I’ve seen school buses turned into all manner of things ranging from cabins to produce shops, but until now I never thought I would ever see a school bus converted into a ship. Ok, the pirate ship may not be quite seaworthy, but Pirate Adventures of Pittsburgh has turned their former school bus into the closest thing to sailing the seas you can find on dry land.
With Pirate Adventures of Pittsburgh, owned by Pittsburgh Tour Co., visitors get to enjoy 45-minute rides through the city onboard The Gypsy Rose with a complete cast of costumed actors and actresses acting out comical pirate skits in the isles.
Riders get to take part in the pirate fun by donning fake swords and eye patches, and over the course of the ride are inducted as the newest crew of The Gypsy Rose.
The bus used to be the traditional school bus you see every day, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at it today. The vehicle has been entirely redone, inside and out, and is now crowned with a menacing skull, doubloons, and even small masts. Inside, the bus takes on the feel of a ship cabin, with long benches replacing the traditional seats.
Vince LaMonica, who owns Pittsburgh Tour Co. with his wife, Manon, told Kellie B. Gormly the tour tries to take on the feeling of a fun Disney ride.
“It’s a very funny, entertaining thing. It’s more comedy than anything,” LaMonica says. “It’s very entertaining for the parents, because they laugh at stuff that the kids don’t even get.
“The adults have just as much fun, if not more fun, than the kids on the tour,” he says
While its owned by a tour company, the owners emphasize it is not a tour in the traditional sense. There are no stops, and there is no guide pointing out popular sights or giving history lessons.
“We wanted something … more kid friendly,” LaMonica says. “Kids honestly couldn’t care less if Henry Frick built the building on the left.”
The drastic transformation The Gypsy Rose has undergone just goes to show that a school buses don’t always have to be used for educational purposes. If you think outside the box, they can take you anywhere you want to go – even the open seas.