Photo by @divinemayhemstudios – Instagram

We all know Pittsburgh is a unique city, and summers are quite special in the area. Here are 15 things Pittsburghers do in the summertime. We hope it brings plenty of memories!

1. Play down by the “crick.”

The creek, or “crick” to most Pittsburghers, was often a place for some serious playtime.

2. Pick out a Kennywood outfit.

A Kennywood outfit took time to pick out, especially if you were a teen and a kiss on the Old Mill was in your future.

3. Debate about the Pirates.

This one is especially true nowadays. The Pirates of yore were incredible but over the past few years, there’s nothing Pittsburghers enjoy more than going to a game and debating about the state of the Pirates.

4. Visit the Regatta.

While we love to complain about the traffic, secretly we enjoy the regatta and all the festivities of the weekend.

5. Buy fireworks and set them off, sometimes a little too close to your neighbors.

Many may not care to admit it, but 4th of July celebrations have occasionally gotten slightly out of hand.

6. Visit Page Dairy Mart or Isaly’s.

When mom or dad says the magic words, “Let’s go out for ice cream!” there was nothing better than visiting Page Dairy Mart for a cup of soft serve or Isaly’s for a skyscraper cone.

7. Catch lightning bugs and put them in an old jar.

Nope, they weren’t fireflies back then. Lightning bugs were always caught every June and put it an old jar. After watching them all night, you set them free before bedtime.

8. Going to Kennywood and reminiscing about old Kennywood rides.

Every generation reminisces about rides of the past—the Old Mill, the Log Jammer and many, many more.

9. Visiting Steelers training camp.

It was always a special year when Dad suggested maybe checking out the Steelers’ training camp.

10. Losing power and enduring parents yelling at you to “quit opening the fridge!”

The one terrible storm that rolled through every summer and knocked out power for days would cause your parents to yell “quit it!” when opening the fridge for a snack. The food never went bad, but it was always the principle!

11. Arguing with your significant other over the thermostat.

As you get older and more homes in the city have central air conditioning, it is a season-long struggle. One of you inevitably is always cold and wants to save money while the other runs hot and wants it feeling like winter again.

12. Sit out on your stoop and watch the neighborhood.

There was nothing better than sitting out on your stoop growing up and watching the world go by as dad had a beer and mom sipped some lemonade. Card games, truth or dare, intense conversations with your best friends, you name it—it all happened on the stoop.

13. Picnic at the Point.

Every Pittsburgh family has spent a summer afternoon picnicking at the Point at one point in their lives.

14. Vacation at Ocean City, MD or Myrtle Beach.

Chances are, most of us has spent a summer vacation at the shore at one of these two places.

15. Boating on one of the rivers.

Those of us who were lucky and a family member owned a boat, there were so many summer afternoons spent on the water.