Pittsburgh

From the huge Pyrofest fireworks festival at Hartwood Acres, to Civil War Re-enactments & Military Weekend at Idlewild, there is plenty to do around the Pittsburgh area this Memorial Day weekend. Remember fallen soldiers at the Lawrenceville Memorial Day Parade to Allegheny Cemetery, or the Memorial Day Celebration at Soldiers & Sailors in Oakland. Plus, a Memorial Day BBQ Celebration at Hidden Valley Resort and the 4th annual New Castle Art Fest in New Castle's Cascade Park.

Related: Historic Boalsburg, PA - Is it the Birthplace of Memorial Day?

This middle weekend in May is traditionally filled with festivals, from the "world's longest festival" --The National Road Festival-- featuring entertainment, food and fun along the PA National Road, to the Pittsburgh International Children's Festival which turns Oakland into a wonderland of international music and performing arts. Individuals and families are invited to try their hand at a variety of outdoor activities at free Venture Outdoors Festival at Point State Park.  Plus, ethnic heritage and entertainment at Ambridge Nationalty Days, the last weekend of the Silk Screen Asian-American Film Festival, and the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community.

More May Festivals

The new seven-acre Go Ape! Treetop Adventure Course in North Park features thirty-seven treetop obstacles, including five ziplines and two Tarzan swings, plus ropes, bridges, ladders, swings and trapezes. Yes, it is geared toward adventure lovers, but the course obstacles do progress from easier to more challenging, and there are bypass routes for most obstacles as well. Why not give it a try?

With Mother's Day, graduations, confirmations, first communions, and other events on every's mind this time of year, Sunday brunch is a popular event. From buffet style to sit-down, and from less than $10 to well over $30, here are some of our favorite Sunday brunch options around Pittsburgh.

Do you have a favorite Sunday brunch spot that we missed? Click "comments" below and tell us about it!

We all know that Pittsburgh still evokes in some minds the images of a smoky, soot-filled town -- a reputation that hasn't applied for decades. Instead it is a small, friendly city, filled with people who love their traditions, from kielbasa to Kennywood. A city that boasts an arts scene that would make many larger cities jealous. A city with an amazing array of diverse neighborhoods where everyone can find a place that feels like home. A city with several state parks within an hour's drive. A city with the best sports fans in the nation. Here are just 10 Things to Love About Pittsburgh. What else do you love?

We are blessed in Pittsburgh to have several beautiful state parks within a 1-2 hour drive of the city. Most of us have been at least once to tiny Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh, but have you been camping or swimming at rural Raccoon Creek State Park? Whitewater rafting or hiking in scenic Ohiopyle State Park? Sailing in Moraine State Park Climbed the rocks or visited the old mill at McConnell's Mill State Park? And that's not even all of them! Pittsburgh area state parks offer cheap fun for people of all ages!

Part of Pennsylvania's celebration of Earth Day 2013, the 10th annual Pick it Up PA Days are scheduled from April 20 to May 6, 2013, as part of the 2013 Great American Cleanup of PA. Register as a group or individual to spend part of a day picking up trash in your community. Since its inception in 2004, the Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania has yielded more than 68 million pounds of collected trash, resulted in 118,702 miles of road cleaned, and 98,000 trees, bulbs, and flowers have been planted.

Local Earth Day events and celebrations include the second annual "Earth Market" in Market Square on Wednesday, April 24, with over a dozen vendors offering sustainable green resources, retail items and recycling services. There are also special Earth Day activities at the Carnegie Museum and the Frick Environmental Center, Party for the Planet at the Pittsburgh Zoo, a cleanup of the South Side Riverfront Trail with REI, the Pittsburgh Mayor's annual free tree giveaway, and a number of local community cleanup events - scheduled at various dates between Saturday, April 13 and Wednesday, April 24, 2013.

Some of the best mountain bike trails in Pittsburgh. Clay tennis courts. The only public lawn bowling green in Pennsylvania. Take that and add 151 acres of wooded nature reserve, popular childrens' playgrounds, and the Pittsburgh home of industrialist Henry Clay Frick, and you have Frick Park. The largest of the city of Pittsburgh parks, Frick Park borders the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Point Breeze, Regent Square, and Squirrel Hill, and represents a great way to while away a weekend afternoon.

Across the street from the Reynolds Street entrance to Frick Park is the Frick Art & Historical Center, one of Pittsburgh's top cultural attractions. The Center features museums and historical buildings on more than five acres of elegant lawns and gardens, including the restored Frick family home, Clayton; the Frick Art Museum; the Car and Carriage Museum; the Greenhouse; the Visitors' Center; and the Café at the Frick. Best of all, everything is free to explore, with the exception of Clayton.

If you're a fan of fresh, organic, or locally-grown produce, now's the time to consider a produce subscription through one of the area's CSA cooperatives. So what's a CSA you might ask? CSA, short for Community Supported Agriculture, offers you the chance to partner with a local farm. You pay a subscription fee up front, and they deliver weekly or monthly boxes (depending on the program) of yummy, fresh produce direct from the farm. A number also offer extras such as fresh eggs and milk, poultry and beef. Your advance payments help the farmers plan ahead for the season, and you enjoy the peace-of-mind of knowing where your food came from. Unsure if this is a good option for you? Check out 10 Reasons to Join a CSA.

The Pittsburgh Pirates open their 127th season tomorrow at PNC Park with a three-game series vs. National League Central rivals, the Chicago Cubs. After the Cubs, the Pirates will head out on a six-game road trip before they return home to take on the Cincinnati Reds, followed by the St. Louis Cardinals. Three games in Pittsburgh this week against the Cubs include Monday's home opener, a Wednesday evening game, and a Thursday afternoon game. Will this be the year the Pirates finally break .500? Believe!