I’m not a football fan in the slightest, but I always enjoy exploring new places, so I was excited to tour the Pittsburgh Steeler’s Acrisure Stadium (formally known as Heinz Field) during a recent visit to Pittsburgh.
To be honest, while I’ve visited over a dozen Major League Baseball fields, this is the first NFL stadium I’ve ever been inside, so I don’t have a lot to compare it to. However, despite not being a fan of the team or even the sport, I still found this tour to be really interesting.
Honestly, I think that anyone who appreciates history, learning new things, and seeing interesting spaces will enjoy this tour. However, if you are a Steelers fan, you will absolutely be in heaven.
Tours are offered regularly throughout the year, but must be scheduled in advance, so make sure to plan ahead. For most of the year, a few days is probably fine, but you’ll likely want to schedule much sooner if you are wanting to take the tour near a game day.
There are four tour options, and I opted to take the one that included the most stops, the Ultimate Tour, during my summertime visit to Pittsburgh.
This 90-minute tour takes you just about everywhere that you could want to go including through the Great Hall, around the concourse level, onto the field, and even into the locker rooms for both the Steelers and the University of Pittsburgh’s football team.
This is truly an immersive tour that tells you everything you could possibly want to know about Acrisure Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the University of Pittsburgh, and even local high school football.
My favorite part of the experience was, not surprisingly, visiting the locker rooms.
It was really neat to see these spaces, and to even have the guide point out where some famous Steelers’ once had their lockers. I was surprised, however, that the locker room for the Steelers wasn’t nearly as nice as the one the University of Pittsburgh uses (or the Pirates’ locker room I saw during my tour of PNC Park).
It was also neat being able to go on the field, even if we had to stay on the sidelines. It really gives you the chance to imagine you are a player and get an idea of what it’s like for them.
While I definitely recommend the Ultimate Tour, especially if you are a Steelers’ fan, there are shorter and less expensive tours offered including the 30-45 minute Blitz Tour (which does visit most of the same stops, just not on as much of a leisurely pace).
If you’re visiting on a game weekend, there are other tour options that you can take, though neither provide locker room access. These tours are a good deal more expensive, however, so you might be better off doing the tours on a regular day.
In addition to the tours, you can also visit the Steelers’ Hall of Honor Museum. This is definitely for die hard fans and includes a film about the team’s history and items related to it.
I haven’t had a chance to do this option, but based on the quality of the exhibits I saw during my stadium tour, I’m sure there are a lot of great things to see if you’re a football fan.
Overall, even though I’m not a football fan, and I know little about the Steelers, I really had a great time on the tour. I definitely think anyone that appreciates sports and seeing unique spaces would enjoy taking a tour of Acrisure Stadium.
However, if you are a football fan, and especially if you’re a Steelers’ fan, I’d say this tour is an absolute must-do attraction when visiting Pittsburgh.
Taking a Tour of Acrisure Stadium
Tours of the Pittsburgh’s Steelers stadium are offered on select days throughout the year, and tour routes are subject to change.
Prices range from $10-25 for the standard tours and $75 to several hundred dollars for tours on game weekends. Tickets are only available for pre-purchase on the stadium’s website. No tickets are sold at the gate.
Note that the stadium’s standard Clear Bag Policy is in effect during the tours, so don’t bring a ton of stuff with you.
Looking for even more things to do in the area? Check out the Heinz History Center, Randyland, and the Fort Pitt Museum.
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