1. Sir Anthony Hopkins Mural

PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

Newcomers to Pittsburgh might be puzzled to see a newish mural on the side of Allegheny City Brewing depicting the image of Sir Anthony Hopkins next to a skull.

It’s been nearly 35 years since Western Pennsylvania served as the filming backdrop to the only horror film ever to win an Academy Award for Best Picture — “The Silence of the Lambs.” This mural by Paul Jackson, found at 507 Foreland St. on the North Side, joins other local reminders from the 1991 film about a cannibalistic serial killer, Hannibal Lecter (played by Hopkins), who helps FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) solve a string of gruesome murders.

Each Halloween season, Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Oakland — where a pivotal scene was filmed — hosts “The Silence of the Lambs” Cage Night, featuring a life-size replica of Hannibal’s cage (you gotta see the movie to learn what that’s all about) and other spooky thrills. And in Perryopolis, you’ll find Buffalo Bill’s House, the 1910 Victorian home featured in the movie as the location of lots of nefarious activities. It’s now a vacation rental packed with film-themed memorabilia and a replica of the famous basement well used by Buffalo Bill to imprison his victims.

2. Josh Gibson Mural

PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

If you’re driving through the 200 block of East Eighth Avenue in Homestead and casually look over at a little day care playground in a side alley, you’ll likely do a double-take — thanks to the huge face of baseball Hall of Famer Josh Gibson looming just behind it.

Muralist Jeremy Raymer in 2021 painted the image of this power-hitter for the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords on the side of a former Voodoo Brewing location.

Raymer, a former biomechanical and electrical engineer, has painted images of Pittsburgh sports icons and pop art all over Pittsburgh and beyond — former Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu and Penguins great Sidney Crosby in the Strip District, a giant wasp in Freeport and screen actress Hedy Lamarr in Lawrenceville, to name a few.

Motorists driving into Homestead from the Homestead Grays Bridge can see Gibson’s image peeking over buildings, but it still can be a surprise to see the giant mural rise from behind this alley.

3. Color Park

PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

Years ago, Pittsburgh artist Baron Batch started tagging a desolate stretch of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail on the South Side with brightly colored graffiti. All was well — until his artwork was reported to the police as vandalism.

But this spurred an idea among leaders of the nonprofit Friends of the Riverfront — why not partner with Batch to create something special along this industrial stretch of the trail? So, in 2017, Batch and the organization invited the community to add their artistic flair to create the Color Park, the city’s first sanctioned graffiti park and an ongoing public art project.

They focused on a section lined with concrete barriers, painting about 20 of them in bright colors. While this area has become a popular spot for yoga sessions and other gatherings, it’s still an unexpected encounter for first-timers on the trail. Over time, the graffiti (unofficially) has expanded far down the asphalt trail.

Friends of the Riverfront holds periodic repainting of the park as a refresh so public artists can start over with blank canvases.

This story is part of our 2025 Best of the ‘Burgh staff picks.