National Aviary

Lovely aviary. Enjoyed walking through the exhibits repeatedly which allows you to see them feeding the birds which brings them closer to you. Did the extra exhibit with the owl which was cool. The cafeteria area was very nice with additional areas to sit and eat. The only problem I had was that I missed an exibit with the birds flying because the owl person didn't know we were also doing that exhibit and we didn't know we had to mention it. Not a big deal but something to keep in mind. They kindly gave us a refund. The employees are very friendly and helpful.

What a great adventure! It's a fun and educational way to spend an afternoon.

It's neat to see such a variety of birds and their personalities up super close and personal.

This was fun for the adults & kids alike, & sparked lots of insightful conversations.

The kids had fun in the flight simulator too!

We absolutely loved visiting this place. We rook our 9 year old for his birthday and attended the penguin encounter program he enjoyed. We got to watch multiple feeding sessions with the birds. Staff in the areas were very friendly and knowledgeable on just about all the birds. Strongly recommend visiting sometime.

Absolutely love this place. This is heaven for bird lovers old and young. I could personally stay here all day just watching the birds in their “natural habitat”. They do a good job letting the birds live in peace but also provide a hands on educational experience. I definitely recommend going to the show too. Nothing like having a bird soar over your head! There’s also a sloth!!

In many areas, the birds roam free along side you, which is a unique experience. This teaches you to respect the birds, and understand their habitat. There was a very thorough diversity of birds, and it felt like a safe home for them. There's also some very large bats, which was spooky in good way.

We have a family membership and go at least 2-3 times a month, sometimes more. It’s our favorite place to be and we know dozens of birds by name. Our favorites are Benito and Sephera (the hyacinth macaws), Rizzo (Double 00 flamingo) , and Mango and Tango (the toucans) The staff and volunteers are great and always ready to answer questions. I highly recommend checking out the rooftop bird show in the summer. It’s awesome

Really nice place. Went here with my wife and we both enjoyed it very much. Nice mix of habitats and I like how immersive it is and allow you to be up-close and personal with the birds. The entirety of the place is somewhat small, so it doesn't take too long to go through the whole exhibit. But still worth-while for a short day trip.

Whether you like birds or not, it's an absolute must visit in Pittsburgh. Mondays are free entry and free parking! I didn't know that till I got there! Got to watch the feeding of penquins, which was so much fun despite the awful fish smell. All the birds are very well looked after, and I love that they replicated their natural habitat very well. It's not very big but overall I enjoyed learning and watching the birds.

TIP: Don't buy tickets online. They are cheaper at the counter. Parking is a complimentary $5 fee but free for members. The lot is pretty small, so best to visit weekdays where they are fewer folks.

My fiancé and I visited the aviary during a weekend trip to Pittsburgh. We loved it! I loved how you can be right next to the birds; so cool having these beautiful creatures walking right next to you. We really loved the penguins exhibit.

This place is always a true joy to visit, and I've been able to do that a lot this year with the annual pass I was gifted last Xmas! The regularly scheduled feedings are plenty of programming for an average visitor, but make sure you can get to one in the wetlands, if you can! You'll get to meet some of my favorite bird friends, Elizabeth, Malcom, Baxter, and Casper. We went on a Monday and it was really quiet and low-key, so they even brought out some of the smaller birds of prey to meet visitors! We got to meet 2 Eastern Screech Owls (Ashen and Cedar); and a Eurasian Kestrel (Austin). So neat! Additionally, we don't mind paying for the little shows. In the summer, we loved the Superheroes of the Sky show on the rooftop Sky Deck; this time we saw the Habitat Heroes one indoors and it was excellent! We even got to see an armadillo, which was fun and unexpected. Finally, it's worth mentioning that the food at the Atria's cafe inside is quite good, so if you forget to pack a sack lunch, that's always a decent option to extend your day there.
I love this place! Every time I go, the staff and volunteers are always so kind and friendly and knowledgeable, and if you love birds like I do, you're bound to enjoy your time here.

I've lived in Pittsburgh for 4 years and in the Pittsburgh suburbs for 20 years. Somehow I never made it to the aviary until today. Not sure what I was waiting for. Very cool! So cool to be able to get so close to do many kinds of birds.

Great place to visit. It is mostly indoors with a small section outside.
Our 1 year old loved this place. Everything was open and viewable for her. Stroller friendly or can carry in a pack. The penguin exhibit was an absolute favorite.
This was well worth a stop and I would budget 1 hr to 1.5 hrs here
We got lucky with parking. The lot does fill up fast with people circling. Parking was $5.

Absolutely love it here! You can tell the staff cares about the birds.
A standard ticket lets you see a lot of feeding/informational events without any extra charges. Just walking through the Wetlands exhibit you will have a bunch of birds just walking around the path with you!
They have a ton of extra experiences that you can pay just a few extra dollars for (my favorite is the lorikeet feeding!)
My only "complaint" is I wish it were bigger! :)

Let your imagination..soar!

Visit the National Aviary to see birds of all kinds! Enter the building and take a stroll into the Condor Court, an outdoor area beginning from within the aviary. Get up close and personal with a few different birds!

Penguin Point is a favorite area to all. Penguins! Walking, swimming…see it all. Crawl through the tunnel and pop your head up in the middle to have a penguin possibly stand right next to you. You can also crawl under and watch them swim just as well as seeing them from the front part of the aquarium. Venture outside and you can see the penguins above the surface.

Wetlands is an amazing area because this is where the flamingos are housed. There are some other unique birds in this area but the flamingos really take the spotlight. Immersive, and the rain even started while we were in this area. No worries, the rain is only over the birds and we are kept nice and dry.

The tropical rainforest is really cool. You enter through bamboo curtains and are among an immersive bird sanctuary. You will see birds in nests, a waterfall with birds swimming about and talking to you from above. Don’t forget to glance around and try to spot the sloth that is usually sitting in a corner somewhere. You won’t see him move very fast from where he is, it might even take him all day to get to another point. Enter canaries call from the tropical rainforest and loop around back in as you glance at many other species of birds, including burrowing, owls. They are tiny, sweet little owls.

There are some other areas as well, but the ones listed are my absolute favorites and are the largest rooms out of all of them. There are educational things you can do along the way, and they have specific times that are listed that these things will be happening.

Be sure on the way out to stop by the gift shop. Many cute products, unique art, including canvases done by penguins, and the sloth.

Notes:

Wheelchair accessible entrance
Wheelchair accessible parking lot
Good for kids
Available for kids birthday parties
Gift shop
Restaurant and seating
Virtual reality ride
Pay Parking lot on the premises

A great time and something to see!

Thank you ALL for a great day! This place is a must-do for any avian enthusiast! Much better than a zoo, these exhibits are well taken care of and you are in the birds' home, not just a visitor looking through the window. Free feeding events, informative posters and cards, nice staff (Heather is great to talk to and ask questions), well maintained lobby. I wish I didn't live so far away or we would be here often. The raptor experience was incredible, thanks also to Eileen and Jamie for that! Food was surprisingly tasty and affordable for this type of venue (we don't expect much from commissary kitchens but this was the exception) thank you all for a great day and we'll see you soon I hope!

They reportedly host birds from six of seven continents, and it’s neat to see so many live birds in one place. They’ve created a series of habitat spaces for various types of birds, indoors and out. There are some scheduled opportunities to feed Lorikeets or Penguins. It’s a neat place that’s worth visiting, especially if you have any interest in birds, or have children. There’s also a small gift shop and café. (Paid parking lot behind the museum. I don’t recall the cost but it was not high.)

What an absolutely amazing experience!! We paid for the penguin feeding experience and were able to participate in a penguin feeding, and Shannon was a wonderful teacher! All of the habitats and spaces are so well maintained and interesting to look at. The gift shop has great items, and the Cafe there had outstanding food. I've never been to a place that had open air exhibits like this. It was so fun to be emersed and just get to enjoy the birds in a more natural state than at your ordinary zoo, and they provided plenty of information everywhere to encourage learning. If it was closer to where I live I would definitely be here often!! I wouod recommend setting aside 2 hours to comfortably view everything here!

Amazing!! Never got bored. Completed all in 1.5 hours. This place is perfect and the staff here is amazing. Also, do you know most birds here have a name? You can see a sloth (his name is Wookie) sleeping on top of a tree in Tropical Rainforest area!!
Don't forget to check out the closest coffee shop @Commonplace coffee ☕ (1501 Buena Vista St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212).

It's always a great experience. I took a photography workshop and it was great. The animals are beautiful and the staff are so knowledgeable.

This is a gem of a place! I’d never been to an Aviary before and I was suggested to go and have no regrets. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and you can spend an hour or many hours walking and looking at the beautiful birds. I also paid to feed the parrots and it was a magical experience. This is a must go to if you’re visiting, living in or traveling through.