5 Best Things to Do in Butler, PA

By VI Staff on April 11, 2020

Butler is a small town and the county seat of Butler County in Pennsylvania, about 35 miles from Pittsburgh. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, it is one of the 7 best small towns in America. Established in 1803, throughout most of its history, Butler has been a manufacturing and industrial center so it is no wonder that the Connoquenessing Creek, which runs through the town, was ranked the second most polluted waterway in the country. Butler’s Maridon Museum in the only museum in the state focusing on Asian art. Succop Nature Park is Audubon Society’s nature reserve.

1.Pullman Park

Pullman Park was a minor league baseball stadium opened in 1934 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Historic Pullman Park hosted minor league baseball teams affiliated with the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The ballpark closed after the baseball season in 2004 and was reopened in 2008 after the reconstruction was completed. Today, the stadium hosts the baseball teams of a number of local high schools: Karns City High School, Knoch High School, Moniteau High School and Butler High School. In 2008, Pullman Park hosted a boxing match between Butler native Brian Minto and John Poore. It was the first major event hosted at the ballpark after the reconstruction.

100 Pullman Park Pl, Butler, PA 16001, Phone: 724-841-0540

2.Succop Nature Park

Succop Nature Park is a nature reserve in Western Pennsylvania near Butler, one of few that belong to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. The park provides environmental and cultural education to the Butler community. The property is located near the Butler Airport and has two ponds, a network of walking trails and large open natural spaces that can be used for a range of outdoor activities such as picnics, walking dogs, watching birds and much more. Succop Nature Park also has 170-year old historic mansion that can be used for business meetings, classes, retreats, weddings, art exhibits and more. The mansion and its surrounds are tastefully decorated in charming rustic style, with original art and period antiques in rooms on the first floor.

185 Airport Rd, Butler, PA 16002, Phone: 724-586-2591

3.The Maridon Museum

The Maridon Museum, located in downtown Butler, Pennsylvania, opened in 2004 and is the only museum in the Western Pennsylvania that focuses exclusively on Chinese and Japanese art and culture. The museum building and all exhibits were gifted to the city of Butler by the long time city resident Mary Hulton Phillips. The Museum's permanent collection includes more than 800 art objects. The collection of Asian art includes ivory and jade sculptures, landscape paintings, tapestries, scrolls and various artifacts. Some of the objects in the collection date back to the Neolithic Period -2nd and 3rd millennium B.C. The collection also includes a set of six 6 foot by 8 foot ink-on-paper scrolls created in 2002 by the contemporary Chinese artist Wan Qingli.

322 N McKean St, Butler, PA 16001, Phone: 724-282-0123

4.Burger Hut

The Burger Hut is a popular downtown Butler eatery famous for its handmade, grilled to order burgers, French fries and gravy or chili. The place is colorful and quirky, with the strong vibe of an old-fashioned diner with retro lunch counter, unassuming with red brick façade, a long semi-circular counter and a few tables by the window. Besides classic burgers with fries, they also make the Sharpie, with sharp cheddar cheese, and huge double-decker Dagwood cheeseburger. Any of them are great with chilli and fixings. One of the fun parts of eating at Burger Hut is the chance to observe the regulars that hang out at the counter, mostly because of free refills of coffee but also because of constant traffic of town folks and occasional tourist. Burger Hut now has another location, newer and more fancy but not this much fun.

222 N Main St, Butler, PA 16001, Phone: 724-285-4222

5.Valley Dairy Restaurant

Valley Dairy Restaurant started in 1884 as an ice cream place, quickly growing into a nationwide chain of 12 restaurants that are still famous for their home-made natural ice creams. Beside ice creams, they now offer all three meals, with freshly made sandwiches, soups, salads, wraps, burgers and desserts. Their Butler restaurant is a spacious, modern, friendly place on Butler Commons, where locals love to stop by for the Valley Dairy famous Banana Split, Banana Parfait, Cherry Ice Cream Soda, Rootbeer Float, Sundays, milkshakes, pies and ice cream by scoop in flavors such as Vanilla, Chocolate, Butter Pecan & Cashew, Rainbow, Buckeye Classic, Cookie Dough, Mint Chocolate Chip, Moose Tracks, Raspberry Fudge Cordial and more.

275 Butler Commons, Butler, PA 16001, Phone: 724-287-5984