Play in the Pittsburg Area

The Pittsburg area offers a variety of food options for family or formal dining. Fast food restaurants line Pittsburg’s Broadway Street and offer fast and friendly service to people on the go. Family-owned, local restaurants provide a more formal dining experience, without the pricetag. From steaks and barbecue to Chinese, Mexican and Italian, Pittsburg has the right food to fit everyone’s taste buds. Of course a visit to southeast Kansas would not be complete without eating at one of our many chicken houses around the Pittsburg area.

For a list of Pittsburg area restaurants, click here.

With everything from national chain stores to locally-owned specialty shops, Pittsburg offers a unique shopping experience for residents and visitors alike. With more than 260 retail establishments, including shopping centers and a mall, shoppers can find everything from antiques to clothing to groceries, gifts, home improvement supplies and more. Pittsburg’s warm and friendly small-town attitude can be found among business owners that deliver personal attention hard to come by in a larger city. For a complete listing of retail membership, see our Membership Directory.

Meadowbrook Shopping Complex

Featuring over 222,000 square feet of shopping space, Meadowbrook Mall is the premier shopping destination in Southeast Kansas.  The Mall features nationally known retailers JC Penney, Goody’s, Bath & Body Works, Maurice’s and GNC.  The newly remodeled Pittsburg 8 Theatre is located on the south end of the mall.

The Meadowbrook Annex area includes many local retailers and businesses that provide great shopping opportunities, such as Westco Home Furnishings and Comeau Jewelry, as well as professional services such as SEK Urgent Care and Herron Regional Dental Center.

Downtown Pittsburg

The downtown area provides visitors with over 80 stores, which include a variety of retail options, restaurants and nightlife opportunities.  A shopper could easily spend the entire day in the downtown area.  Retail options range from sporting goods to jewelry to home furnishings and much more!

Pittsburg North

Anchored by Walmart and The Home Depot, the north end of Pittsburg also features a variety of restaurant options such as Applebee’s, El Charro or Wendy’s.

When it’s time to play, Pittsburg area residents have a wide array of choices. The arts are alive in the Pittsburg area, from music to theatre to pottery. Fine art galleries, Pittsburg Community Theatre, and regular performances by a symphony and university and community bands — we have it all! Pittsburg State University serves as a mecca of cultural attractions, regularly treating area residents to nationally-renowned artists, poets and sculptors in the University Gallery.

Outdoor Recreation

Annual community events in the Pittsburg area include local homecoming celebrations, Four State Farm Show and Little Balkans Days, a community-wide festival celebrating the history and ethnic diversity of southeast Kansas. Little Balkans Days is held over Labor Day weekend and will celebrate its 32nd anniversary in 2016.

A mild, four-season climate makes outdoor activities a favorite pastime of many southeast Kansas residents, including swimming, golfing,  hunting, fishing, bowling, biking and camping.  Hikers and bikers will enjoy Wilderness Park, which includes four miles of trails and a chance for wildlife observation. In 2009, Pittsburg opened the 23rd Street Bike Park, which includes 3 different trails and a skills area for bikers.

At Pittsburg’s Lincoln Park, visitors can enjoy three shelter houses with grills, playground equipment, horseshoes, ponds for fishing, a 9-hole disc golf course and Kiddieland, a children’s amusement park.  Four Oaks Golf Course offers an 18-hole golf course, an 18-hole miniature golf course, driving range, tennis and basketball courts.

The Pittsburg Aquatic Center features a zero-depth entry pool, diving boards, tube slides and lazy river. A children’s pool  for children seven and under has zero-depth entry, a frog slide and fountains.  The Frontenac City Pool has zero-depth entry, a sun deck, and diving boards.

Schlanger Park is a large, open park with two shelter houses.  The park features a universally accessible playground for children with and without disabilities, Katherine’s Playground.  “The Pitt” skatepark offers fun for skate boarders, BMX riders and inline skaters.  The park also has an 18-hole disc golf course.

Crestwood Country Club, open only to members and their guests, offers a championship-level golf course, a fully-stocked pro shop, dining and swimming. Four Oaks Golf Course and Countryside Golf Course, a 9-hole course located just south of Pittsburg, are open to the public.

The Pittsburg Family YMCA offers diverse fitness classes for all ages and abilities, as well as an indoor Olympic size pool, basketball and racquetball courts.

Hunting and fishing opportunities abound in area mined land, wildlife areas and state parks. Crawford State Park in nearby Farlington is home to the county’s only state fishing lake, which at 150 acres, offers boating, fishing and water sport activities. The park also offers camping spaces, shelter houses and a marina.

Entertainment

The Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium and Convention Center (MACC) is one of the most conveniently located convention centers in the area. This unique facility, built in 1925, features one of the largest stages in the state. The auditorium serves as a more traditional and elegant setting, hosting concerts, plays, large assemblies, and more. The stage area is approximately 5000 square feet. The 12,500-square-feet of seating area accommodates nearly 1,600 people with a raked style format. For a schedule of events, visit http://memorialauditorium.org

The exhibition hall at MACC boasts a 10,207-square-foot event center. In addition, it can provide up to 8 meeting areas for breakout space. The facility hosts various types of conventions, trade shows, consumer shows, private parties, wedding receptions, and a variety of community events.

Located in the heart of Pittsburg State University’s campus, the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts is the region’s premiere destination for the fine and performing arts. Designed and constructed by the world’s most renowned theater architects, this $33 million facility features a 1,100-seat performance hall, a 250-seat theater, a 3,500 square-foot art gallery and state-of-the-art technology. For a schedule of events, visit http://www.bicknellcenter.com

The Corral at the Kansas Crossing Casino + Hotel is the newest entertainment venue in the area.  Construction of the $80 million dollar casino, hotel and entertainment facility was completed in late Spring of 2017 and since opening it has hosted a wide variety of entertainment from some of the biggest names in music, comedy, and other live entertainment.  The versatile entertainment venue can provide 450 reserved seats and up to 600 for a standing show.  The final piece of The Corral is it’s outdoor stage which is set to open in the late Summer, early Fall of 2018.  Once opened, the outdoor stage will be able to accommodate over 2,000 concertgoers.  For a schedule of upcoming events, visit https://kansascrossingcasino.com/entertainment/

Athletics

Spectator athletics play a prominent role in the Pittsburg area, with local schools commonly competing for state championships. Of course, Brandenburg Field at Carnie Smith Stadium is where you’ll find most residents on any given Saturday in the fall. Pittsburg State University took home their fourth Division II National Football Championship in 2011.

Free Attractions

Free Pittsburg area attractions open virtually year-round include the Crawford County Historical Museum, Immigrant Park, Miner’s Memorial, Pittsburg State University Veteran’s Memorial Amphitheater, Carona Depot and the Hotel Stilwell.

For additional information on activities, attractions and recreational opportunities, visit the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau web site.