Yes, You Can Literally Visit the Neighborhood of Make-Believe From ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’
If you’re one of the millions of Americans who grew up with Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, you probably know that Fred Rogers’ trademark sweater is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington D.C.
Sadly, the sweater isn’t currently on view at the museum. But if you’re a fan of Lady Elaine, Henrietta Pussycat, King Friday and the rest of the residents of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, it’s such a good feeling to know that you can still see some amazing Mister Rogers memorabilia: the show’s sets, including the entryway that Mister Rogers walked through at the start of every episode, King Friday’s Castle, and a number of puppets are on display right now, right in Fred Rogers‘ hometown — the actual Mister Rogers’ neighborhood.
View this post on Instagram
Fred Rogers was born and raised in Pennsylvania. After attending college in Florida, and beginning his career in New York, he returned to the area to work as a puppeteer on The Children’s Corner, a Pittsburgh area children’s TV show. He then moved to Canada, where he created an early version of his show for Canadian TV, called Misterogers, which aired from 1963 to 1967. Fred then returned to the Keystone State in 1967, making his home in Pittsburgh, where he soon launched the earliest U.S. version of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. After starting out on a local Pittsburgh channel, the show began airing on NET (a precursor to PBS) in 1968. The first series of the show ran through 1976; the second series began in 1979 and ended in 2001, two years before Rogers passed away.
Through the decades, Rogers remained a proud Pittsburgh resident, and after his passing in 2003, the city he called home has honored him in a number of ways — including with the permanent Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood exhibit at Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center.
In the exhibit, which the museum says contains “the largest collection of original items and set pieces from the iconic television show,” visitors can find the living room set that Mister Rogers walked through at the start of the show, Mr. McFelly’s tricycle, King Friday’s castle, the Great Oak Tree, and a number of puppets used on the show.
View this post on Instagram
The Heinz History Center is dedicated to Pittsburgh history, so visitors can also learn about important inventions created or developed in the city — including Heinz ketchup and the Ferris wheel.
Admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, $11 for youth and free for kids under 5. The museum is open daily, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Remind 
100 Years of Dick Van Dyke
April 2025
Dick Van Dyke is a trailblazer like no other and one of the greatest of the golden age of television.
Buy This Issue