Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

It doesn't seem fair to have only one picture from the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. The place is massive, room after room of plants and natural wonders, and I only get to use one picture here.

So I guess it had better be a good one, and this works pretty well. You are on your own for the type of plant it is.  To me, it looked like fireworks.

It takes a couple of hours for a casual viewer to go through all of this. There are several inside rooms, and a few outside gardens.  I can't imagine what someone who loves this type of place would do here - probably check in to a hotel and make a weekend out of it. Phipps Conservatory must have gotten a ton of private support since it opened in 1893.

One other note - glass artist Dale Chihuly worked on several special pieces to be placed around the place, including four major ones and 26 other ones. It really adds to the beauty of the place.

And for those who want to convince a baseball fan to stop in the area, the Conservatory is located in Schenley Park, where the Pirates' home for many years - Forbes Field - was located. (Home plate is still on display.) But sports buffs will even enjoy the stop here, as it has to be one of the best of its kind in the country.

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