visit, please check their website for updated information on their ever-changing calendar of events and programs. 

An affiliate of the Heinz History Center, the David Bradford House enables visitors to witness and experience the architecture, events, and atmosphere of Western Pennsylvania during the 18th century. 

LOCATION: 210 Liberty Street, Jamestown, PA 16134 (Mercer County) 

HOURS:  

  • Monday – Sunday: 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.; additional hours are offered for special events 
  • Tours at 11:00 a.m. & 12:45 p.m. Advance reservations are required. Walk-ins may be accommodated if space allows, but we strongly recommend booking ahead. 

* For updated information concerning hours of operation or changes to their calendar of events or programs, please check the website and/or call before you visit. 

WEBSITE: www.friendsofthemanor.org  

CONTACT: 724-456-4983 (or gibsonhousemanor@allfacilities.com ) to make a reservation 

ADMISSION: Complimentary-up to four (4) admissions per visit and per one lending time period (which will be approximately one week and per each library’s procedures). 

DESCRIPTION: Gibson House is an historic site that exemplifies “small town USA.” It was built in 1855 by Dr. William Gibson; it was not only the family home, but it was also Dr. Gibson’s office. In addition, it was a “safe house” for slaves since Jamestown was an important crossroad for the underground Railroad. The Manor contained secret design elements and hiding places to keep runaways. In addition, the Gibson House Manor was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 with architectural features of the Greek Revival, Italianate, and Georgian styles. 

The Manor was also well known for its special guest, Samuel Clemons, also known as Mark Twain, who was an American writer, journalist, and humorist, as well as a riverboat pilot and inventor. Mark Twain often stayed at the Manor when he was in the area. 

Tours are offered daily, and special events are offered each month, including a Scavenger Hunt tour, a tour led by Mark Twain, Underground Railroad tours, an International Dinner, a Summer Camp series, a Juneteenth Celebration Dinner, a British High Tea, and Pioneer Days. Check their events calendar for information. 

An affiliate of the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, the Gibson House Manor (The Mark Twain Manor) is very involved in the activities that honor and promote the people, history, and events of Jamestown, PA. 

LOCATION: 120 South 3rd Street, Steubenville, Ohio 43952 

 

HOURS:  

  • Open from May through October, Monday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m, weather permitting. 
  • The Historic Fort Steuben Visitor Center and Museum Shop is open all year, Monday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., except Christmas, New Year’s, and other holidays. 

*For updated information concerning hours of operation or changes to their calendar of events or programs, please check their website and/or call before your visit. 

WEBSITE: www.oldfortsteuben.com  

CONTACT: 740-283-1787 or info@oldfortsteuben.com  

ADMISSION: Complimentary-up to four (4) admissions per visit and per one lending time period (which will be approximately one week and per each library’s procedures). 

DESCRIPTION: Historic Fort Steuben was built in 1787 and was named after Friedrich Wilhelm Steuben, a Prussian army officer who was George Washington’s drillmaster in the Revolutionary War.  Now visitors can tour the reconstructed fort to see the soldiers’ quarters, guardhouse, hospital, and commissary, which depict the daily life of the men who helped open the territories to settlement.  In addition, on the grounds there is an Exhibit Hall, which provides displays on Ohio’s history and a Federal Land Office, the first one west of the Alleghenies, which shows artifacts and documents that illustrate life in the early 19th century.  The Visitors’ Center is part of the Ohio River Scenic Byway and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail; it is the area’s resource for maps, brochures, and information on local attractions, including the 25 larger-than-life murals throughout downtown Steubenville, as well as souvenirs of the city’s native son, Dean Martin.  Finally, there is an herb garden, which contains a variety of herbs that were commonly used in the 18th century. 

During the year many events are offered at Historic Fort Steuben and nearby Fort Steuben Park and the Berkman Amphitheater, including Ohio Valley Frontier Days, Who Was Baron Von Steuben Program, summer concerts, the summer youth education program, Constitution Day, Steubenville Light Up Night, Christmas at the Fort and the Nutcracker Village. 

An affiliate of the Heinz History Center, Historic Fort Steuben’s many exhibits, tours, and events tell the story of the Ohio Valley during the 18th century and also help to keep history alive today! 

LOCATION: 3435 State Route 30 E, Latrobe, PA 15650 

HOURS: 

  • 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, April through November. 
  • 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, December through March. 

*For updated information concerning hours of operation or changes to their calendar of events or programs, please check the website and/or call before your visit.  

WEBSITE: https://lhhc.org/  

CONTACT: 724-879-4241 or office@lhhc.org  

ADMISSION: Complimentary-up to four (4) people per visit and per one lending time period (which will be approximately one week and per each library’s procedures).  

DESCRIPTION: During America’s westward expansion, the Lincoln Highway was one of our country’s first transcontinental roads, stretching from New York City to San Francisco in 1913, and a major part of America’s transportation history.   

Even though the historic Lincoln Highway goes across all of Pennsylvania, there is a 200-mile section in south-central PA that is one of the Commonwealth’s 12 Heritage Areas – the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor.  Their mission is to:  

-connect residents and visitors with the story of the Lincoln Highway; 

-encourage others to travel along the road that their ancestors did; 

-host visitors at the Lincoln Highway Experience Museum; and 

-preserve and promote ‘roadside giants’ like the 1927 Coffee Pot near Bedford, PA.  

“See America First” was the early theme of the Lincoln Highway in 1913.  This highway, which is twice as long as Route 66 and ten years older, clearly launched tourism.  Gas stations, tourist cabins, motels, and “mom and pop” diners appeared to accommodate the new traveling public.  Today, there are still two-lane roads and unique sights to witness along this historic route.   

Travelers will find the Lincoln Highway Experience Museum in Latrobe, PA the best place to begin their Lincoln Highway journey.  Visitors will experience America’s first coast-to-coast highway by watching the award-winning 13-minute orientation film, Through the Windshield.  On their tour, visitors will see authentic Lincoln Highway artifacts such as a 1937 Packard automobile, the 1938 restored Serro’s Diner, a 1939 tourist cabin, and a filling station with restored gas pumps.  They can end their visit by enjoying a piece of pie and cup of coffee (or alternate beverage) inside the diner.  

An affiliate of the Heinz History Center, the Lincoln Highway Experience Museum invites visitors to step back in time to experience the road that changed America forever – the Lincoln Highway.   

LOCATION: 1832 Arboretum Drive, next to the Rose Garden in Renziehausen Park, McKeesport, PA 15132 

HOURS:  

  • 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday;  
  • 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Saturday;  
  • closed Sunday and Monday (except for special events or programs).  

*For updated information concerning hours of operation or changes to their calendar of events or programs, please check the website and/or call before your visit.  

WEBSITE: http://www.mckeesportheritage.org/  

CONTACT: 412-678-1832 or info@mckeesportheritage.org  

ADMISSION: Complimentary-up to four (4) people per visit and per one lending time period (which will be approximately one week and per each library’s procedures).  

DESCRIPTION: The McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center was founded in 1980 and is dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the Mon Valley.  The Center houses a complete one-room schoolhouse, built in 1832, and it features more than 7200 square feet of exhibits across seven rooms.  The Center contains a research library with extensive archival resources, and it offers a variety of community and outreach programs.  There is also an addition of a new exhibit space that focuses on the local history of McKeesport and the Mon Valley.  

Prior to your visit, please check their website for updated information on their ever-changing calendar of events and programs. 

An affiliate of the Heinz History Center, the McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center is a hidden gem of the Mon Valley!  

Check Out an Experience Kit

Reserve an Experience Kit in Advance

These libraries allow patrons to reserve an Experience Kit for a specific week. Please contact the library directly to put a kit on hold because they are not holdable through the library catalog. Each kit can be borrowed for one week and cannot be renewed. 

Check Out an Experience Kit Today

These libraries circulate Experience Kits on a first-come, first-served basis. You can view which kits are available through the library catalog, but must visit the library in person to check one out. Each kit can be borrowed for one week and cannot be renewed. 

Enter to Win!

Each time you visit a museum site using an Experience Kit, you can enter to win our grand prize! Complete the entry form at the link below for each site you have visited by October 31, 2026.

Raffle Entry Form

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