RIVERLIFE’S SHORE THING, A NEW FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT FLOATING PLATFORM ON THE ALLEGHENY RIVER. | PHOTO COURTESY OF RIVERLIFE

For a city surrounded by three rivers, Pittsburgh — surprisingly — has very few restaurants and other entertainment areas right on the water.

Near it, yes. Overlooking it, yes. But on it — no.

That’s changing.

Welcome to Shore Thing, a floating platform anchored off Allegheny Landing on the North Shore, between the Sixth- and Seventh-Street “Sister” bridges in the Allegheny River. It’s built on 10 small barges, each 40 feet long and 10 feet wide, encompassing 4,500 square feet. Its aim is to be a gathering spot for art, play and community.

Its grand opening is Tuesday, July 1, but it’s hosting a few programs this coming weekend as a soft opening to make sure everything is operating properly.

Launched by Riverlife, the nonprofit engine that is redesigning the miles of riverfront around the Golden Triangle to be more accessible to the public, the pilot project is funded by the Allegheny Regional Asset District and other supporters.

The pieces in the platform were once working barges, brought here from Dubuque, Iowa, another river town, and pinned together, according to a description on the Riverlife website. A converted, 40-foot shipping container on the platform has 20 solar panels on its roof to power Shore Thing.

Regular operating hours this summer will be 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and noon to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. It’s closed on Mondays. It will be open through mid-October.

RIVERLIFE’S SHORE THING, A FLOATING PLATFORM BETWEEN THE SIXTH- AND SEVENTH-STREET BRIDGES IN THE ALLEGHENY RIVER. | PHOTO COURTESY RIVERLIFE

The food menu, crafted by BG Brewing of Braddock, is promoted to combine backyard favorites with Island flavor. There are handhelds like Wagyu hot dogs; snacks like poke bombs, macaroni salad and haluski; and treats like shaved ice and vanilla ice cream with sprinkles. There’s also draft beer and cocktails, non-alcoholic beer, lemonade, canned sodas and other refreshments.

On its soft-opening weekend, DJ Inception will be spinning tunes from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28, and there will be free-flow yoga on the platform from 10 to 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 29.

Shore Thing also includes a floating library with books for kids, adolescents and adults. There are also spots to play games like Go Fish, chess and Sorry, and an area to create art with watercolor paints and paper, colored pencils, writing tablets and magnetic boards.

Shore Thing is part of Riverlife’s mission to Complete the Loop, a vision of connected trails, parks and public spaces along the riverfronts.

If you’re trying to get to Shore Thing, put this address in your GPS: 2 Federal St., Pittsburgh PA 15212

A ribbon-cutting for Shore Thing is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 1.