Pittsburgh parks

Aside from warming the Earth, dictating our circadian rhythms and generally making things… Aside from warming the Earth, dictating our circadian rhythms and generally making things cheerful, the sun also works like your Flintstone vitamins, serving up a healthy dose of vitamin D on a daily basis.

Fluorescent lights can’t boast quite the same effect. So while Pittsburgh’s unblemished skies may be few and far between, when the weather’s nice, take advantage of it and head out to one of the city’s four main parks.

Located in South Oakland, Park is likely the closest and most obvious choice for students at Pitt.

Schenley offers a multitude of attractions that make it one of the cheapest hotspots in town.

For golfers, Schenley’s course is open year-round, and its clubhouse lets avid golfers get their fix even in bad weather with virtual courses like “St. Andrews, Pebble Beach and 31 other famous courses,” according to the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy website.

Golfers of the less traditional variety can enjoy the Park’s Frisbee golf course, which spans 18 holes and an expanse of wooded paths.

People can even make a go of their summer fitness resolutions by working up a sweat at the Schenley Oval’s tennis courts, running track and skating rink that converts to ice in winter and wood in summer.

Hopefully all that sweating will make swimsuit shopping easier for those looking to lap up the sunshine and cool off at the city pool, which is conveniently located right near the Schenley Oval, along the Boulevard of the Allies.

Although some of Schenley’s fare is typical of outdoor parks, three other popular city parks individually lay claim to their own unique auras.

Frick Park, as the largest of the four parks, spans 600 acres between Point Breeze and Squirrel Hill. It is home to hiking trails, red clay tennis courts and a bowling green.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy boasts that Frick’s “bowling green “is the only public lawn bowling green in Pennsylvania.” The park houses two 120-foot square greens that can each accommodate eight games at once. Hank Luba of the Frick Park Lawn Bowling Club offers lessons by appointment Sundays at 1 p.m. If you learn the ins and outs of the game in an hour, quite a bit different than its cousin Bocce and 10-pin bowling, you’ll be able to join the rest of the club for pick-up games the same day at 2 p.m.

Likewise, Highland Park in the city’s East End also boasts some standout attractions. It is home to a long-course swimming pool, as well as a half-mile oval bike track.

In addition, Highland Park is also the site of the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, which costs $10 for adults in the summer but is $2 cheaper in the off-season from December to March.

Lastly, Riverview Park offers an equestrian-friendly setting that is popular with joggers. For joggers and cyclists, the park offers the Riverview Loop – a two-mile, tree-lined path that encircles the periphery. Riverview is the only Pittsburgh park featuring equestrian trails, and any horse-lover will be content with Riverview’s “isolated, wooded paths.”

On top of Observatory Hill, the park’s focal point, visitors can also explore the Allegheny Observatory. Run by former Pitt professor George Gatewood, the observatory offers tours of viewing rooms and telescopes and houses the details of Pittsburgh’s history with aviation and astronomy.

Whether you’re looking for exercise, enlightenment, fun, romance or even all four, Pittsburgh has a park for you.