1. Hadari the Pygmy Hippo at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium

PHOTO BY PAUL A. SELVAGGIO

Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippopotamus living at a Thailand zoo, became an internet sensation in 2024, thanks to her playful antics — including adorably biting her keeper’s knee. While Moo Deng took the world by storm only last year, the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium has featured equally adorable miniature hippos for almost a decade.

In 2016, Jahari made his debut in the Jungle Odyssey section of the zoo, delighting visitors with his graceful aquatic antics and big smile. In 2023, Jahari went looking for love; as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, he was relocated to the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to prepare for future breeding opportunities.

Taking his place was Hadari, a young male pygmy hippo born in Alabama who has a love of interacting with keepers — and a special fondness for green beans, cooked carrots and oranges. Tucked on a hill behind The Islands (home to Visayan warty pigs and clouded leopards) and the busy Safari Plaza, the Jungle Odyssey section could be missed if you don’t know what to look for — but it certainly shouldn’t be skipped.

Besides Hadari, a slew of interesting animals, including fossas, ocelots and giant anteaters, call the Jungle Odyssey home. It opened in 2017. With the unveiling last year of the zoo’s ambitious 20-year master plan to revitalize the Highland Park campus, Hadari and his friends will have opportunities to be further highlighted. As part of the plan’s first phase, construction is already taking place on a new $5.5 million entrance and ticketing area to replace the 30-year-old space to make it more guest-friendly and ADA accessible. The new entrance is expected to open by the end of summer.

Also in the works is an expanded state-of-the-art giraffe barn for $8 million and a $32.5 million upgrade to The Islands, which will host the zoo’s Bornean orangutans (currently housed in an indoor facility), giving them room to swing in a full acre under a netted enclosure.

2. Fun Fore All Family Fun Park

PHOTO BY JESSICA SINICHAK

With more than 70 indoor arcade games, a popular outdoor miniature golf course, go-karts, batting cages and a plethora of kiddie rides, Fun Fore All in Cranberry is a mecca for kids of every age — and it just got a little more fun for adults, too. Near the end of 2024, Zelienople-based brewpub ShuBrew partnered with Fun Fore All to bring its canned beers to the entertainment complex.

Now, every Friday and Saturday, those over age 21 can enjoy a craft brew — recent offerings include Pennies From Heaven Copper Ale, No Woman No Rye Imperial Rye IPA and Gym Selfie Low Calorie Hazy IPA — in the new duckpin bowling area. Speaking of duckpin bowling, Fun Fore All has a private, two-lane duckpin bowling suite that’s a great option for a more intimate celebration. (Yes, you can order a ShuBrew there, too.)

The Fun Fore All menu also includes a heaping of kid-friendly foods such as pizza, wings and nachos (musts when you’re a regional birthday-party destination), which all goes down well with a beer. And hey — if you want to continue the adult fun for all down the road at ShuBrew’s official location along Main Street in Zelienople, you have our approval.

We especially like hitting up the pub (which has a great rooftop deck open in the summer months) during the charming town’s Open Air Markets, which take place from 5-9 p.m. every Thursday from May through September.

3. CMU’s Explore Engineering Expo

PHOTO BY KATIE LASLAVIC

Since she was small, my 9-year-old daughter Scarlett has loved to build intricate habitats around the house using Amazon boxes, toys, figurines and whatever other items she can find — usually pieces of my decor.

I once told her she should be an architect, and the idea stuck. When she asked which Pittsburgh college she should attend for that, I told her Carnegie Mellon University — and that idea also stuck. So imagine how excited we both were when a friend let me know about CMU’s Explore Engineering Expo. Sponsored by the College of Engineering’s outreach program, the free event, which took place in February and April, included sessions for those in grades 3-4 and another for kids in grades 5-8.

The program’s mission is to create a larger community of engineers by providing educational opportunities for all students, including activities and projects where kids can develop age-appropriate critical-thinking, problem-solving and design skills. On a sunny spring Saturday, my friend and I dropped off our daughters (including Scarlett’s big sister Aurelia) at Scaife Hall for the two-hour program, where they were tasked with engineering a civilization for a new planet.

While the girls made slime and built models for their emerging world (including a windmill, an electrical station … and a cat), my friend and I dined at nearby Butterjoint, where I had the excellent Fancy Burger.

After that, we all explored the campus, taking in the historical and contemporary architecture — and confirming Scarlett’s desire to go to CMU. (And yes, I told her she’ll need to study very hard to be accepted.) Besides the Explore Engineer Expo, the school also sponsors a Summer Engineering Experience as well as other on- and off-campus engineering events throughout the year.

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