The History Center’s Food & Fitness program is sponsored by
Smart Steps
The History Center is proud to be the first museum in the nation to plan an exhibit in its stairwell. The SmartSteps exhibit, presented by UPMC Health Plan, encourages museum visitors to climb the stairs and blend health and history. Forgo the elevator and take the steps to explore the History Center’s six floors of exhibit space and be treated to colorful murals with wellness tips, health information, and unique facts about Pittsburgh history.
History Center Decathlon
Bonus Workout: The History Center Decathlon
Looking for a fun way to get even more exercise during your visit to the History Center? Then try out the History Center Decathlon, sponsored by UPMC Health Plan. Check out all six floors of the museum – and get fit, too!
Hometown-Homegrown
Celebrate the region’s passion for food at Hometown–Homegrown™, a fun and flavorful food expo at the History Center presented in partnership with GoodTaste! Pittsburgh®, each fall.
Sample delicious fare from dozens of local vendors representing the best of the ‘Burgh’s neighborhoods and swap recipes with the region’s culinary experts.
Sport and the Body
In the Sports Museum you can test your skill and knowledge about Sport and the Body.
Can you jump like a basketball player? Test yourself on the Vertical Leap. Want to take up running? Learn the correct way to stretch. Need some help getting those five-a-day fruits and vegetables or remembering portion control sizes? You can find the information at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.
Family Foodways
Learn more about how family history is shared through recipes passed down from generation to generation.
World War II brought a host of struggles to those serving on the home front. One that confronted housewives every day was to provide wholesome, nutritious meals for the family while facing an ever increasing list of rationed foods.
“What’s for dinner?” is the eternal lament of housewives and working people. What do you make that pleases every palate, provides needed nutrition, and, ideally, gives you leftovers to get through one more meal? Cookbooks to the rescue.
In turn of the century Pittsburgh, many children, especially in the poorer sections of the city, had no green space in which to play and when taken to a playground, didn’t know what to do. In this Food & Fitness blog, learn how Pittsburgh transformed its urban areas and provided outdoor space for children.
For many people, time off from work or school is an opportunity to engage in physical activity, whether it’s hunting and fishing, enjoying swings on a playground, or a pick-up game with friends. Pittsburgher James A. Dorsey had a passion for sports and recreational activities as well, and he devoted his life to sharing that love with others.
Camp Horne – The Perfect Summer Retreat
Camp Horne was the dream of Albert H. Burchfield, a manager at the Joseph Horne department store and son of one of its founders. In 1907, he and fellow employees began raising funds to set up a summer camp where “juniors” – teenagers who worked as errand boys and package wrappers – could spend a week away from the smoky city camping in the outdoors completely free of charge.
In 1996, California restauranteur Alice Waters joined forces with a middle school principal to turn an acre of asphalt into the first Edible Schoolyard. Students in Berkley, Calif., cultivated a love of nature as they learned how to make healthy choices and prepare the fruits and vegetables they grew. During the next two decades, Edible Schoolyards spread across the country. While many now exist in the Pittsburgh region, they are not the first schoolyard gardens to be cultivated by Pittsburgh students.