The parking lot is very small. Had to wait for people to pull out to get a spot. Street parking is limited but available. Our visit revolved around a 3 year old. There was a small line to buy tickets. We were pulled over to the gift shop to purchase tickets. Within reach and at eye level are all kinds of things. "Can I have ____?" No. Tickets for 1 adult and 2 kids $56.85. We got our tickets. We immediately passed the concession stand. "Can I have chicken fingers and French fries?" No we are going to lunch when we are done here. How about some cold water? $4 boxed water ... terrible. The birds were either above or below the 3 year old's view. Lost interest quickly. Within 45 minutes, we were on our way to lunch. We'll try again in a couple years. read more

This is the largest indoor aviary in the country, located right here in Pittsburgh! Stepping into some exhibits feels like you're transported to a whole new region, and the vibrant birds completely emerge yourself into a whole new world. The workers are very friendly and educate you on the birds and their behaviors. Some of the birds even walk along side you on the walkway. Me and my boyfriend stopped here after his classes, and CCAC students get free entry to the aviary. Not only will you see many beautiful birds, but they house sloths and bats as well! One of my favorite birds ever, the Luzon bleeding-heart dove, was here in the same cage as the bats (which also happen to be one of my favorite animals). read more

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Good experience at the National Aviary. Arrived at the parking lot around 12:30pm on a Friday and there was only two (2) spots left in the entire lot. You can pay for parking ($7) at the lot kiosk or the ticketing desk inside the aviary. There are metered spaces in the surrounding area but I don't know the cost. From the lot, it is a short walk to the entrance (3-5minutes for most). The entrance desk was easy...you can purchase tickets ($20 for adults) and pay for parking ($7) while there. There are a few areas throughout the aviary including the wetlands, which include penguins and flamingos, and the tropical rain forest which includes ducks, ibis and parrots. There are also some other areas including birds or prey and an outdoor area which has condors and eagles. There is a large central cafeteria area with lots of tables and chairs as well as a cafe which serves some snacks and beverages. Finally there is a sizeable gift shop which contains a variety of items including clothing, stuffed toys, books, mugs and other trinkets. Overall I had a good time here...I would plan to spend about 1-3 hours to complete the aviary, depending on how many exhibits you want to read or take in. read more

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One of my favorite places in Pittsburgh! There are so many birds to see and habitats to explore. I especially love the Penguins and flamingos. A delightful way to spend some time enjoying the beauty of creation indoors. It's also available on the RAD pass, so you can visit once per year for free, read more

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Gorgeous birds up close! From small to large and in a variety of habitats. The parking lot was full, but we found a good street spot on a busy Spring Break Monday. The admission fee is kind of high relative to the size of the facility, but this is a unique place that will appeal to all ages. read more

National Aviary - My favorite pics - Zoos Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Fabulous for a visit Birds of course And that elusive sloth Friendly people working happy to answer questions They also have experiences that cost extra like feeding birds Parking lot is a pay lot Parking on the street is metered Crowded on the weekends Come during the week easier to park less of a crowd The cafe is legit nice sammies pizza pretzels and fresh coffee Cute stuff for sale at the entrance books and toy birds Gotta love this Pittsburgh national aviary read more

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On our last day in Pittsburgh before catching our flight home, we had a little extra time to kill before heading to the airport. We decided to come to the national aviary and check it out. After parking on a nearby street, we made our way inside and easily purchased tickets at the front desk. They had a variety of other experiences that we could have upgraded to such as feeding certain birds or getting to interact with some birds in an intimate setting, but we just wanted to check out the space. We walked through all of the exhibits and enjoyed getting to learn so much about the different climates and habitats of the various birds. If you are looking for something to do in the downtown Pittsburgh area and are a bird lover, or just simply looking to learn a little bit more about our feathered friends, I would recommend coming to the national aviary. read more

National Aviary - Condor spreading its wings - Zoos Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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What an underrated joy it is to have the National Aviary in our city. My family visits a couple times a year and we really enjoy it here. There is such an interesting variety of birds and related species. The penguin area is always a clear highlight. You can duck or crawl into the exhibit and emerge from a plexiglass tube to look at the penguins more closely, or get a cute photo op. They are all characters with personalities and everyone has their name on a band, so they get to be known among visitors. Today we did a penguin encounter which is limited to eight people booked in advance to spend some time learning a little more about them and then visiting up close and personal with one. Our little penguin buddy Wyatt liked to zoom around the room at top speed which was hilarious. We got to touch him gently and get a sense of what his glossy, slick feathers felt like. Really fun! When you check in for general admission you can also consider doing a smaller add-on experience or two for just a few dollars, such as hand feeding the lorikeets, colorful birds that will sit on your arm. But really you don't need to pay for anything additional here to have a great time. Just checking out all the species, some of which walk around amongst you, and stopping by any scheduled events like talks that they will mention to you when you check in, is more than enough. They are very involved with wildlife preservation and conservation organizations here. They do children's birthday parties, it's a popular spot for a weddings and special events, and there is a yearly night in the tropics fundraiser that is really fun with lots of local restaurants providing food and good entertainment. During regular visit days the café, which is small but has a nice little selection of items such as chicken fingers, fries, pizza and ice cream bars, is run by local restaurant Atria's. There's also a gift shop which offers a lot of items for children, from stuffed animals to educational games, and Jewelry, branded wearables and housewares for adults. read more

National Aviary - A cup of broccoli soup and naan dippers from the cafe. - Zoos Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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What a great spot to check out! The aviary is a lovely place to go when the weather is yucky.. or not. I try to plan my visit when there is a monthly brunch event. The food is catered by Atrias and is honestly some of the best brunch in the city + it is all you can eat, buffet style. The facility is very clean, and employees go above and beyond to help answer questions. read more

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We were in the area and we saw this place with a small line out the door. We didn't have plans after breakfast so we just hopped in line. We were shocked how much fun we had here. We lucked out and saw most of the feeding time for each room and we saw the birds interact with the Aviarists and some crowd participation. The birds look like they are happy. Interesting is that they have a bird called Floyd and he's almost 39 years old. He knew when was feeding time and was there ready to go. We also did SkyDeck which is only available during the summer and it's to showcase 4-5 birds and how they fly around and eat. It lasts about 20-25 minutes, but definitely wear a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. The beating sun was no joke and we had to constantly look upwards to see the birds fly around. Overall fun time even without kids. My favorite are penguins because I think they are cute. read more

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Visited for the 1st time in probably 20 years with daughter, daughter in law and grandson...ample metered parking on street....allot of free viewing of birds from around the world...great tutorial on the penguins...place was very clean as well as the bathrooms...2 1/2 hours was plenty of time to cover it all and see a presentation... read more

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We went for Holiday Brunch. Atrias had a buffet style meal and a cash bar setup. I got an alcoholic hot chocolate which I did not really enjoy. It was a little strong and hard to drink. The buffet was ok, a lot of the food was frozen food, like the chicken and waffles. The aviary was decorated nicely for the holidays. I really enjoyed seeing all of the birds, especially when it was snowing. read more

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A good amount of birds and nice workers. Cheap parking and decent priced tickets. Great place for a date or a hang out

My wife and I went here for a Sunday Christmas brunch. Catered by Atria's, the food was pretty tasty and had plenty of options. Open bar was a nice touch too. The aviary is beautiful and there's a bunch of birds to see. You can even walk through some of the enclosures. It was super snowy and the birds were still out and enjoying it, so did we! read more

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Traci, Ashley, Sandi and the other workers &volunteers are all so knowledgeable! Love how you can interact with the birds and see them in a natural habitat. read more

National Aviary - Zoos Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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This place was simply awesome! Expensive, but I think actually worth the price, especially when I learned that they have vets on site 24/7 to care for the birds. We also did the bird show, which was worth the price as well, I'd say. Had an owl fly so close to my head I could feel the wind from its wings in my ear! Cafe food and coffee were decent too! We spent a good 5 hours or so, and if we lived nearby we would certainly be back! read more

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My girlfriend is bird lover, and she had a great time at the National Aviary. There are tons of different areas in the aviary, and lots of feedings scheduled throughout the day to give you the chance to learn about the birds from the knowledgeable staff. Plenty of chances to get up close and personal with the birds - and the lorikeet feeding was well worth the small add-on charge to have birds landing on you for your cup of nectar. If you like birds, definitely worth stopping in! read more

National Aviary - Zoos Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Great experience. So many beautiful birds and in some of the habitats, you're in their space with them. We really enjoyed. read more

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Next to the aviaries in the San Antonio Zoo, this is the best bird exhibit I've seen. It's rather small but packed with birds, and it's all bird. And this was without seeing any of the shows or demonstrations, which I didn't have time for. There are three large walk-through aviaries: wetlands, filled with flamingos and ducks and spoonbills and others; grasslands, with tiny birds like finches and canaries; and tropical rainforest, including giant blue parrots and a Malaysian pheasant whose piercing "woo woo" cry echoed through the room. Elsewhere there are African penguins (tolerant of a temperate climate), a room of lorikeets, and a giant Steller's sea eagle. And much more. The cafeteria includes among its offerings chicken tenders and turkey sandwiches. Roasted bird, in an aviary? read more

Fun time visiting the Aviary. It is just the right size and you get a little education while visiting. Next time I want to pay the extra to have a more personal experience with feeding. We did get to see two different feedings which was very interesting. read more

Had a great time here with the kids. We enjoyed all the different areas. It was great to see all the birds walking around not scared of humans. We got some great pictures of the birds up close. We did the bird feeding adventure and the girls really liked it. We were surprised how small the place is but it still has alot of cool birds to see. read more

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I luv this place it's so Pittsburgh & the staff are nice & I luv all the animals I also luv that's its in the northside read more

National Aviary - Zoos Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We went on a day we were off from school and it was great. They had tons of opportunities to learn about birds for all ages. My son loved the coloring area that put his picture on the screen. My only suggestion is to remember to go back to the gift shop, it's at the entrance and then the exit to the parking lot is at a different location so we didn't want to backtrack in the cold and took the quick exit. read more

National Aviary - Zoos Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

A friend and I walked here during a free afternoon and were happily surprised at the size. One thing to check is if you have a zoo membership elsewhere if it qualifies for reduced fair. I was able to use my local membership for a discounted entrance, which is always a nice surprise. We spend hours exploring, watching the interactive lessons and feedings, and just learning more from volunteers. Since we came so close to daylight savings time, we saw the penguins waiting to be fed at the wrong hour and learned how they learn to adjust to time change. read more

National Aviary - Zoos Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

My husband and I toured the museum when visiting our son and daughter in law. We are not bird lovers, but we loved visiting the birds! The interactive exhibits were so cool as birds flew & walked around us, the feedings were informative & interesting, and staff were super helpful (one of the staff members, Doug, told us so many facts & stories -that was awesome!). It took us a little under two hours to tour. read more

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The National Aviary is the only independent indoor bird zoo in the United States. The aviary contains over 500 birds that represent over 150 species. It also has some non-birds such as sloths and armadillos. The aviary is separated into habitats, including Canary's Call (burrowing owls, flying foxes, lorikeets, king fishers, turacos, etc.), Eagle Hall (sea eagles, toucans, etc.), Condor Court (condors, cranes, etc.), Grasslands (finches, etc.), Penguin Point (African penguins), Treetops (toucans and pheasants), Tropical Rainforest (30 species such as macaws and egrets), and Wetlands (30 species such as flamingos). Over many years, I have visited the National Aviary many times. For my most recent visit, I bought general-admission timed tickets on the website for $18 per non-member adult. Ticket prices are lower for children, seniors, and members. Once my husband and I arrived at the aviary, we parked our vehicle in the small parking lot and paid a $5 parking fee. When the front-desk employe scanned our tickets, she asked if we wanted to add the Habitat Heroes Theater Show for an additional $5 per person, and we agreed. My husband and I spent over 1.5 hours touring the aviary. We thought that the animals' enclosures were clean and in good condition. We did not see any animals that looked sick or unhappy. We enjoyed watching the birds flying around their rooms as well as over our heads during the theater show. All employees spoke nicely to us. In previous years, I paid extra money to participate in animal encounters for a private behind-the-scenes VIP Experience (touching many animals and touring the kitchen and hospital--not sure if VIP is offered after the pandemic), armadillos, and a sloth, and I highly recommend these encounters if you do not mind spending more money. Also at this aviary is a gift shop that sells t-shirts, mugs, stuffed animals, ornaments, books, etc.; an Atria's Kookaburra Kitchen with foods such as salads and sandwiches; the Garden Room event space; the Rose Garden, etc. read more

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If you enjoy birds this is definitely a destination you wanna make a stop at! It isnt very large but the bird species they have are definitely ones you don't see at your local zoo! The encounters are something special that was an experience! I did the owl encounter.. I will say I was a little disappointed that it was only a eastern screech that I was able to hold and would have been worth the $90 for an eagle owl or bared owl.. an eastern screech is an amazing bird but not worth that much for 2 min of handling. With that being said it was worth the go and I was happy to support the education! read more

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Nice place, fun chance to feed birds. Not great for under 4 years as there is not as much to enjoy for them.

Absolutely amazing aviary. I loved seeing and playing with the African penguins through the glass. And getting to see all the different birds was amazing. The realistic exhibits where the birds are flying around you are incredible. I did the penguin encounter where I got to pet an actual penguin. Overall 10/10 (5.0 stars). read more

Amazing visit, did the Owl encounter and WOW! It was magical. Brought tears to my eyes. Penguins were adorable, Bats were huge, and the Eagles massive. If we are in town we will definitely be back. Thank you for the great experience with the Owl read more

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We had a great time at The Aviary. We arrived at opening time and there was a little bit of a wait to get in. We bought tickets for the day as well as to feed the birds. There are a number of shows you can pay extra for throughout the day. The aviary itself is not that large but I didn't feel crammed with people at any point in time. The bird feeding session was so cute! The kids loved it. We parked on the street but it looked like there was a parking lot we could have pulled in to. I would love to come back again. It is on the pricey side so it wont be a frequent stop. read more

I attended the sold-out Holiday Brunch in the Garden Room at the National Aviary. I enjoyed the buffet provided by Atria's Catering in the airy, natural light-filled spacious event room. The best part was the ticket price included general admission to the Aviary so we strolled around burning off the calories from brunch listening to bird song. Parking on a football Sunday was definitely a challenge. Their parking lot was completely full and nearby street parking was taken by church goers and potentially game goers. read more

Perfect spot to go with a kiddo on a weekend! The birds land at your feet and perch on a railing right beside you! Temps are warm in the tropical rooms, so it's a great escape from the chilly outdoors! There's a cool kids tunnel to look underwater at the penguins and the outdoor area is up close as well. Can get packed, so plan accordingly. Parking I lot is small, but there was street parking available. I was pleasantly surprised at the helpful staff and that it didn't smell bad (sometimes those bird encounters can be gross , but this was super clean!!). read more

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I like birds FROM a DISTANCE. They are kind of scary to me. Well, they are a lot scary to me. Nevertheless, when chatting with some North Side residents, we were told of the outdoor exhibits that are free to view. So I mustered up my courage. Luckily, the owl wasn't visible. Creepy the way it turns its head. But other birds were. Now, maybe eventually I will go inside. Everyone raves about the Aviary. But I made a good first step. If you are like most people and enjoy birds, go. read more

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The National Aviary holds a special place in my heart. I love the simplicity of this bird sanctuary and the fact that I can visit it year-round. What I find particularly amusing is that Duolingo sponsored a Burrowing Owl that we never got to see it because, well, the owl was burrowed underground! read more

TL:DR - 100% worth a visit! Birds and baby animals! Add it to your list. We finally visited here, and are so glad we did. It's a great option during the winter. There are special events and encounters scheduled throughout the day/week, which are optional. We spent a couple of hours meandering through seeing each of the birds and heard staff talk about special care for their animals. The rainforest area was one of our favorites. This place is worth the visit, and is what you make it. You could easily breeze through for a quick visit in an hour, or spend a couple of hours visiting to see absolutely everything. read more

A nice little aviary with a decent variety of birds. It is especially neat to be able to walk in the 3 large enclosures and have the birds flying around you. I was expecting the facility to be a little larger than it is, however it is still a nice visit and worth your time. Note: they have marked times for feedings and paid shows so make sure to check the schedule to get the most out of your time there. read more

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The facility was well kept, especially with sections that had walking paths and birds flying freely. Staff were friendly and knowledgeable. We enjoyed staying for two separate feedings as the presenters were able to explain about the different birds and share information about the individual birds that came over. They gave my boys a 'passport' with the goal of collecting stamps throughout the aviary. We also enjoyed the penguin exhibit. We did not opt for any extras or shows. They have a cafe on sight but we did not stop to eat. read more

GO. If you haven't gone. GO. It was our first time going. It was the sweetest little place. A very immersive experience. The staff was AMAZING. There is food, coffee, ice cream in the cafe. There's even vegan options. we went on a weekend they had the Easter Bunny, so there was quite a few more people but honestly didn't even notice! Highly recommend! I think I enjoyed this place as much as my kids. read more

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My son and his bride held their wedding reception in The Garden Room on December 14th at 5:30pm. The entire experience was exceptional with a full staff serving appetizers, tending bar, serving dinner, and available to answer questions. So friendly and attentive. The room was beautiful with lighted trees, two fireplaces, loveseats, chairs for great photo ops. The DJ was interactive with guests during after dinner dancing and select exhibits were open to visit. From the minute you walked in the door, you felt welcome and were well taken care of. Highly recommend! read more

National Aviary - Dinner catering at the aviary - Zoos Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania