Reviews of Rivers of Steel: Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark (Travel Agency)

Victoria Graham

This was a EXCELLENT tour and an integral part of Pittsburgh history and early American labor history. The site is part of an old blast furnace built around 1900. Between getting so close up to a huge mill, the guides were most informative and really painted the picture of what it must have been like to have worked at the colossal furnace/mill. You can read about stuff like this in books or even see pictures, but it pales in comparison to being there in person and having terrific guides bring it all to life for you.

William Brewer

Great bike event . some classic motorcycles and custom work . hope to see it take off and grow . great to see Cleveland & Pgh bringing something together like this .

Erik Gavin

Came for the beer fest for a second year and it was better! Love all the samples plus the food trucks around.

Douglas Hartman

A true representation of a bygone era

Keith Rosyak

I'm from Pittsburgh and grew up in the 70s&80s I remembered when the mills were all running I lived in Westmoreland county at night when they were pouring iron the sky was red like hell with the lid off that was the good old days.more of these places should have been saved for history. I think they should restore it to working conditions and have tours to demonstrate how steel was made and everyday life at the mill was like.

Dan Chujko

Has potential for numerous special events! Needs most necessaries to be provided by outside event coordinators and/or vendors.

Michael Golbreski

Excellent history experience

Barbara Irvin

Outstanding value- interesting/educational and amazing tour. Recommend going on a warmer/non-rainy day when they reopen in the Spring! Weather was the only downside to this great experience. Our guide, Susie, was extremely knowledgeable & personable- she knows her stuff! So glad the facility has been preserved and is now used for art installations and special events (including weddings!). Plan to take the Rivers of Steel history/ photography cruise in 2019 too.

Kelly Muthler

Had a great time here at Beers of the Burgh!

Tim G

Interesting place, but you always end up covered in coal dust - not for anyone with even mild respiratory problems.

Drake Witt

The industrial tour was fantastic.

John Hanou

Wonderful photo ops!

deborah brigham

It was the best show we have been to!

Doug Riegner

wow, such a huge historic site just over the river from homestead. easy to get to, so many cool music events here! check out the art wall behind the building, creative! this place is HUGE!

Bridget Wissinger

What an amazing place. The tour guides really help you appreciate and understand the the history of this historical landmark!

Jenn Mehan

Eric was our tour guide, and very passionate. Full of knowledge!

Isobel Stevenson

You can sign up for a tour here, which you should definitely do, but know that it's really long. We had to leave early because we just didn't have the time, but I am very glad that we got to see as much of it as we did. It is a historic site, part of the industrial heritage of this area, and the guide we had was extremely knowledgeable. Wear sensible shoes--we were there on a rainy day and the grass was wet and the trails were muddy. Also be prepared to climb ladders and watch your head in places.

Lendy Dunaway

Very cool to see, up close, a very blast furnance. Great guide.

Nichols Hodgson

It's a beautiful thing

Tony Barbera

Neat blast furnace, car show and tours are worth the trip

Brad Miller

Great place for the history of the American steel worker. Neat place for a car show.

Kimberly Brown

This is an amazing tour! Highly recommended!

Joel Reiber

A little to hip for a steel mill

Bruce Miller

Bill was a knowledgeable guide. Didn't know we were going to get to be so close the furnace. Highly recommend.

Dan Mills

Very very fascinating and enjoyable!! I want to go through again!

CD Worthington

Great development

Chris Griffin

Higly recommended to understand the past history of Pittsburgh and America. I look forward to returning here next time I am in Pittsburgh

Shaun Neely

Awesome venue

Nora Davidson

Always love visiting Carrie Furnace. A must see Pittsburgh attraction! Great history and beautiful location.

Ryan Ruhe

Cool piece of Pittsburgh history.

ALCOHTRAZ

Out of the Furnace filming location. Christian Bale played the lead.

Oscar Stolt Svensson

A must see when in Pittsburgh

George Leibinger

There for beers of the burgh last weekend. Great place. If you're going to a large event there then bring shade and/or sunblock. The grounds, art, and furnaces are worth a trip out to see. It's crazy something like this is so close to the city hidden right under our noses.

David Lombardo

My band mates, and I are looking to shoot a music video here, July 7th, 2018. Is that possible? Or would we need special permissions to do so? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Cierra Freeman

Went here for a music festival. I had a great time. Excellent venue. Car got really dirty from the traffic.

Hunter Blackmoon

Had a great time at the thrivial festival.

Katherine Haywood

Beautiful and historic; it is fantastic that they are turning it into a museum! Congratulations to Thrival festival for year 2 of hosting at this historic landmark!

Kathleen Baum

Amazing piece of history! A must see for anyone who love Pittsburgh history.

Michael Riggilo

Great site & great tour guide.

张逸涵

Awesome trip, the guide was super awesome and explained so much history and technical operations of the furnace. It's a super Pittsburgh-y place to visit!

Projectile Objects

"Pretty Historic." I personally prefer the scale, art, and iron that this place has to offer. Definitely worth a site seeing tour.

Brian Mcsurdy

It's a great piece old history. Saving the steel mill for all to see. And they have awesome events down there.

Paul Lutz

Not that fun

Joe Kress

Cool place for a car show. Steel Town Shake Down was a great experience.

Carol Lunger

I really appreciate the commitment to preserving our heritage of the steel industry. Activities were enlightening. Great venue for the Festival of Combustion. The creativity of the metal art is inspiring.

Coco Bobby

The buildings and tour guides were spectacular, now I gotta come back bring a DSLR or better camera next time

Krys kay

Our guide was great, very informative, kknowledgeable, and able to answer most questions asked. No complaints!

Leslie Murin

Loved it. Went for a car event. Did the tour. Excellent backdrop for an event

Fritz Haggerson

Important part of the past.

Mike Woolford

Absolutely incredible, tour guide (Andrew) was a blast.

Mark Joseph

Had a great tour with Rich who was very knowledgeable. Would love the opportunity to explore a little more. But really appreciate what Rivers of Steel is doing in keeping this blast furnace intact and open to the public. Great place to bring in out of towners who are a little nerdy.

Shah Pez

Artists have helped create a new legacy out of this historic landmark.

Mayur R Menon

Fun experience. Pray that you get Jim or one of the dudes who worked there at the Mill before it shut down.. The stories I heard was just plain insane sometimes. Maybe don't go on a really hot day though.

Linnae Coker

I really enjoyed the tour guide who was a man who had actually worked there.

Cayla Tulick

Went to a music festival at Carrie Furnaces. While there, went on a tour of the Furnaces which was rich in history! Tour guide was knowledgeable and able to answer all our questions!

Jeff Chase

Very interesting and important part of history well presented!

_batekken _

The tour was great, she really knew her stuff. Great scenery. This is a must visit if in Pittsburgh

Donja Shinn

Amazing piece of history here!!

tom demitras

Knowledgeable tour guides and such a cool place to go visit!

E C

I go there to rig electric when the movies are in town, hell of a location

Eric Boyer

Great car show. A must for any car enthusiast.

Jim Mullen

Excellent tour and well worth the price. Doug was a fountain of information, conducted a relaxed and informative tour and easily answered any and all questions. Left with a far better understanding of steel making in America and a what it was like to work in these plants. Highly recommend a tour of you have the time.

Mark Harteis

What a relleck.Time standing still.From what it was in it's day,to what it is today,it is a humbling experience.

Robert Burkett

The buildings have been cleaned up and well taken care of. The tour is informative and unique.

John U.

No signage from the parking lot to exit. It was very find our way to the exit in the dark.

Austin Schlechter

Fantastic

Timothy Selby

Absolutely wonderful experience, I have nothing but good things to say about what this company delivers.

Donnalee Dodson

Tour was given by a man who actually worked there for years and made it come alive with anecdotal facts.

Torrey Trahanovsky

Bit out of the way and has a crazy far entrance in comparison to the bus stops that are nearby to the location. Otherwise it is a nice venue.

Frank Caputo

Confusing, poor planning on event, no leadership

Joe Dvorsky

Excellent guide Eric. Over two hours. Hands on. Massive blast furnaces and machines. Wear good shoes like hiing boots.

David Byers

Great to see a piece of history

Mark Bridge

Pittsburgh’s history is all about steel. Check it out, take a tour.

ben l

Awesome abandoned blast furnace experience. I am a big urbex fan and to be able to go on a guided tour to view this 100+ yr old once thriving industry was amazing. The tour was informative and I was able to wander or linger for photos of the area. Much better than breaking into private property or climbing over fences to explore. Definitely do the two hour tour to learn about the history.

John Carpenter

Went to the beer fest here, and had a really good time.

Curt Kline

Crowded and unorganized, but a lot of vehicles to see.

Josh Wing

Profiting from Urban Ex is disappointing. And to only be open for a portion of the year, while also being difficult to reach when they are "open". Unable to actually visit due to a lack of response. Disappointing

Jauna Donahue

It's a beautiful piece of history, I can't wait to go take a tour

Craig Rehbein

Wow, what a historical City that Pittsburgh PA is. Highly recommend visiting.

Ron Ahern

Cool place to take some photos. They have a photo safari & it's worth the $30

Kevin dean Thomas

Had a great time...

Belle Michigan

Astonishing

Zachary Parks

Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and personable, it was a great experience to hear the history of the place and it's role in the steel industry. I toured this while attending the Steeltown Shakedown, and it rounded out a great day at the furnaces.

Valeria Riccardo

Well worth the visit. Great guides. Lots of history. Lots of good photo opportunities.

Jürgen Lobert

Wonderful place to catch a little history on Pittsburgh's steel making past. The furnaces are impressive, despite the decay, and what made the tour was the volunteer Jim's passion to talk about it. He worked there when it was active and, along with the massive amounts of steel, you got the right impression of the intensity of the work that was done there.

Andrea DeMarco

The Carrie blast furnace tour was fantastic! I had the pleasure of taking the tour while at The Steeltown Shakedown Car show. Andrew was our tour guide and his knowledge of this landmark was incredible. I could really picture the days when it fully functional. This is definite must see in Pittsburgh. I'd love to tour it again!

The TROLL

Fantastic tour & history of the once great American steel industry. I went to the a car show here and the tour was an added bonus. Highly recommend this great history lesson. Our guide was knowledgeable and well versed in the steel industry's place in United States & world history. The tour however is not really young child friendly as it takes awhile & is mostly spoken. Also it is truly not wheelchair friendly. The paths are earthen and the actual blast furnace is located up a narrow flight of stairs.

Justin

Excellent tour, lots of good info and packed with up-close and personal views of the plant. Would recommend!

Jason Dawida

Very cool to be able to your this place a experience a piece of steel city history. Also you can't rent this space which makes for a very unique and awesome event.

Jackie Camacho

This was the best guided tour I have every enjoyed! The guide wad so knowledgeable about the mill as well as theeffects on Pittsburg. I waited 50 years to take this your and it was worth it! Very doablr for any ambulatory adult.

Me myself and I

My favourite place in Pittsburgh, I love it here so much. I've been coming every year for a while to the Steeltown Shakedown (a car show presented by the Sacred Piston Car Club) and I've never had more fun. I usually bring my dad too he loves the history of the place, seeing the massive furnace just makes you feel about an inch tall. It's a wonderful place.

Jennifer Tomor

This is a very cool location. The last time I checked the price for a photography tour is a bit hefty, but overall it is worth it for the opportunity. Ample parking room for events as well. Fantastic venue for festivals.

Noreen Campbell

Amazing venue for quantum theater king lear production.

Linda McGeehan

Awesome tour. Great guides. Interesting history.

Marty Weil

One of the best tours I've experienced. Eric our guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining. So many picture opportunities. Highly recommended!

John Lost

The Carrie Furnace offers a fantastic tour for anyone interested in the steel industry, American industrial history, the history of Pittsburgh, or an experience off the usual path. The tour guides are the real heart the site and the tour, being very knowledgeable. They bring the life to the site. I worked in an iron & steel mill during my summers in college, so I came to renew those memories, expose my adult son to a part of my life, and to learn something. I accomplished all three. Some "do's" and " don'ts" that might help your experience: Do wear walking shoes. Do dress for the weather...the tour is mostly outside. Do follow safety instructions and your guide's directions. Do ask questions! Do use the restrooms at the start of the tour...these are the only restrooms. Do anticipate some mild exertion...This is a 2 hour WALKING tour with some stair climbing. Don't think of this as a "theme park"...it is more like an interactive museum. Don't bring small or unmotivated children...The site suggests the tour information is appropriate for children 8+. I would say mature children who follow directions and who show and can maintain interest for 2 hours. Don't stray or wander...this is an industrial site with all the dangers. If you follow directions and keep up, you will be fine. Also you will miss the lecture part of the experience. In short, this is one of the best things you can do for two hours. The iron & steel industry was once the manufacturing backbone of the US economy. This tour helps bring that history to life.

Matthew Abbott

Did a photo tour of this place. Amazing and definitely a must do especially for anyone that loves rust, history, architecture, industry and so on.

Brianna Booher

Had a really good experience on a tour here! My tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable. I have lived near Pittsburgh my whole life and had no idea of some of the history I learned when I took a tour. Even if history isn't your thing, the structures themselves are really something to see in person. Highly recommend.

Jaelan Bartlett

Went to Glory Daze motorcycle show here and it was one of the most unique babies I've been to. They also offer tours of there facility as well.

Mitchell Turkheimer

Excellent job, thank you for preserving our history.

Jamie Bonnet

Awesome to see the history there and the activities that they had were perfect

yunocky

You can enjoy fantastic and thrilling tour in this historical spot. The huge furnace and other architecture now covered with grass and moss were so impressive that I took hundreds of pictures. The guide was friendly and professional. We learned the history of steel city and its culture very well in this 2-hour tour.

Ray Berendowski

Dump

Beth Young

The industrial tour was interesting, but sometimes difficult to follow. A lot depends on the tour guide. I wish that they had a timeline somewhere to help the visitors to follow along.

Daniel Klein

If you want to see Pittsburgh history, here's the place to come. It is a blast (furnace) from the past, an amazing sleeping dinosaur, and if you can imagine this site spread out for literally MILES, you get a glimpse of the Hell With the Lid Off that Pittsburgh used to be.

Casey Dagit

if you like exploring history, join a tour of this place. I hope it will eventually be part of something much bigger in the area but for now it is a wonderful place to get an idea of how Pittsburgh lead the way during the industrial revolution.

Robert Burkhard

A must see..great tour.

C.H. McCutcheon

Excellent tour guides and friendly staff.

Misty Bogue

Very nice people

J F K

There's so much history there.

Jesse Woodrum

Worth the 3 hour drive from Ohio. It's cool that the tour guides worked there at one point.

Joan Hapeman

Kool...history...haunted...

eugene howard

Must See!!!! Tour guide was very knowledgeable!!!

David Sullivan

Awesome, should have more permanent art installations

Douglas McDermott

True national treasure of our industrial heritage. You need to see this once in your life to have any appreciation of how hard our parents and grandparents worked to build this country.

Christian Grand

This is easily one of the most interesting things I've ever seen. If you are interested in history, architecture, or culture, I highly recommend visiting this place.

Paul Stajduhar

We were at rivers of Steel through the Wounded Warrior Project and it was awesome. I would recommend visiting these guys and having a ball!

Lynda Simpson

Breaking Ground Exhibit was fascinating

arian taheri

Great guided tours, way more interesting than one would think

Ben Godwin

Just so you know, you can't just roll up and check this place out like Sloss Furnace in Birmingham. You have to be part of a formal tour. It is also evident that even during normal operating hours you aren't allowed to stop for a photo or two from the car. We were run off like trespassers. I've known of this industrial preservation site for years. They had no access to the site in the beginning, the local government had to help. The bridge over the tracks was funded with public money you jerks. My suggestion, go to Birmingham , AL and check out Sloss Furnace.

Matthew Eames

Most filmed location in Pittsburgh

Robert Bupp

Visit this slice of history.

Timothy Black

Best show of the year so far in pa.

Brandon Hughes

Went here for the Steel Town Shakedown car cruise. Great time with many interesting automobiles.

Rachel Hyde

Guide was very patient, conversational, and knowledgable. Weather was touch and go, but we were able to see most of the site and the history was interesting.

Sean Roscoe

The tour guide worked in the plant prior to it shutting down. He was extremely knowledgeable and took us through every step of the process to make iron in the furnaces. It's amazing to hear how it really was back then, and to have those stories and explanations delivered by people who lived them. It's a fantastic slice of how the Steel City was in the heyday of the industry. Highly recommend. I wish there were more industrial tours like this around the city.

Leonora Stein

Fascinating tour.

David Sapiro

It's an amazing piece of Pittsburgh history. The tour guide was interesting, but it's also a great place to take interesting pictures.

Steve Hickman

Awesome tour. Our guide was great, very knowledgeable. Amazing photo opportunities.

Matthew Hill

Very imformative

Matt Mercurio

3rd time on the tour. Yes. I am a Carrie Furnace nerd. I always learn something new each time I visit. Amazing x 100

Drew Derby

Amazing!!! Had a great time drinking beer and learning about the furnace. If you ever get the chance, take the tour. I'm a history buff and never knew that the Carrie furnace had such an impact on all that we love today. Starting from the civil war to the 2nd world war. Totally worth the money. Loved it!!!!

Chad Good

Great learning experience

Donna Donnell

Excellent, comprehensive tour. There are some stairs and uneven surfaces, so wear good shoes! Kudos to our tour guide, Rich - very knowledgeable and made the furnace come alive! Also thanks to Eric!

Sue F

Take a tour!! You won't regret it.

Hilary Hoops

Lots of history and the scale of the machinery is really cool

Teresa

Amazing site! Hope to see a lot more iron pours here!

Joshua Johnston

Very cool place to visit looking forward to my next trip.

Veronica Varos

Such a cool and interesting historic site. The tours are incredibly fun and informative as they're clearly given by people who feel a personal attachment to the site. It's also a unique and AMAZING venue for events, as well!

Dheeraj Govindraju

I want to shoot a video at this place. A video of me playing guitar somewhere in this area because it looks beautiful. Am I supposed to call someone for permission or pay someone or something? Is it open in December?

Aaron Weiss

A must-do for urban explorers and photographers. If you get the chance, go take a tour.

Jerry Fitzgibbon

Quantum Theatre's production of King Lear takes place in this wonderful industrial stage of the Carrie Furnaces. A must see event in this historic steel making site!

Mike Gowrylow

Pittsburgh's steelmaking past is revealed during a guided tour of these early nineteenth century furnaces, rusting away but still mammoth in size and impressive.

Sam Govannucci

Nice piece of Pittsburgh history

Patti Kell

Very informative tour that helps you understand the hard-working men who kept this running! Our guide was outstanding. Wear sturdy walking shoes - lots of uneven surfaces.

Pierre Avila

Amazing place with a fantastic tour guide. Not only is the furnace an amazing sight to behold but combined with our knowledgable tour guide Adam, the trip was made so much more interesting. On top of learning how such a place functions in conjunction with its rich history makes it an unforgettable experience. Highly recommend attending, especially with the tour guide named Adam.

John Lappe

This is a great venue with an interesting history

Karen Barnes

Very cool place to visit!

A J

Took a tour of the facilities here and it was fantastic! Very informative and worth checking out for sure! As a pittsburgh native it made me ever prouder to be a pittsburgher! Go!

Daniel Pike

Participated in the 2hr tour that encompasses a majority of the remaining site. Our tour guide was very charismatic and very knowledgeable. He provided great insight from various economic, production, and preservation perspectives. The tour permits you to take pictures, encourages it actually and meander through the facility highlighting the various avenues for which coal, iron ore, and limestone made its way to the blast Furnaces. The up close tour provides a great sense of reality for the times and allows you to to apprecie its imposing presence

sherry Odom

Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. She did a very good job of explaining the iron making process that was in place before the plant was retired and partially dismantled. If you haven’t ever been to an operational iron/ steel mill, you might want to watch a few videos before going on the tour, especially if you are taking kids on the tour, so you can appreciate the magnitude of the operations a little more than what you get by visiting this historic location. We did the Beckley coal mine tour the day before doing this tour, so it was nice to show my kids how al lot of the pieces of the industrial revolution worked together to build our great country. It’s worth the stop!!

Vilija Markunas

From a family of steel workers, our tour guide gave a full semester's knowledge on our two hour tour. Whether you are interested in steel production, labor history or the 'good old days' you will not be disappointed. Maybe the best tour in our lifetime. Don't miss, you will be both informed and edified by the experience.

otis romero

Full of history. Great to see one of the places that helped build America.

Liam Darr

Amazing landmark of Pittsburgh heritage. Highly recommend signing up for a tour.

Wayne Trimble

Impressive tour gives new appreciation for early steel production and working conditions.

Carson Folio

It was fun! I've appreciated abandoned structures/places for a while, and I'm also interested in the history of Pittsburgh. This place has a lot of both. The tour guides are nice and not generic, they know what they're talking about and are passionate for anything relating to steel creation (my tour guide worked in the steel industry). Just a couple things to note, don't bring your nicest shoes as they're definitely gonna get dirty, and it'd be smart to bring a decent camera.

Laurie Gamble

Fantastic location for events

Mickey Hern

Steeltown Shakedown is held here and it is a hell of a car show... It's an amazing historical location!