National Aviary Reviews

A Pittsburgh gem, not that big but easy to spend an hour or two. Really cool birds and exhibits. There s informative feedings/shows nearly every hour. Highly highly recommend for people of all ages! Unless you are afraid of birds then there s 3 rooms you should avoid.

Best place to visit. Lots of free interactive exhibits. Some more expensive ones for special occasions. Great place, we'll run.

Wonderful exhibit that lets you get "up close and personal" with the animals... just don't touch them.

Loved this place! It was quite and calming to stroll through and see all the gorgeous birds. I loved how up close you could get to the penguins.

My daughters, fiance, and myself love this place!? We really loved seeing the butterfly exhibit! We will def be back!!

Great time. Spent about 2 hours which felt like a little too much. Rainforest exhibit is under renovation. Friendly staff . We loved the amazon show!

Great place for kids to visit, but was still good for us young at heart. I'd recommend going on a weekday. It's quite crowded on weekends and space is tight all around. Definitely check the schedule and plan your trip in advance if you want to catch the penguin feeding or similar. Parking is $5 for the east entrance, but you don't find out until you pay for tickets inside. Don't forget to check out the owls, outside!

Wonderful place to see many kinds of birds for bird lovers and animal lovers alike. Great for kids too! We loved this place.

My family and I love it here the raptor show is great

Love all animals especially beautiful and different s

Really beautiful place, great for kids and adults. Look out overhead in the open indoor spaces!

Such a wonderful place to visit. Everyone that works here is friendly and the animals are clearly well taken care of. I've been to a couple of events here that were so much fun.

Absolutely beautiful place to go spend an afternoon at whether you're alone or with a small group

This was my 1st visit, & I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised! ( I attended with a Preschool class) The Aviary was much cleaner and more modern than I had expected. The guides were very informative, and the program "Mother Nature" put on for the Preschoolers was funny and age-appropriate. I would allow 1 1/2--2 hrs, depending how quickly you go through the exhibits. (The Rainforest exhibit was undergoing renovations, so we did not get to visit that area). It was an enjoyable visit, and I would go back!

The National Aviary in Pgh houses rare birds in innovative displays, including walk-through rooms. It is not a large facility, but the obvious love and enthusiasm for the place is obvious when talking to its employees and volunteers. We met a young woman holding a kestrel who regaled us with information about the bird and falconry. We watched the feeding of the adorable penguins and learned much about conservation. It was a bit pricey, with admission and parking (in their private lot), and all told, we were there for a bit over 3 hours. We are lunch onsite and visited their gift shop, too.

The National Aviary has gone through & has survived changes. It used to be funded by The City of Pittsburgh & today, it primarily survives through donors, RAD qualification & public admission/attraction fees. It no longer relies on a stable/consistent flow of income from state or federal sources. It is subject to the mercy of the economic climate.

I wish it was not this way; the people who are looking after the birds & the birds who are living within this biome are priceless.

Next time you tour & come out thinking & reviewing, "I didn't get my money's worth" -- you need to reevaluate what money is & what it means.

Birds and bees are two of the main reasons why you have food to eat.

The purpose of this "attraction" is not to amuse you and your children while you remain oblivious to your connection to the natural world. It is to enlighten you.

The Aviary has a wide collection of birds organized by environment. A few birds live outside of the main building, and they definitely catch your eye when you first walk up. I was amazed at the giant candors on their perch, watching the visitors as they approach. A few large owls also live outside. Inside the wetlands, parrots, pheasants, and even a sloth lives in this leafy environment! The caretakers were very knowledgeable and helpful in answering my questions. They pointed out details such as how the small birds loved staying in the rafters at the top of the greenhouse, or how their sloth actually moved quite quickly when it was hungry.

The Aviary is one of my favorite rainy day activities. They have a dedicated staff who really love what they do and go out of their way to makes sure you enjoy your experience. Each geographical area is separated into sections with different activities for kids and adults alike. Live feedings are scheduled frequently so there is never a dull moment!

The aviary is one of my favorite places to go in Pittsburgh.

I highly recommend their memberships if you and at least one other person plan on coming more than even once a year. It's very inexpensive comparatively, and you receive free parking among other benefits, like 10% off in the shop.

The staff truly care about their birds and are very knowledgeable. You can purchase interactive encounters, but they also have some free feeding events.

They recently remodeled the tropical rainforest, and it's absolutely beautiful. The interactive screens also help you learn more about the birds.

Every trip here, we've seen something new. We were followed by Victoria crowned pigeons in the rainforest, we saw the female condor separated while she was nesting, and we saw the bald eagles playing in the rain.

The aviary teaches important lessons in conservation and preservation, and it's also such a fun experience.

It is all about your own personal expectations, I expected more.

We had a great visit feeding the Lorakeets. There is both an East and West entrance with a gift shop at each one.

Love going here with the kids. The staff is very interactive. They now have a golden eagle!

My daughter discovered this spot and it was an interesting way to spend a day with her and my 21 month old graddaughter. It was clean, just the right size to navigate, the animals looked healthy and you could see them close up. We were hoping that the large birds of prey had opportunities to fly, but they too looked healthy.
The chef was very willing to be accommodating to our toddler's egg allergy, even though it was mostly a limited a fast food menu.
There was available parking and the prices were reasonable for both admissions and gifts. It was a great day trip.

Great place for the whole family. The private time with the penguins is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Incredible aviary. It's surrounded by beautiful buildings and is a metropolitan oasis. The conservation work they do here is awesome and the staff is friendly and educational. I was stunned by how beautiful a wedding I attended looked, they did a wonderful job with the decorations, set up and lighting. To my eyes, one of the most memorable nights I have had in awhile!

Fun place to go, especially with kids. Bird shows are a MUST see!

Nice place to spend couple of hours and trying to know and see different birds here and listen to those different sounds made by all of those birds..

Bridges leading to arch Road were closed due to a parade.. Had to take multiple rounds and finally from 4th bridge could find a way to Arch Road.. Don't take a U turn ever if you can't go from the 3 bridges.. Go straight to the 4th one..

A great place to visit. Nice shows, chances to interact with the birds, and shows a nice variety of birds.

There was a 20 year gap in between my visits to the Aviary. However I plan to buy a pass that is how much I enjoyed my visit. If you love birds and the habitat that they exist in you'll love this place. I love the Malaysian Fox Bats the most but all species there are awesome!

Very educational, a chance to get close to birds from around the globe. Be sure to check out the penguin feedings!

Absolutely my favorite place to go in Pittsburgh. Bring your kids and make sure to get a good view of the baby sloth. Week days are pretty mild while the weekends can get busy.

So beautiful.. Really relaxing place to visit. My favorites were the tropical area and the penguins. Beautiful birds and amazing habitat. Really enjoyed our visit!

What's not to love? Staff and volunteer are so accommodating and knowledgeable. The birds are gorgeous and well taken care of. Penguin encounter was the coolest thing in the world. Many free additional activities and some for additional fee. Well worth it. Check out Soar on the rooftop; really cool show with birds of prey. The Wetlands feeding is fun and interactive as well. A day at the aviary is sure to be a hit with all ages.

My spouse had yet to see the aviary in his entire time living here so we decided to take a trip. We got to see and interact with the penguins and feed tiny little birds in an enclosed area before enjoying large predatory birds. I personally had seen the Sky show before and it's breath taking, children will love the rooftop event. We happily got to see the baby sloth and interact with the entire location. The food is also quite yummy and you get to listen to giggling kukaburas, which I like. It's a great experience and I go at least once a year.

My granddaughter had her 3 yr birthday party here It is handicap and kid friendly. Good staff, clean,has a good quick food area. Nice but crowded gift shop. The Aviary has nice living exhibits of birds- especially penguin. Knowledge guides. Memberships available. Good parking. A great place to spend a few hrs.

A really cool place to learn about different birds and their habitats. Very cool immersive exhibits and different activities throughout the day including an opportunity to feed the birds. I thoroughly enjoyed myself!

Friendly informative educated staff, great gift shop, both outdoor and indoor displays of wildlife birds.

Great place to take kids, even if they are young. Just watching the birds especially the Eagles are very fascinating. The penguin enclosure was closed but they still had one penguin ... for one show. It was good. The birds could walk right to you in few enclosures which is very good. Parking lot is right behind the place. Plenty of paid street parking available as well. There is a nice place to eat within the aviary. Sandwiches are good.

Too awesome! A must to see! Well worth your time...

Loved it. Manageable size, free roaming, engaging aviaries, and interesting birds. And a cute baby sloth. What more could you ask for?!?

We really enjoyed this place! Animals appear to be well taken care of, everything is clean,the staff is friendly, food court prices are decent with good food too!

Sunday Brunch and a visit with the birds .... a Perfect family day activity all in one facility !!

I absolutely love birds and the staff here are wonderful and feeding the animals are the highlight of my day everytime I visit!

Way cooler than I thought it was going to be! The condors are so cool

My boyfriend made froends with a penguin, it was adorable

Relatively small place, but a lot of beauty to be seen and they do good work here. The encounters are very expensive, so we didn't do any. The wetlands room was a favorite.

Such a brilliant way to spend a day, with birds in his little alternate world.

We have gone to the Aviary for many years now. I love it here and find it a beautiful place to come for an hour or two. I love the outreach they do. their bird show is fun. There activities for kids are cute. The staff are knowledgeable and always willing to answer questions. we love the Aviary. It's incredible. It is not not very big facility but do not let keep you from checking it out.

I love this place so much; I wish I could live in this aviary

I had the pleasure of photographing a wedding here and this is such an amazing location for any event! They brought out a penguin to interact with the guests during cocktail hour. There is a park right next to the ceremony location for a couple to go over and take portraits. Everyone was very kind and the entire day ran so smoothly! I would love to photograph another wedding day here and would absolutely recommend it to any couple looking for a unique wedding venue in Pittsburgh!

Beautiful birds, of all colors and sizes! Definitely worth spending a day to see.

Had my daughter's wedding there great place for a wedding. The staff was the best and food was great. Great time had by all

Such a wonderful place that us a perfect outing for my 2 year old son!

We LOVE this place! It is very kid friendly, well laid out, not so big that you can't see it all in just a couple of hours. But if you have more time, you can easily spend more time in each exhibit and dig deeper. Very nice cafe area where you can bring your own food, or purchase a nice variety of sandwiches, salads, pizza and other delicious items at reasonable prices,all made by Atria's Restaurant, as well as get a great cup of coffee. In the warmer weather, several outdoor attractions are available. Some exhibits move around or change to keep things interesting. Be sure to bring your camera, there are plenty of opportunities to snap some memorable photos!

We came for the Sloth Encounter and LOVED IT! Afterwards we went through the rest of the facility and enjoyed our visit. Plenty of different birds to see. The staff is knowledgeable and EXTREMELY nice. They would approach and offer information on the different birds and stay and offer more if you were willing. Worth a visit.

Many variety of birds. Each with history and accommodated with natural habitat. Fun for all ages.

Very fun place with lots of things to see, do, and experience. The dedication to conservancy and preservation is a very special touch. Been there twice and I'd probably go more if I was local.

Very friendly staff. I feel it's very pricey though. $105 for family membership and it's basically just 2 loops of exhibits on the inside. Most of the extras that they offer are additional money. We took our grandkids and I just feel that a Carnegie membership, which is just $25 more, would have given us a lot more for our money. They have a really cool sloth there though!

Really cool spot. The grasslands room with finches flying freely overhead was my favorite. You can literally almost touch them.

The perfect size for an outing--big enough to hold a lot to look at, small enough to be doable in a few hours, and easy to navigate. We love it for family outings with the kids and for family visiting from out of town.

Love it. I have been several times. I love just sitting in the rooms and watching the birds it is very relaxing.

This place was so much fun. Impressive collection of all kinds of different birds--many of which I'd never knew of or seen before. I loved how close you can be to the birds and that most of them are in very spacious facilities where they can fly around and explore. Many staff presentations (such as feedings) throughout the day will help you see the birds in action.

It must be remembered that only certain species of birds can adapt to being confined to an enclosed area. I say that because while it is the largest aviary in the country, it only takes about an hour to get through (depending on how long you visit each exhibit). However, if you take your time, you learn to appreciate it even more. Search the trees in the rainforest or wetlands exhibit, and you will find countless more birds compared to just looking at eyelevel. Also, keep your mouth closed when looking up...

This place is special. It gives you a chance to be up close and personal with birds you won't get elsewhere. Do some of the extra experiences and you will not regret it such as Amazing Amazon and SOAR! . I was able to volunteer to feed a bird in the Amazing Amazon show and have it perch on my arm. During the SOAR experience the birds swooped in so close their tail feathers touched my head. The aviary is not a huge place, but it has several sections/habitats where you can get very close to the birds in an environment that is pleasant and natural. Most exhibits give the birds a good amount of room. The setting is calm and not overwhelming. My son is a bit frightened of some of the birds, but he was able to get comfortable and enjoy and appreciate the birds who were loose. The gift shop had so many adorable stuffed animals-including birds that you could squeeze and they would give their call. It had gifts appropriate for all ages. The cafe was a good place for a quiet break and the food was good. I enjoyed my chai tea latte. When in Pittsburgh, this should be on your to do list.