Student travel in the Pittsburgh region delivers vibrant, memorable experiences in an affordable and accessible setting, where there is always something more to explore. The region is rich in history, renowned for its cultural & performance venues, and at the forefront of the tech industry.
Student & Youth Travel
STEEL CITY TO STE(A)M CITY
Tour Length: 4 Days / 3 Nights, Customizable | Seasons Available: April through November
Activity Level: Light Impact
Rich in history, renowned for its cultural and performance venues, and at the forefront of the tech industry, Pittsburgh delivers for the student travel market. Rivers of Steel’s hands-on STEAM programs engage students in memorable ways. On Explorer riverboat’s laboratory, Environmental Science on the Three Rivers involves testing and analyses that reveal the impacts of industry on natural surroundings. At the Carrie Blast Furnaces, industrial technology is humanized through immigration narratives, and graffiti and metal arts workshops tie together industrial and postindustrial themes with creative expression.
Students on Explorer
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ON THE THREE RIVERS
Grades: 4–12 | Program Length: 3 Hours | Cost: $15/Student
Availability: March–December
Starting with the construction of a hypothesis on the health of the rivers, students test their theory by applying scientific principles. Using living and nonliving indicators of water quality, students analyze and correlate their results with industrial and photographic records of the historical land use of Pittsburgh’s river valleys. The process serves as a springboard for exploring issues of current land use and river health, sustainability, and green design.
Classroom registration includes usage of the Captain’s Science Resource Chest and complimentary admission for the companion Act 48 workshop (one teacher included for every 30 registered students.)
Environmental Science on the Three Rivers
SCIENCE & INDUSTRY AT THE CARRIE BLAST FURNACES
Grades: 4–12 | Program Length: 2 Hours | Cost: $12/Student
Availability: May–October
While exploring the job roles of former Carrie employees, students discover just what it took to work at a blast furnace. From the science and technology of the iron-making process to the cultural context of the immigrant worker experience, students will gain a firsthand understanding of how the steel industry shaped the history, character, and development of southwestern Pennsylvania.
Science & Industry at the Carrie Blast Furnaces
