Best Places To Sunbathe In Pittsburgh

Summer has arrived and the best way to celebrate is by spending some time outside. Sunshine and warm temperatures are a welcome change following the unusually cold winter that gripped much of the continental U.S. for the better part of six months. Now, it's time to enjoy all of the things that make summer in Pittsburgh so great. So grab your SPF 30, a beach blanket and mindset on soaking up some Vitamin D rays. Here are the best spots in Pittsburgh for sunbathing.

PNC Park
115 Federal St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
(412) 321-2827
www.pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com

Take in an afternoon Pirates game at PNC Park to combine two of summer's most cherished pastimes: baseball and sunbathing. Excitement for "Bucco baseball" reached a frenzied level as the team made their first trip to the playoffs in two decades. Add to that the fact that PNC Park is continually hailed as the pinnacle of major league ball parks around the country and pretty soon soaking up rays in the cheap seats sounds like an ideal way to spend an afternoon.

Sandcastle Water Park
1000 Sandcastle Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15120
(412) 462-6666
www.sandcastlewaterpark.com

Located near Pittsburgh's Waterfront district, Sandcastle easily provides the widest variety of ways to sunbathe within city limits. You can opt for the traditional means of sunbathing in a lounge chair poolside. One popular option for "catching rays" is along the quarter-mile lazy river in an inner tube with a cold drink in your hand. Or, for the most extreme alternative, give the lightning express a try. At 25 miles per hour, this speed slide drops nearly 90 feet and will surely add some spice to your day in the sun.

Related: Best Public Pools In Pittsburgh

Moraine State Park
225 Pleasant Valley Road
Portersville, PA 16051
(724) 368-8811
www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/moraine

According to visitbutlercounty.com, more than a million people visit Moraine State Park annually. At the center of the park is Lake Arthur, the star attraction for outdoor summer fun of every type imaginable. The Crescent Bay Boat Rental provides rental options that range from kayaks and paddle boats to small horsepower boats. There are bike trails and walking paths along the banks of the lake as well as Moraine trails for hour-long horseback rides.

Dormont Pool
1801 Dormont Ave,
Pittsburgh, PA 15216
(412) 341-7210
www.boro.dormont.pa.us

Situated just off of Banksville Road, the sun's rays reflecting off the shimmering blue water of the Dormont Pool is a sure-fire indication that summer has arrived in the Pittsburgh area. The sheer size of 1.85 acres can accommodate crowds much larger than the average public pool. Visitors typical to the Dormont landmark include sunbathers, swimmers and just about anyone looking for a good way to cool off when the summer heat and humidity begins to get oppressive. For the first time in its nearly 85-year history, the Dormont Borough has subcontracted maintenance and management of the massive public pool to private organization, Jeff Ellis Management. This is the same group that handles everything from lifeguard training and water quality management at Idlewild Park and Sandcastle Water Park.

Settlers Cabin Park
1225 Greer Road
Oakdale, PA 15071
(412) 787-2750
www.alleghenycounty.us/parks/scfac.aspx

Settlers Cabin Park takes its name from the community of a mid-18th century log cabin settlement that was discovered there by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The park is comprised of nearly 1,600 acres that have been meticulously re-forested after years of shallow coal mining and oil and gas drilling rendered the land barren and unsightly. For many, a trip to the beautifully restored natural surroundings of Settlers Cabin is incomplete without a trip to its wildly popular wave pool. In fact, of the three public wave pools located in Allegheny County (the other two being Boyce and South Park), Settlers Cabin is the easily the most popular and attracts the largest numbers of swimmers and sunbathers annually.

Related: Staying Safe In The Summer Sun

Marcel Tourdot is a freelance writer from Pittsburgh. His work can be found at Examiner.com.