Checking Out Pittsburgh...by WebCam

From polar bears and Amur tigers at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium to views of the Steelers practice field on the South Side, Web cams offer an interesting glimpse into daily life in the Pittsburgh area. Some of these Webcams offer live streaming, or are viewer controllable, while others only offer regularly updated pictures - but all can be a fun way to "check things out" from the comfort of home.

For city views, the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland, which at 535 feet tall is the second-tallest education building in the world, has an interactive camera perched on top with views of the University of Pittsburgh campus, Schenley Park, downtown Pittsburgh, and the home training facilities for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Panthers across the river on the South Side. More Pittsburgh skyline views are available from the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Webcam downtown.

Don't have time to get out to the museum or want to check it out before your visit? You can tour several sights and exhibits in Pittsburgh area museums by Webcam, including the SeaScape exhibit at the Carnegie Science Center, EarthCam which offers live streaming video from the lobby of the Andy Warhol Museum (wait for the video ad to view the Webcam), and the Dinosaurs in their Time Web Cams at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

If you're interested in wildlife, check out KDKA's live ZooCam with live video streaming from the Polar Bear exhibit at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, or try the Live Wildlife Webcam installed in the woods in Murrysville, which entertains with its view of everything from deer to bears. FalconCam from the National Aviary operates in the Spring to allow viewers to keep track of the Peregrine Falcons nesting atop the Cathedral of Learning, but if you can't wait the site also features "highlights" from the 2008 spring nesting season. If you're more of a people watcher, then check out the Sandcastle Waterpark Web Cams (not streaming).