Don't let the chilly, gloomy Pittsburgh winter keep you at home on the couch. These 10 cold-weather opportunities for pumping up or slimming down will get the whole family active, while having fun at the same time.
Spend a day on Neville Island at the Robert Morris Island Sports Center. A multitude of available activities means something for everyone in the family, from ice skating for the kids to a driving range for Dad (yes, it's indoors). You can also enjoy batting cages, miniature golf, and a full fitness gym (work out while the kids are taking ice skating or hockey lessons). Some activities are not available in January and February.
B-Cubed Skatepark at the Airport Ice Arena in Moon Township is a great way to encourage teens and other members of the family to get off the couch during the cold winter months. The 17000 square foot indoor skatepark features a bowl, grind rail, 6 foot mini and a street course. Wednesday nights are the best, with
BMX Night sponsored by Square One running from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Besides the obvious health benefits, yoga and other Oriental disciplines offered by Pittsburgh area fitness studios are a fun way to shake up your workout routine and beat the winter doldrums. Traditional yoga and pilates classes are easy to find, of course, but if you're looking for something a little different you can find that too, from the dancing and acrobatics of Brazilian capoeira to the rigorous workout of power yoga.
Point Breeze is home to the
Mellon Park Tennis Center (aka "Mellon Bubble") five slightly cushioned tennis courts which in winter are covered with a 36-foot-high dome for some climate-control. The "covered" part means these normally free courts will set you back about $20-30 an hour during the winter months, and it sure beats playing in the snow. Other covered courts in the Pittsburgh area include the Mt. Lebanon Tressel Tennis Center (5 clay courts under bubble), and several private tennis and racquet clubs.
