Carnegie Museum, Sounds of the Season concert, & Phipps Winter Flower Show

Let's welcome some new members! And if you joined Meetup a while ago, this event brings lots of new people together and incorporates flexibility tailored to the interests of the group. This event begins at Café Carnegie (inside Carnegie Museum of Art) so people can socialize and get coffee/tea/drink or quick lunch. Because Café Carnegie doesn't require museum admission, we'll gauge the interests of everyone and possibility of smaller groups (perhaps 5-10+ people) exploring the following options from 12-5 PM or even later.

Option A -- Spend the afternoon inside the many galleries and exhibits of the Carnegie Museum of Art and Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Of note is that there will be a docent led tour at 1 PM for the Carnegie Museum of Art with Curatorial Close Look: Black Photojournalism based on the remarkable exhibit Black Photojournalism on display through January 19, 2026.

Visitors can check out the annual holiday displays of Carnegie Trees and Neapolitan Presepio on view through January 11, 2026.

Also closing soon is Fault Lines: Art, Imperialism, and the Atlantic World exhibit on display through January 25, 2026 as well as Charles Harlan on display through February 22, 2025.

There will also be a wonderful Sounds for the Season 2-3 PM concert inside the Hall of Architecture with the holiday Carnegie Trees on display. This concert will feature the Madame Mary Cardwell Dawson Chapter of the National Association of Negro Musicians which is the country’s oldest organization dedicated to the preservation and advocacy of all genres of the music of Black Americans.

We expect at least 10 people will get into Carnegie Museums for free based on those with Carnegie Museums memberships that allow guests. Priority for free admission will be decided by the order of arrival and recognition of members that are relatively new to the group.

Option B -- Walk over to the nearby Phipps Conservatory Winter Flower Show and Light Garden However, advanced timed tickets are required, especially since Phipps usually sells out on weekends. For this reason, it is recommended that advanced timed tickets be ordered before 1/2 to minimize the chance of a sellout.

This is also a chance to check out the Tropical Forest Panama exhibit

Because the Phipps Winter Light Garden is open from 5-11 PM, this also allows the possibility of combining Phipps with Option A, Option C, or Option D for a full afternoon and evening.

When possible, it is recommended people arrive in the afternoon to experience the incredible beauty of the Phipps indoor gardens as the lighting ambiance transitions from daylight to twilight to evening.

Option C -- Walk over to check out the beautiful holiday decorations of the 31 Nationality Rooms inside the Cathedral of Learning where there will be 1-2:30 PM docent led tour. Tickets are $10 Adult and $6 Youth (ages 18 and under). To make reservations, please visit Tours | Nationality Rooms

Option D -- People can discuss if they'd to have lunch or dinner at a nearby restaurant such as The Porch in Schenley Plaza or one of the many restaurants along Craig Street, Forbes Avenue, etc.

In terms of Admission Charges, we'll see if anyone has memberships (e.g., Carnegie Museums, Phipps) which allow them to bring guests in for free. We expect at least 10 people will be able to get into Carnegie Museums for free and several more people for free at Phipps.

Parking The Carnegie Museum has plenty of parking which is conveniently located near the museum entrance at the corner of Forbes Ave & S. Craig Street. Here is a link with more info about parking and directions http://cmoa.org/visit/directions-maps-parking/

Stay Tuned for updates!