STEEL CURTAIN | PHOTO COURTESY OF KENNYWOOD

The July Fourth holiday weekend is not really the middle of summer, but before you know it, kids will be heading back to school, church services will return to their regular times and our workplaces will be gearing back up for fall.

Here’s a sampling of places, attractions, exhibits and more to check out before the summer ends.

‘Flowers from a Black Garden’

INSTALLATION VIEW OF RAYMOND SAUNDERS, CELESTE AGE 5 INVITED ME TO TEA (1986), COLLECTION OF JILL & PETER KRAUS, IN RAYMOND SAUNDERS: FLOWERS FROM A BLACK GARDEN, CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART, PITTSBURGH (MARCH 22, 2025–JULY 13, 2025); © 2025, ESTATE OF RAYMOND SAUNDERS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PHOTO: ZACHARY RIGGLEMAN / CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART, PITTSBURGH

[Updated July 21, 2025: The Carnegie Museum of Art announced Raymond Saunders’ passing at age 90.]

“Raymond Saunders: Flowers from a Black Garden” exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art recently got a shoutout from The New York Times. With nearly three dozen works of art, this is the most in-depth show for this Pittsburgh-born painter, who is now 90. He’s lived in the San Francisco Bay area for years.

The show, which opened March 22, closes soon — on July 13.

The color black is a mainstay of his work. Carnegie Museum of Art Director Eric Crosby, who curated the exhibition with assistant curator Alyssa Velazquez, says Saunders’ work doesn’t fit into any set category.

“They don’t conform to a specific movement or school of art that we might generally use to describe painting,” Crosby said in a statement.

Still, Crosby said there is one word that he uses to refer to Saunders’ overall work: love. “He has always related with such loving care to the visual languages of painting, those of his peers past and present. The way in which his work and personality — his very being — exude a love for the medium, and a love for those also engaged with it, is a very moving thing,” he said.

New York Times contemporary art critic Will Heinrich, who was in Pittsburgh recently to see the show, told readers: “If possible, I recommend heading to Pittsburgh immediately to see all of them [paintings in the exhibit].”

Heinrich believes one painting that exemplifies Saunders’ work is “Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, American Painting,” a 7-foot-square painting created in 1988. It includes scribbles, scrawls, a calendar, rectangle of white paper covered in muddy paint, a carefully drawn coffee service and more. The artist also wrote the names of two Black painters — Lawrence and Bearden — before partially covering them up.

Heinrich asks: “Is it an undigested mass of notes and ideas, a perfectly balanced composition of colors and shapes, or a mixed-media explosion designed to knock you on your heels? Are we meant to look at the details or the whole? The answer, of course, is yes.”

Shore Thing

SHORE THING, A FLOATING PLATFORM IN THE ALLEGHENY RIVER FOR FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT AND MORE. | COURTESY RIVERLIFE

New this summer is Shore Thing, a floating platform of food, entertainment, art and games in the Allegheny River between the Sixth and Seventh street bridges, off the North Shore.

Riverlife’s 4,500-square-foot platform offers family-friendly entertainment like games and an art area, music and activities like yoga and more. There’s also original artwork — the Pittsburgh Chandelier, a suspended Capiz shell installation designed by artist Fran Flaherty and her students at Carlow University as well as a colorful mural “A New Wave,” painted by Pittsburgh-based artist Janel Young.

BG Brewing’s Pittsburgh to the Pacific menu brings handhelds like wagyu hot dogs, snacks like poke bombs and macaroni and cheese, and vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. Beer, cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages also are in the mix.

Operating hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and noon to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. It will operate through mid-October.

Fiberart International 2025

‘HOMO NATURAE,’ BY PARIS-BASED ARTIST BRIGITTE AMARGER, IS ON DISPLAY IN THE FIBERART INTERNATIONAL 2025 AT CONTEMPORARY CRAFT | PHOTO BY BRIGITTE AMARGER

The works of 36 artists from around the world are on display at Contemporary Craft in Lawrenceville and Brew House Arts on the South Side. The show at both locations runs through Aug. 30.

Held every three years, the world-class event this time drew 400 entries from 30 countries. The artists were born in such places as Zimbabwe, India, South Africa, Malaysia, Greece, Japan, Canada and places across the United States. Produced by the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, Fiberart International at both locations is free and open to the public.

Kayak Pittsburgh

VENTURE OUTDOORS KAYAKING IN THE ALLEGHENY RIVER | COURTESY VENTURE OUTDOORS

Venture Outdoors earlier this summer opened its permanent dock off The Riverfront Plaza next to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on the Allegheny River. Solo and tandem kayaks, sit-on-top solo and tandem kayaks and paddleboards are available to rent. The nonprofit also schedules special events, like guided history paddles and sunset paddles. Group paddles for up to 40 people also are available.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 1 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; Closed Monday and Tuesday except when special events are planned.

Meadowcroft Rockshelter

ARTIFACTS CONTINUE TO BE DISCOVERED AT MEADOWCROFT ROCKSHELTER. | PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

Visitors to Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village this summer are greeted by a new visitor’s center — the Robert Barensfeld Center — which aims to enhance their experience at the oldest site of human habitation in North America.

The center, with a picnic pavilion, gift shop and other enhanced visitor resources as well as a revamped meeting space to allow for larger groups of students, public programs and event rentals, opened May 3.

Meadowcroft, a division of the Heinz History Center that’s located in Avella, Washington County, draws 16,000 to 17,000 visitors each year, and with the new upgrades to its amenities, larger crowds can be accommodated, officials say.

Kennywood

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

If you haven’t made it yet to Kennywood Amusement Park this summer, the Steel Curtain is waiting.

The tallest roller coaster in Pennsylvania was sidelined all last year for major repairs aimed at keeping the 76-mph ride zipping and dipping long into the future.

The 4,000-foot-long ride with nine inversions debuted in 2019, but had been closed since April 24, 2024 after experiencing several breakdowns.

During the modification, the park worked with the ride’s manufacturer, S&S Worldwide, and third-party engineers to add three new columns and additional braces throughout the ride to decrease structural movement. This ultimately will allow the coaster to make more cycles throughout its lifespan, officials said.

Kennywood reopened the Steel Curtain on Memorial Day weekend, and roller coaster enthusiasts say the 2-minute ride is just as much fun as it was before the repairs.

Outdoor Discovery Space and Sensory Nature Trail

THE PEBBLE HARP STATION ALONG THE NEW SENSORY NATURE TRAIL IN FRICK PARK. | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

In mid-May, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy opened a $1.6 million Outdoor Discovery Space and nature trail behind the Frick Environmental Center in Squirrel Hill that is inclusive to everyone. All areas are wheelchair accessible.

In the discovery area, the Mountain View Pavilion allows a quiet place for visitors to observe nature in the Clayton Hill meadow. The Discovery Pavilion, next to this, provides tables that could be used as a mud kitchen, nature lab or art studio.

Adjacent to the pavilions is a ⅓-mile paved trail. It provides an observation deck and stations along the way that invite connection, creativity and rest. For example, visitors can test their senses on the Meadow Kaleidoscope that uses mirrors and and reflections to create nature patterns. At the Pebble Harp, visitors can drop stones through holes in the top of a sculpture to add musical notes to nature’s sounds. There are Whisper Tubes that communicate across the landscape, carrying sound under the same scientific principle as a doctor’s stethoscope. A Raised Forest Floor station makes nature more accessible to everyone — you can sift through leaves, turn over small logs and look for small insects and animals that might live underneath.

The Frick Environmental Center also provides a “lending library” of assistive devices that can help visitors navigate through these new areas.

Allegheny County Wine & Spirits Festival

PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK

Come out to Hartwood Acres and enjoy selections of wines and spirits for the afternoon and evening of Saturday, July 19. Held on the lawn in front of the 1920s Tudor mansion, the festival sessions run from 2 to 5 p.m. and from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

While you’re there, check out the 14 open-air sculptures in the Carol R. Brown Sculpture Garden dotted on the grounds around the mansion. You can listen to an audio tour here as you make your way through the various art pieces.

Wildflower Festival

PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK

The summertime is a good time for a drive, so head up north to Freedom Farms in Valencia. The Freedom Farms Annual Wildflower Festival will be held for two weekends this summer — 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 19-20 and July 26-27.

There are rides through the wildflower fields and a chance to pick your favorite flowers for a bouquet, like snapdragons, sunflowers and zinnias. Kids can meet farm animals and take pony rides. There’s even a sunflower maze. Live music, arts and crafts and food vendors also will be on site. Address: 434 Overbrook Road, Valencia, PA 16059.

Pool Time for the Pups

POOCHES IN THE POOL AT BOYCE PARK WAVE POOL IN 2022 | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

As the summer winds down, keep an eye out for pool time on Labor Day for your pups right before staffs drain the pools for the season. Most pools require pre-registration and the sessions fill up fast. Proof of vaccination is required.

Registration for Pooches in the Pool already is open for the Allegheny County Parks pools at North Park Swimming Pool, Boyce Park Wave Pool and Settlers Cabin Park Wave Pool. Hours are 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 1 at each location.

Dormont holds Doggie Dip at the Dormont Pool, usually from 4 to 7:30 on Labor Day. Check here for when registration opens. The pool typically offers three sessions — for small dogs (4 to 5 p.m.), all dogs (5:15 to 6:15 p.m.) and large dogs (6:30 to 7:30 p.m.). Pre-registration is highly recommended. For online registration, pet owners must be able to upload vaccination records.