Free Summer Series: Renziehausen Park
Renziehausen Park is a community park in McKeesport. It is the site of McKeesport’s Fourth of July Fireworks celebration and International Village; a culture fair celebrating food from around the world. The locals wait all year for International Village. All the families in my area looked forward to it. Renziehausen Park is often called Renzie. It was originally named for Sophia Everet Renziehausen. Her husband Gottlieb, a first generation immigrant, owned a haberdashery in McKeesport, which was run by her son Henry after Gottlieb passed away. Her other son, Frederick, operated Large whiskey, helping to build the family’s fortune. After their mother’s death, Henry and Frederick donated green spaces around the city of Pittsburgh in her memory. Renzie is one of my favorite places to play. They have baseball fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, even bocce. Sometimes there will be performances in the bandshell, which is supported by the Lions’ Club.
The park houses the Garden Club of McKeesport. 
They have a lovely garden that is very pleasant to stroll through. Just walking through a park is a lost art. We do not often take the time to walk slowly, smell the posies. There are many varieties of flowers carefully tended by the garden club’s members. The garden is used locally as a backdrop for portraits. They host events that are free to the public, including gardening tips and a proper tea. You can check them out at the Garden Club’s website.
It is also home to the McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center. The exhibits are open to the public Tuesday – Friday 10-4 and Saturday 10-3. Every item in the museum was donated. You can read more about the museum at their website.
For the little ones, there are playgrounds and a splash park that sprays until 6 p.m. All the kids love the splash park! It has a fence around it, so if you have very little ones it’s easy to make sure they didn’t walk too far away. The splash park is definitely the hit for any of the kids.
There are eight outdoor pavilions that can be rented for picnics, or you can stop by to have your own little picnic days the groves are not rented. There is an indoor building as well called the Jacob Woll Pavilion which can be used for events year-round. You can read more about them on McKeesport City’s website.
If you are looking for a fun place to spend some time outside this summer in and around Pittsburgh, subscribe to my blog using your email address to get notifications every time we update our site with something exciting. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @gryffinslanding. Most importantly, have fun and live like every day is an adventure.