Highland Park is the name for both the neighborhood and the sprawling greenspace bordered by East Liberty, Larimer, Morningside, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar, and the Allegheny River. The neighborhood spans 748 acres — 380 of that being the park.
1 Thing to Know
The federal government designated Highland Park a Residential Historic District in 2007 because of its turn-of-the-century architecture.
Pad Thai and pad kee mao from Smiling Banana Leaf. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Eat & Drink
🍲 Grab Thai food from Smiling Banana Leaf; coffee from Tazza D’Oro; baked goods from Food Glorious Food; brunch, lunch, or dinner from Park Bruges; authentic Japanese food from Teppanyaki Kyoto, and more.
Go, See, Do!
🚲 Walk, jog, or bike the Reservoir Loop! In the late 1800s, the city needed a new municipal water system, so they got creative with Highland Park. The reservoir, surrounded by public land, became a popular spot for picnics and recreation, and Reservoir No. 1 is still an iconic feature today.
🎨 Take a ceramics class at the Union Project, a community center for creativity housed in a renovated church at the corner of Negley and Stanton.
🦒 Visit more than 400 species at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. Right now, you can admire giant handcrafted lantern sculptures of extinct and endangered animals at the Asian Lantern Festival.
- 🎧 The zoo is also celebrating its 125th birthday! Hear about the zoo’s beginnings, how it’s evolved, and why the zoo’s accreditation and land lease are in jeopardy.
🎺 Stop by Billy Eckstine’s house on Bryant Street. The red-brick home has a historical marker honoring the Black jazz balladeer and bandleader whose innovative style and support of new talent helped to revolutionize jazz in the 1940s.
Tazza D’Oro coffee shop in Highland Park. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
