Randyland: Visit Pittsburgh’s Colorful Museum of Happiness

In 1982, a young community activist named Randy Gilson from Homestead, Pennsylvania arrived in the gritty industrial city of Pittsburgh. Randy had a passion for urban gardens, bright colors, and outsider art. After transforming a multitude of vacant lots into flourishing gardens, Randy purchased a derelict property in 1995. Gilson maxed out a credit card with a $10,000 limit to secure a long-neglected lot which is now a vibrant outsider art museum known as Randyland.

Randyland features a cornucopia of found objects that have been painted technicolor shades of pink, green, and yellow. Visitors can explore an outdoor museum that is dotted with a row of pink flamingos, characters such as a mischievous gnome, and plants galore. Countless visitors have described Randyland as a museum of good vibes.

In recent years, Randyland has billed itself as a selfie museum, as it has been prominently featured on social media platforms such as Instagram. The current entry fee is $49. Visitors are encouraged to snap photos next to a fence covered in bright hand-painted affirmations, such as “yea, you can do anything, so do it.”

Randyland features several chairs where visitors can sit for a spell to scope out the most photographable stretches of Pittsburgh’s beloved museum of happiness. There is even an outdoor living room with a long ago-decommissioned TV, a tangle of vintage telephones, and twin bright pink cushion-less sofas.

Randy Gilson’s unbridled creativity served as a catalyst for the artistic revitalization of the city of Pittsburgh. Randyland now has a handful of artsy neighbors, including a contemporary art museum known as The Mattress Factory that hosts an ever-changing array of multi-media art installations from visiting artists which include elements such as light, sound, and electronic devices that are set on timers.

City of Asylum is another nearby creative organization that offers resources to exiled writers who are facing political persecution. Visitors can attend talks, workshops, and performances by jazz and world music artists. City of Asylum also hosts festivals, including a jazz poetry festival that fuses literature and music.

If you’re searching for an uplifting space that will leave you inspired and ready to repurpose items that you thought belonged on the curb, a trip to Randyland is an absolute must. Randy Gilson’s kind, inclusive, creative vision will surely leave you with a smile on your face. Even on a gray winter day, you’ll feel the warmth at Randyland.