Fred Rogers Exhibit at Saint Vincent College - His Life in Latrobe

Stop on Mister Rogers, a free self-guided tour.

Now the tour heads home. Saint Vincent College, just outside Latrobe, is home to the Fred Rogers Institute and the Fred M. Rogers Center, which cares for his archive of letters, scripts, production materials and awards.

The public exhibit on the upper level of the Center traces his whole story, beginning with his childhood in this town, following him into early television and decades of work on his program, and ending with the work the Institute continues today. Wall panels, photographs and cases of artifacts include sweaters and shoes he wore on camera, along with puppets and set pieces from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

It is a quieter, more reflective stop than the city museums, and a good place to understand the person behind the television character. There is often a station where you can write a letter, a nod to the thousands of letters children sent him.

Getting here: This is the long leg: drive about 40 miles east on US Route 30, roughly an hour. The college is on Fraser Purchase Road just south of Latrobe; follow signs for the Fred M. Rogers Center.

Did you know?: Rogers was known for answering the letters children sent him, and many of those letters are preserved in his archive here.

Photo op: Inside the exhibit, the cases of sweaters and shoes make a simple, recognizable photo.

For kids: Use the letter-writing station to write to someone you care about, the way children wrote to him.

Hours and cost: Free. Open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm; closed weekends and major holidays.