Two little cable cars, two giant views, one unforgettable family morning. Pittsburgh’s Duquesne and Monongahela inclines — survivors of the 17 funiculars that once climbed Mount Washington — turn a trip up the hill into the day’s main event for kids.
Start with the Monongahela Incline (1870) from Station Square, the oldest continuously operating funicular in the United States, its cars climbing to Shiloh Street’s shops and ice cream. Walk Grandview Avenue’s overlooks, then ride down the Duquesne Incline (1877), whose top station hides a small museum of incline history and a wall of Pittsburgh panoramas. Both inclines accept the same fares kids have paid for generations — small bills and exact change keep it charmingly old-school.
The inclines run daily from the early morning to late evening. The Duquesne Incline’s schedule is at duquesneincline.org; the Monongahela is operated by Pittsburgh Regional Transit.
