Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Reviews

The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium was a perfect place to spent a splendid fall afternoon!

The zoo is very nice. But the one old gentleman working there left a really bad taste in our mouths! This man was rude and ignorant and had no business working around children! He, another gentleman and his grandson were feeding an animal. A young boy about 10 ask if he can hand the animal a rib of celery out of the whole stalk they were feeding it. The guys snaps at him no you can't! Your not privileged enough to do that! We looked at that man and said wow rude much! You could have stated it nicer if you and your grandson couldn't share one piece out of the whole stalk! He turns and said the way I see it is this is my grandson and he has more privege then that boy does! We picked up my grandson and my daughter walked away. I did let this man know his actions were rude and uncalled for!

Loved this zoo for many years and will for years to come.

Took the girls really nice facility. Staff is friendly. The animals are awesome. Had a great time.

Not as many animals as their used to be .. kind of disappointed. . But still a nice day..

My favorite zoo! The views of the animals are amazing!

My kids love this place! We paid the extra admission so we could see the dinosaur exhibit which is my sons favorite! I gave 4 stars for the fact that "rumors' are saying that the dinosaur exhibit is leaving my son is devastated. Please don't take it away n put something dumb in its place!

Good variety of animals, especially for going in March. Tigers, Lions, Cheetahs and other cats were all on display. The penguins and polar bears were cool.

Great place, excellent staff. My whole family enjoys it here

Very nice zoo. The only thing I didn't like is the big cats looked too anxious. They would just pace back and forth in the same path over and over.

Pittsburgh Zoo - When I was looking over best places to visit in Pittsburgh, I came across this Zoo in many websites and shortlisted. Unfortunately, this zoo doesn t have so much exciting stuff except watching Tiger, Lion, and Sea Lions from proximity. However, it s good to have some experience visiting this zoo.

Some of the exhibits were closed and there was a ton of construction spots. It would have been much better if it was all finished.

Very dirty worst I ever seen it even ppg was dirty glass and water with covid I expected it to be much cleaner

I would give 0 stars if I could, I m not one that s all about the covid. But, it was EXTREMELY packed, couldn t see any exhibits, because either there was so many people or the glass was filthy. I was in and out in under a hour. Completely disappointing, seeing how 1/2 the place was under construction and not up kept. Definitely not worth $17!

Many thanks to all those who worked or volunteered their time to create such a nice event.
Can't wait till the Christmas Light Show begins

Nice Zoo - with standard animals. Good for kids and family to check out within 3 hours. Rest areas and food available in good intervals across zoo. Few parts of zoo is really maintained and Dinosaur park was structured good to get a real feel with all effects. Animal spaces look small and some look weak and tired. Cool small waterfall here and there, nice kids play area.

Very nice zoo. Very easy to walk. The staff is friendly. The water station was great when it was hot. The aquarium was one of the best I saw. The kids play area was in the shade and have staff on site. I love this place. Parking was very easy and free. On my way out I was able to get a souvenir for $5. Which was great. The food price was okay a bit pricey but had a lot of option.

Went to the sea lion encounter. Got to watch trainers right in front of us. Loved all the different animals. So much to see

Pittsburgh Zoo is a great place if you want to see animals and learn more about them. There are boards near each animal to tell you about the specific animal. Pittsburgh Zoo is a fantastic experience! I enjoyed visiting it!

Great zoo! The new expansion is great, more interactive and fun for kids! Have been coming here since I was a child an will continue to for years to come. Great to see some new animals and money being put into the zoo to expand.

Great variety of animals!
(I liked the Penguins!)

Love the animals.. But 38 bucks for 1 pizza is alittle crazy :)

Great place! If you are an animal lover, you'll find an amazing time here! It is interesting to not only see many different animals, but to learn about them as well. I enjoy this zoo everytime I go!

Money well spent especially if you have young kids. It is a well designed layout. Not much has changed since I was there years ago. However I was kinda disappointed are no longer bears there.

This place is a great place to go with the kids and spend the day having fun. There is so much to do there. The only bad part is the unbelievable long escalator that you have to take to get in, unless you are handicap and then you can use a elevator.

Poured most the visit but the family had a blast! Love seeing how excited the kids get.

It was a really fun time despite all the covid precautions!!

It was good. Not everyone wearing mask as per Zoo policy. Not enforce either.

Best Zoo I've been to so far! It was very easy to navigate through. All the animals weren't out due to weather but we was able to see plenty. Will be visiting again in spring. My kids loved it. Frozen and all!!!

A nice place to visit to see the animals! A fantastic aquarium & lots of interactive exhibits for younger kids to enjoy & even the adults in their lives!

Such a nice place for families, lots of walking but good exhibits, first time family and I went, we will definitely come again

It was fun and really big and all the animals were wonderful but I think it should be opened later in the day. It closed at five and due to that I couldn't see all the animals or even the aquarium.

Well kept, animals appeared happy. The aquarium was really nice. A lot of walking.

I took my daughter to the Pittsburgh Zoo and she had never been to an aquarium before. We had a wonderful day despite parts of the park closed due to Covid concerns.

We're talking about my childhood and I'm 70. I am sure it has changed dramatically. It was across the river from my grandfather, so it was not just a school event. The Polar bears were memorable as were the bears around the corner. Feeding them was always fun. The snakes were like a dark dungeon. The otters were fun and I think they fed on the attention. Outstanding human relatives section. The baboons and their red protrusions freaked us out. Memories of the zoo are long. I'll let you go. It is a treasure.

This place mixes a healthy walking work out with all the fun of seeing animals at a safe distance. I have to give a big thumbs up for a great day out for the family.

Its ok. Nothing special. got some elephants, zebras and animals like that. Was a fun experience but i dont know what but something was missing there.

It's a zoo and an aquarium. It's fun and really nice. My only real complaint is that it's basically on the side of a mountain, so it's ALL hill. Not an easy trip for a disabled person who is too stubborn to use one of those rascal things. But I still always enjoy our trips. We even got a membership this year.

The zoo was awesome. It was easy to navigate to see all the animals the zoo has to offer. There is plenty of rest benches along the long walk it takes to get around the zoo. The exhibits have really good viewing points along the trails leading to them. The food buildings are located in the right places to accommodate the time it takes to get there if arriving at the time the zoo opens. The only down side is the aquarium can be over crowded really quickly. The souvenir shops are nice. A must see in Pittsburgh.

This zoo was no longer on the reciprical zoo list, and I ended up paying twice as much as planned. At full price for the tickets, this zoo lacked the number of exhibits or the niceness of the exhibits for many of the lower priced zoos within a half days drive. All of the animals seemed well cared for, though thete were many not in their outside displays that lacked indoor displays. As zoos go, leave this one farther down your "must see" list.

Great time, animals well cared for, and safety conscious staff.

this place is amazing. I've never been to such a zoo or aquarium like this one. My children were in awe the entire time! I WILL make another trip to this park. Next time we'll stay the prior night so we can spend the full day at the park. We spent 3 hours here and never a full moment but did not see the entire park. (We were tight on time schedule)

So much fun. Took our little one and she absolutely loved it!!

I've lived all over the country but the Pittsburgh zoo is still the best one I've ever been to. There's a big variety of animals to look at.

It's best to go during the week when there aren't as many people. You'll just have to put up with bus loads of rude kids.

Also, be prepared to pay and arm and a leg for food and drink!

The only thing that I dislike is that when I went there was only one meerkat. The side on the wall even said that they're social creatures but this one was all alone. He looked sad and looked as though he was trying to escape. I wanted to buy a meerkat stuffed animal from the gift shop and out in there for him.

Such a beautiful park. I love that everytime we go back they have something new being added. They made the best of the quarantine process. Still required to wear a mask but they don't bother you if you take it off after walking past security.

Love the zoo always a nice time when we go. Most of the Animals were out and about. Clean and people were mostly social distancing

Wish i could add a video!! So pretty and it wasn't too cold so there were still many animals out!! loved the seals, v active lol

Great place to take the family. My family really enjoys it here.

Small but very nice. New updates every year and great to go to with smaller children as it is well shaded and quick to get through. A lot of hills but it is Pittsburgh after all.

You'll be hiking uphill a lot, but it's worth it for fantastic animals. We enjoyed their free day at the end of the season.

Well kept and nice zoo. The cart that gives rides up or down the hill is a very nice amenity. The animals look healthy and you can get pretty close to some of them. Most of the animals were being lazy/sleeping but that makes sense for such a hot day haha. Great for kids and adults and there is so much to see, you could easily spend most of a day there.

Its amazing! If i could give more stars i would!! We've been there twice and have every intention of going back again soon. Im obsessed with the baby gorilla!

It was a free day so we took the kids. They loved it

They have done an excel job making the zoo safe and still making it fun!

Great place for a family outing ! If you go plan to spend a couple hours to see everything ! Would suggest bringing water !

I really enjoy walking around watching all the animals.

This zoo is surprisingly good. Its literally right at the top of the Highland Park neighborhood, nestled in like its just another house on the block. On a nice sunny day in Pittsburgh (those do happen periodically), you cant beat an afternoon walking through the exhibits. Animals are close up and interactive, especially the elephants, lions, giraffes and zebras. Best part for us was the red panda exhibit, they are amazing creatures, for an additional fee, you can go in and feed them, same with some of the other animals in the zoo (penguins, giraffes, etc).

My family and I had a great time today and we are planning to return ,Thank you to all the warm welcome from staff

Always a good time, very clean very friendly staff. We always have a good time here. Food is over priced but worth it for a day of fun!

One of our all time favorite family spots! Great for all day or just a quick trip.

Very beautiful and unique zoo, definitely a great experience from a Floridian like me

Great place for kids but be prepared to walk and get your work out on lol. I would recommend bring your own snacks and drinks for the little ones and yourself. The Dino area was pretty cool but a little smaller than expected. Overall though it was a great trip for the family to learn and grow.

Went to day for the first time. My group was excited to go which we still had fun my nieces has a blast loved seeing the animal. Wasn t pack and we got to go threw with seeing the animals that was out today. But the only complaint I have about it I fee like the zoo keepers could do a lot more better at keeping the animals areas clean specially the animals that have the water tanks. It isn t fair to the animals to have the dirty exhibits.

My family visited the zoo today and I was shocked when they sent me a pic of themselves. Not one of them had on a mask. Apparently the zoo is not requiring one? Per their website they say guidelines from the CDC only recommend them inside buildings. Yet......after reviewing the guidelines, I didnt read that. Plus, Disney and Kennywood require them. Why wouldn't the zoo?!? Its not worth the risk yet.

We liked the zoo overall, however, many of the exhibits were not available. They could definitely use more directional signs as were just going in circles at times.

This zoo is FANTASTIC! Totally worth the 2 hour drive. Admission gets you in the zoo and the aquarium. Little dudes went bananas over the animatronic dinosaur exhibit. We had lunch and got to watch the giraffes as we ate. There's a zip line for the kids, tons of new animals. Ended the day checking out the sharks and stingrays. Such a fantastic day with the kids. We all had a blast!

We did the driving tour today. Even though we didn't get to see all the animals it was a great experience.

One of the best zoos we have been to - kids absolutely loved it

My favorite zoo ever!!!! This zoo is constantly adding new exhibits. There are so many amazing animals here. The aquarium is huge. The setting of this zoo is just amazing. You can even eat lunch right by the giraffes. The islands are amazing. And the ice cream is so yummy on a hot day. Can't say enough great things about this zoo.

Nice zoo, but the aquarium isn't what it use to be.

Pretty awesome zoo. Lots of cool stuff to do. Looks great for kids.

Great trip . zoo workers were both attentive to animals and visitors.

I love it here. It's always so nice and clean. It's a lot of fun.

Went with my grandson's preschool class & had a great time watching him see elephants, giraffes & gorillas in person for the first time! At only 4 years old, he was able to see the entire zoo.

A decent zoo that's always expanding. I'm surprised I hadn't reviewed it before. Glad I checked. We were bummed to hear the dinosaur exhibit is gone for good, since my nephews missed it last year, but they do a good job and encourage reusing and recycling with their reusable plastic cups (with lids and straws), recycling cans, compost cans, etc.

I recommend going early before it gets too crowded - especially since some of the animals are nocturnal and more likely to be a bit more active in the morning.

This was my first time going back as an adult, and let me say that it is just as wonderful! There was a newborn baby seal to see and it was interesting to see the guidelines regarding covid-19. When you're outside, you don't need to wear a mask as long as you're away from others. Inside, a mask is required which is fine and kept me safe and healthy. The time slots kept it less crowded than normal which meant I was actually able to see the animals up close and personal.

Overall my experience was pretty good at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. I wished there were more bears there, but they had a pretty nice variety of animals! Depending on what other aquariums you've been to this one is okay. It's definitely not the best aquarium I've been to, but they have some nest exhibits!

I've always loved this zoo and they are always trying to improve so it is pretty good. My only complaint is not getting to pet the kangaroos only because they are my favorite. But still 5 stars.

Went to the zoo lights. It was well done and a fun experience.

I was a little disappointed during my last visit to this zoo. The zoo and it s animal exhibits seemed a little abandoned. The animal exhibits appeared dirty and empty. On the aquarium side the tanks were very dirty. A couple tanks only had animals inside, nothing for the animals to play with or interact with.
This zoo has good potential however I feel as though it needs some renovations and upkeep.
I d suggest packing your own food as the food prices and pricing in general are a little expensive.

We always love visiting the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Reasonably priced tickets. Of course, food and drink are marked up but not as unreasonably as some places I have seen. I believe you are welcome to bring your own food, as well. All staff we have encountered have been very pleasant. We even went into the little visitor office where they sell the season tickets to get more information on how to get around the zoo in a wheelchair and where the most accessible places were. They had no problems talking to us and helping us figure out how to make the best experience for our son. The animals seem happy and well taken care of. Pretty wheelchair accessible. Our son is in a wheelchair and a few exhibits he had trouble seeing. Would recommend and we will be planning future trips.

The zoo is big and have allot of options . But the food is a little bit over price. Everything else is what you expect from a zoo or aquarium.

Good for a social distancing outing with the family. Be safe. Keep your distance and wear a mask

Was not very pleased the restrooms were not clean and alot of the glass in the aquarium was dirty it was good to get away for the day but we were not pleased maybe we will go back another time

Fantastic zoo! Not the largest zoo, but well organized so you can work your way around the park and keep interests piqued for the little ones.

The animals and fish were very realistic and life like looking I couldn't believe it.