"As the first county council person ever from the airport area, I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you that in 1997, it was a common occurrence to come to this airport for a date, and I did that multiple times." Allegheny County Councilor Kathleen Madonna-Emmerling said that at the July 29, 2026 opening of the UPMC Terrace. She went on to call the terrace a continuation of "the legacy of the Pittsburgh International Airport being the destination … whether you're traveling or not."
Her point holds up, but in a specific way. In the new terminal, the security checkpoint splits the building into two zones. The garden is on the side anyone can reach. Most of the Pittsburgh restaurant names are on the side that needs a boarding pass. For anyone in Moon Township who lives a few minutes from the I-376 exit, the useful version of the airport this fall is the outdoor one.
Where the Line Falls Inside the Terminal
The new landside terminal took its first passengers on November 18, 2025. Since then, much of the restaurant coverage has focused on new airside spots. By March 2026, the airport had confirmed six new restaurants past security. These include Mineo's Pizza House and Convive Coffee Roasters, along with Shake Shack, Stack & Press, Mi Casa Cantina and Bad Egg Breakfast Bar.
Non-flyers can't get to them. Pittsburgh International started myPITpass in 2017, and it was the first program of its kind. It let people without a ticket go through security. The program ended in 2020 because of COVID and wasn't restarted, since the airport was building its new terminal at the time. The airport's FAQ now says only ticketed passengers can go past security. Airlines can choose to give a gate pass to someone meeting a passenger under 18, but that isn't a general visitor pass.
Here's how the two sides compare for someone who drives over without a ticket:
| Spot | Location | Open to non-flyers |
|---|---|---|
| UPMC Terrace | Arrivals Level, pre-security | Yes, daily 4 a.m. to midnight, weather permitting |
| Welcome Point | Arrivals Level, pre-security | Yes |
| Café Conmigo, with food court | Arrivals Level, pre-security | Yes |
| Camden Food Market | Departures Level, pre-security | Yes |
| Hudson News & Gifts | Departures Level, pre-security | Yes |
| Mineo's, Convive, Shake Shack, Stack & Press, Mi Casa Cantina, Bad Egg | Airside | Ticketed passengers only |
Café Conmigo's Arrivals location is its second and largest at the airport, and it includes a food court. On the airport's live directory, the Café Conmigo location closes at 10 p.m. and Camden Food Market closes at 8 p.m. Hours can change, so check the directory before a late visit.
The Biggest Thing on the Public Side Is Outdoors
The UPMC Terrace covers 36,000 square feet on the south side of the pre-security terminal. The Post-Gazette describes it as overlooking the southern part of the airfield. Visitors can sit in yellow rocking chairs and on wooden benches along winding paths. Pittsburgh City Paper called it "almost shockingly large," with meandering stone paths.
Outdoor space you can use without a lounge membership is still rare at U.S. airports. Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said at the ribbon cutting that "you don't have to have club access or really be flying business class to be able to experience this beautiful space." Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis put it this way: "you don't have to pay, you don't have to be a member of a certain club." The airport's own description names "community members simply looking for a unique public gathering place" as part of the intended audience, along with families meeting arrivals and people who come to watch planes.
UPMC and the Richard King Mellon Foundation funded the terrace. The design comes from landscape architect OJB Studios. Gensler's project architect, Brian Gongaware, worked on the terminal with HDR and luis vidal+architects.
Why October Is the Month to Go
The terrace opened in late July, so most people saw it at the height of summer. The planting plan was built to change through the year. The Post-Gazette reports 41 plant species, 23 of them native, including American witch hazel, river birch and purple coneflower. They are grouped into four zones: woodland, meadow and prairie, river valley, and upland plateau. City Paper also lists maple trees, Pennsylvania sedge and flowers for pollinators.
Blue Sky News says the mix of perennials, grasses, shrubs and evergreens was chosen for color across all four seasons, "from early spring blooms and peak summer conditions to the beauty of fall colors and colder winter months." Samantha Partington, OJB Studios' technical director, said the team "wanted the terraces to feel inviting throughout the year, not just during the peak growing season."
Abigayle Tobia, executive director of the nearby Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, attended the opening. She suggested watching how the plants react to the seasons, or to a rainstorm or a dry spell. That makes repeat visits worthwhile, and it's easier to do when the airport is a short drive away than when you only pass through on travel days.
The airport also put limits on the plant list. OJB had to choose plants that wouldn't draw birds and other animals that could be a risk to aircraft. The beds are watered by a rainwater system that collects runoff from the terminal roof. So the garden is shaped by the airfield around it, and that's part of what makes it different from a park.
Getting There From Moon Township
The drive is familiar, but the last part has changed. Here's the route for a visit with no flight:
- Take the same I-376 exit. Once you're on airport property, follow the new signs and bear right toward the new terminal, because the roads to the old terminal are closed.
- Park close. The Terminal Garage and the Terminal Lot are both a 3 to 5 minute walk from the terminal. The Free Wait Lot is free for the first hour and $5 for up to two hours. It's a holding lot for pickups, not terminal parking, so it won't work for a terrace visit.
- Go to Arrivals. The curb has three levels: departures on top, arrivals and family pickups in the middle, and commercial ground transportation on the bottom. The terrace is reached from the Arrivals Level.
- Enter the terrace at one of two spots. One is the Welcome Point near the VisitPITTSBURGH desk. The other is between baggage carousels 5 and 8.
The Welcome Point is the airport's indoor meeting area for people greeting arrivals. It has concessions and outdoor seating nearby. That setup also helps on a regular pickup run. If a flight is late, you can wait with coffee from Café Conmigo out on the terrace.
The airport has invited the public to the pre-security side before. In August it held a free, no-registration Art Crawl, a self-guided tour of the terminal's three floors, its outdoor areas and the parking garage.
What's Still on the Way
The UPMC Terrace is the first of four planned terraces. The second pre-security terrace will sit directly across from it and include a pet relief area. In July, airport spokesman Bob Kerlik told the Post-Gazette it was slated to open "in the coming months." The two post-security terraces will be for ticketed passengers only. The Green Spine, a stretch of plantings between the Terminal Lot and the garage, is expected by next summer. As of early October, the airport's terrace page still lists the UPMC Terrace as the only one open and gives no dates for the other three.
Once the second pre-security terrace opens, the public side will have two outdoor spaces facing each other. For now, the UPMC Terrace is the only one open, from 4 a.m. to midnight, with no ticket required.
Living near the airport looks different now that the airport has a public garden. At Monica Sample, we track changes like this across Moon Township because they affect what a home here is worth to the people who live in it. If you'd like to know how your home's value looks today, request a free home valuation and we'll walk you through it.
