Mister Rogers

For more than three decades, one of the best-loved programs in children's television was made in Pittsburgh. Fred Rogers grew up in Latrobe, learned his craft at the city's public television station, and spent his working life a few miles from where you are standing.

This tour follows him across the region in nine stops. The first five are in Pittsburgh: a riverside memorial, two museums that hold original puppets and set pieces, the studio building where the show was taped, and the seminary where he studied on his lunch breaks. Then the route heads about 40 miles east to Latrobe, his hometown, where a college keeps his archive and a bronze statue waits on a park bench with room for you beside him.

Plan on a full day with a car. The museums charge admission and keep their own hours, and the Saint Vincent College exhibit is open on weekdays only, so check the hours on each stop before you set out. Studio, seminary and church stops are working buildings you enjoy from the sidewalk.

9 stops on this tour:

Tribute to Children - Mister Rogers on the Riverfront

Children's Museum of Pittsburgh - Meet the Puppets

Heinz History Center - The Largest Neighborhood Collection

WQED Studios - Where the Neighborhood Was Taped

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary - The Minister of the Neighborhood

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

Latrobe Presbyterian Church - A Hometown Beginning

Latrobe Art Center - A Sister's Gift to the Town

Fred Rogers Statue - A Seat on the Bench Beside Him