Reviews of Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (Zoo)

Ahmad

Weekday

Laura Marley

This zoo is one of the nicer ones I've been to. It's clean and the animals appear healthy and well maintained. The staff is very friendly, and the food I've had there is surprisingly good quality. The aquarium is always a treat, and the lantern festival theme they were setting up for when I visited looked incredible. I highly recommend planning a visit.

Valerie Bennett

Reservation recommended

Andrea Belzer

Weekend

Alana Michelle

Went on a Tuesday and there was barely anyone which I enjoyed. I am from California and this is by far the best experience I had. No wait and not crowded so I was able to take my time and see all the animals with barely anyone around. Bathrooms were cleaned!

Mike Crawford

Had a wonderful day. The Lions were so vocal today. The animals were very active. Love our Pittsburgh Zoo.

T W.S.

Always love the zoo (I still miss the bears though). The Asian Lantern Festival was so cool!

Matthew Christy

Overall was it beautiful? Yes. Sad that they didn’t have any better food it was Asian theme yet no food! Sad about that, and Events was decent props to the people who preformed, awesome! But very small expensive souvenirs and not a lot of events. Jewelry is beautiful guys! Expensive but hey I loved the beautiful things there. I’d say a 4, but hey lets give a 5.

Ruthie Waters (Rj,Rue,Mermaid)

Day and Night, the Pittsburgh Zoo was such a delight! ???? Friday night we "ohhhh" and "aaawwwed" at the Asian Lantern Festival as we walked through the park. It was absolutely amazing and my whole family enjoyed it. ???? ???? Sunday afternoon some of us returned to see animals during the daylight and were lucky to not only see the animals, but were surrounded by beautiful fall foliage! ???? Highly recommended for all ages! It does include a lot of walking and a little bit of hills. Just plan for breaks, if necessary, and consider brining your own drinks & snacks!

Greg B

$21–30

Lauren Edwards

No wait

HAMID A

Wait time

David Schuwerk

Absolutely loved all the animal figures throughout the zoo for the Asian Lantern Festival. Was happily surprised with the recent changes to the enclosures. Sad there were no polar bears out for the day but overall most of the animals were awake and moving around. We had a great time.

Kenny Dorsey

Pleasant and helpful staff. Lots of parking. Animals were out and engaging. Aquarium had sharks and was laid out well. Very wheelchair friendly

Random

No wait

Jen G

This is a small zoo, but quite frankly, I loved it. We were able to get through the zoo in about a little over an hour! ???? I’d wear good walking shoes though, lots of hills in the park! I am a BIG souvenir fan, and I was underwhelmed by the gift shops. ???? YOU CANT MISS the aquarium! It’s the best attraction in the zoo! Overall, a fantastic experience and definitely affordable! 4 ⭐️s only because there was some confusing walkways and were weren’t sure how to get to a specific place in the zoo. One of the staff was trying to help us, but they too were confused ????

Steve Livingston

Price for adult entry

Abbiee M.

It was honestly really fun. I haven't been to the Zoo in many years. It wasn't too crowded overall. Once in the aquarium it was pretty packed though. My partner and I wore our masks indoors. They had the huge lanterns out for the Asian …

Brandy Sinclair

Visited on

DrewLord

Wait time

Brianna Haggerty

Went with great niece (7).. We had a great time. Enjoyed the atmosphere, special displays, animals and aquarium. It was a very hot day but the zoo is well shaded so it was a wonderful day.

Thomas McClure

Reservation recommended

Jessica Ulery

No wait

Crystal Cox

Wait time

Love Pink

I love the zoo but a friend and I went for the Lantern Festival and it was beautiful. Highly recommend it for adults and children of all ages.

Tonya Johnson-Jenkins

The zoo was nice. Seemed a little smaller than our zoo back home. The aquarium was not impressive. But, they do have some larger sea/water animals, like sea lions, otters and a shark or two. We did the animal encounter and I definitely recommend it. Drinks were $5

Jessica Slavensky

Price for adult entry

Nul Atlas

Free

Melina Valenzuela -Greco

Wait time

William O’Neil

The Pittsburgh Zoo had numerous programs throughout the year and offers many seasonal delights; one of which is the "Asian Lantern Festival." All of their programs are aesthetically beautiful sand very entertaining. Every time that I have gone I thoroughly enjoyed myself. . .as did everyone with me! Check out their website calendar for special events, programs and features so you don't miss out! The Zoo itself has beautiful meandering paths and many benches upon which you may rest as it is a long walk. Most of the paths are easy to traverse, however, for the infirm, aged, and physically challenged (of which I am one) there is one moderately steep, long, straight path that can be difficult because there are no benches along this inclined path. I advise that those who tire easily, have lower back problems, or have physical infirmities, to rest for 15-30 minutes at the base of this pathway before beginning the incline. Please don't let the aforementioned paragraph scare you off. Most of the zoo is easily navigated, save this one stretch of walkway. Take a look at my photos of the "Asian Lantern Festival," which I recently attended. It was a magnificent display — absolutely mesmerizing — that entertained everyone in our party, without exception. If you have toddlers who still use strollers. . .bring them! Parents who didn't, regretted it halfway through the zoo. Little ones will tire if walking. Children ages 10 and up have no difficulty. There are several places where you may buy snacks, drinks, souvenirs and more along the paths. I'm a diabetic and ALWAYS thirsty. I brought a stainless steel mug, filled with ice and tea, and there was no problem. Restrooms are clean and plentiful. The Pittsburgh Zoo is well worth your money, time, and effort! Make a special memory an GO! ENJOY.

Ankleasaurus Rex

Visited on

Stevie Brown

It was wonderful seeing all the animals and going to the aquarium seeing all the beautiful colorful fish. The gift shop was a bit pricey but it's in Pittsburgh so it make sense. I think it was one payment of 15 to 20 dollars a person to Get entries to the zoo & aquarium.

James Dillard

Very clean and way more attractions and animals than we anticipated. Price for entry was very reasonable for everything included. Didn't see a few animals, but the sanctuaries were great. Tons of actual plant life and not fake terrarium plastic plants. Highly recommended for families.

Theresa Faust

We were there for the lantern festival. Totally worth it and we were able to see a lot of the animals despite it being pretty late. The sleeping polar bear, sea lions and cheetahs were the cutest. The light displays were fantastic and gorgeous to walk through.

Gowtham shankar

Always a great experience going to the zoo. Went after hours for the Asian Lantern Festival and was awesome.

Coreen Stalnaker

Price for adult entry

Louis McCloskey

No wait

Jeff McLeod

Wait time

Deborah Dearman

The Zoo is a fun place.

Asia Clark

No

eapen ninan

Visited on

Honie Button

Not sure

Jessica Scheidler

Very nice experience driving through the zoo. Staff very friendly.

Shanesha Caver

Wonderful 3-4 hour visit on a sunny day. Animals may have been seemingly tired from the heat, but it made the aquarium that much more exciting. Burger and chicken from the Jambo Grille are fantastic though a little pricey. Definitely worth the visit!

Jennifer Whitford

Price for adult entry

Mike Litzinger

Truly a lot of fun. The animals are much more active in cooler weather so don't wait until summer to visit!

Shawna

Reservation recommended

C Cortina

Turns out late Sept or early Oct is a great time to visit. All of the animals were up and active all day in the cooler weather. Also, the whole park was decorated for the Chinese lantern festival which looked awesome. However, many of the food stands are closed this time of year (reduced staff like the amusement parks) so skip the souvenir cups since there no real opportunities to refill them, unless you backtrack.

Aubrey Freeze

Christmas zoo lights Very nice and the children enjoyed seeing Santa !

Rene Nilsson

$16–20

Parminder Singh

No

Crystal Duff

No

Tim McFeaters

I am from Texas was visiting with family. This zoo is absolutely beautiful. We don't have penguins at our zoo in Texas. So amazing the zoo is up in the hills what a hilly state ???? the zoo food was very expensive a whole pizza is 39.99 if I recall. If your on a budget it's best to take some snacks and drinks. Overall nice zoo

Gretchen Sobotka

The zoo wasn't super busy and was very accommodating to my grandfather who has trouble walking, we came during the Asian lantern festival and it was absolutely beautiful, I can't even imagine how it would have looked like at nighttime Definitely worth the ticket price!

Jamie Arias

I always love coming here. Coming from out of state this is one of the most gorgeous zoos. I would highly suggest going here!

michelle Gonzales

I honestly think this place does it right. I don't think there is anything else I wouldn't have wanted from a zoo. Bringing in our lunch and going at our own pace make for a great day

Stefanie Zearing

Wonderful place we all enjoyed it and it was a lantern festival. A lot of animals, great choice and place to visit.

Elizabeth Dyer (E.J)

Price for adult entry

Jessica St Clair

Visited on

Mary Miller

Up to 10 min

Abbey Stiles

Reservation recommended

Charles Luke

Price for adult entry

Nia Way

Price for adult entry

Chris Jeremiah

Attended the Asian Lantern Festival. We really enjoyed all the exhibits! Well done.

Miggs

Reservation recommended

Robin G

Nice zoo. I really wish the polar bear exhibit was open when we went. It looks really nice. The penguins were awesome.

Danielle Dunbar

I absolutely love this place, it's so peaceful in the morning before the croud arrives. I just wish they had more handicap parking to add more convience for the ppl who need it. But overall it's a wonderful place to visit.

Mike Matus

We have visited many zoos in many places every time we travel to another state and one thing reigns supreme and that is knowing that the Pittsburgh Zoo and aquarium is so fantastic and hard to beat! Must stop place if you visit Pittsburgh. You will be pleasantly surprised. Proud that this is in my hometown.

Annabelle Veatch

$16–20

Christopher Roxbury

Wait time

Tom Alden

Wait time

Danelle Morgan

$16–20

Morpheous Neo

No wait

Rich Sauter

Good for families or friends. A ton of cool animals, food stands, and small rides. You can occasionally sign up for an animal show, where you can interact with small animals. There's also a playground with many cool activities. Highly suggested

Shania Day

I love coming to the zoo. It's always a fun time. Today they had the majority (if not all) of the animals out. The Aquarium was open. All the gift shops were open. The food venues were open. Even then smaller drink stands around the zoo …

Katie S

Not sure

James Cowen

Free

Kelly Kinard

Always great to go see the animals, even if it was super crowded. The water in the bathrooms was actually superhot, a definite negative for those no touch faucets. And their map could be better; we went the whole way around but i feel like we missed some animals i remember seeing before.

Tessa Watkins

Visited on

Alexander Rudnicky

Weekday

Roberta Dougherty

Wait time

Chillin' With Chuck

What a wonderful day at the zoo! The Pittsburgh Zoo is definitely worth visiting. You really get the chance to get up close and personal with the animals. Every visit we see something new!

Daniel Mozer

My family had such a GREAT DAY! It was a magical day for all of us at all of our ages! The kids never got bored and NEVER ONCE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE 7 HOURS WE WALKED FOR ????????????... I can't wait to go back next year! And get even more awesome pics!!!

Patrick Moran

Wait time

Kyle Gower

Zoo is bigger than I remember, and was enjoyed by all of us. Pro-tip, take your own water or have $5 ????.

Josie Wing

The entrance into the actual exhibits was long. But once you make it to the animals it was fantastic! They did have the lantern display along the way and that was pleasant! The number and variety of animals was really good. I thoroughly enjoyed the visit!

Sholem Ellenberg

Up to 10 min

Rachel Radel

Small but very funny zoo! We really loved the experience!

Miss Choo

$16–20

Jessi E

Animals are beautiful, not as many as I thought there would be. Didn't have a lot going on as in food, and interacting, education other than pictures. I did go on a week Day so I'm unsure if they offer more on weekends. It was a fun place I would recommend visiting

Denise Ciafre

Absolutely loved all the animal figures throughout the zoo for the Asian Lantern Festival. Was happily surprised with the recent changes to the enclosures. Sad there were no polar bears out for the day but overall most of the animals were awake and moving around. We had a great time.

Derrik Thompson

It is a really great and beautiful zoo. Great for kids. There are various animals including lions, tigers, cheetah, leopard, giraffe, zebra, flamingos, and monkeys. There is an aquarium but it is small and it does not have a vast variety of fishes. There are several restrooms there and they are almost clean. Also, there are several restaurants with many food options. I did not try them but many they were busy. There are a few beverage vending machines but they are cash only.

Emmanuel Perez

Weekend

Jennifer Nowicki

It was my first time at the zoo and aquarium. I'm from out of state and sense I love aquariums I decided to visit. It was not my favorite experience. It's a lot of inclines and I wasn't expecting that. Once I got to the aquarium, which is all the way in the back, I was disappointed. It wasn't as awesome as I thought it would be. The area where you could touch the aquatic fish wasn't very impressive. All of the glass needed to be cleaned because you couldn't see the fish very clearly. All in all I don't think I would visit again.

Arquis

Yes

Ronna Fruscello

Reservation recommended

Greg Garner

Wait time

Trish Perez

Price for adult entry

Najd Alagl

Visited on

Ryan Moe Money

Up to 10 min

Terri Breedlove

Weekend

Valeria Acosta

The zoo is always a good time. But, go see the Asian Lanterns while they are there this year too! Spectacular sights. Little crowded, but not awful in that regard. Some pics for a tease I have added. But there are so many more to see and the pics don't do them justice. Go see for yourself!

Justice

Overall we had a very nice time at the zoo. It took us about 6 hours to get through the whole thing including sitting down for lunch while we were there. My personal favorite was the aquarium which has many different species of fish and other aquatic animals. The cool thing is they also include many freshwater species like bass and trout from local waterways! The only thing I would do different is arrive right when they open because I think we entered around nap time for the animals!

Chris C

Visited on

Chris C

Weekday

John S

No wait

JORGE SUAREZ HURTADO

Visited on

Daniel Troyer

Nice sized zoo. Good shade. Has your standard animals. While we enjoyed our visit, there are just too many other amazing zoo's we have visited to give this more than 3 stars.

SHANNON B

$16–20

Laurie MacPherson

Pretty good zoo for little people and big people alike. Plenty to see, and a couple of play areas for little ones. Didn't care for the prices of drinks or food, but it's an attraction, so that was expected. You can bring your own backpacks in if you want. A good couple of hours of fun and learning for sure

Steven Spachtholz

Weekend

Jasmine Shaughnessy

Yes

Kamal Kikani

Seriously AMAZING! My kids ran around there for 5 and half hours. There are 2 kids play areas. You can bring in your own food or snacks. Park was clean and the staff was very knowledgeable. So glad we went! Animals slept through the hottest part of the day so get there early. They are setting up for an asian festival, which looks truly amazing. Super impressed with this place and will be back!

Beth Seiler

I live in NY and always thought the Bronx Zoo was IT! I LOVE the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. It’s well laid out. The animals are active. It’s clean. I loved it so much I went twice in two days!!!

Kristi Cesnick

Kids had a blast! Even tho it was bout 90 degrees out. Was nice that the aquarium was attached as well. I wish the I closures were larger for some of the animals. It was sad to see alot of them that really need more space to run to be stuck in these little spaces. I would rather see less animals at a zoo knowing they had more space than to try and fit so many different species in. But it was a fun experience for the kids while we were in Pittsburgh.

Jeremy Pidhirny

A tip right up front: if you're coming on Saturday, take an Uber and go as close to 9 am as you can. It will seem busy (and honestly it is) but when you leave later on, you'll understand why this is so important! ;) This is a great experience for folks of all ages. I went with my husband for an anniversary trip and we had a great time seeing a huge variety of animals, reading the displays, and watching kids react to huge cats and fish. I was surprised by how well shaded it was (it was sunny and in the 80s but I didn't sweat TOO bad). If you have 2-3 hours to spare and can walk up a few inclines and dodge strollers, I think it's well worth the admission fee.

Josh Brickman

We made a spur of the moment day trip up to the Zoo with our 5 yr old and she had so much fun. They’ve expanded since I last went, and it took us a few hours to get around the whole park. She enjoyed seeing all of the animals, got to watch a show at the seals exhibit, fed a rhino, pet a sting ray, and a goat. We enjoyed stopping to play at the playground and there were plenty of places to rest, eat, drink and take nice family pics. Overall a nice fun day. We will definitely be going back soon!

Jamie Woodie

Price for adult entry

David Schuwerk

Had a blast even though alot of animals where not there due to being winter hours

Beryl Redman-Irizarry

Beautiful natural settings for many of the exhibits. Adding more. It was a lovely day!

Jean OBrien

Had a difficult time finding something worth going to in Pittsburgh but this place was great. The weather that day was perfect which made the experience even better. I loved my time there.

21 boys falling out at the disco

Not sure

Sierra Moore

Price for adult entry

Debashish Dutta Majumder (Dash)

Visited on

Dina Furdak

Reservation recommended

Patrick Manning

Weekday

MonaLisa Leung Beckford

No wait

Siotha Vest

This is one of the best zoos I've ever visited. Lots of different animals to see. Lots of good information told about them. Easy to navigate. You go in a circle. Very reasonably priced. Excellent for families.

Andrea Seeloff

Take the whole family, pack a lunch, and make the day of it. So many animals to see and learn about. Gorillas, all sorry of cats, penguins, reptiles, and so much more. See the giant aquarium filled with different species of fish and sea life. Don't forget to charge your phone or bring a camera, pictures are must. Wear comfortable shoes. The new exhibits are amazing.

Missy K

No

Fate1er

Always a great time! One of my favorite places. It's always great to get out and get some exercise and visit a few friends.

Stephanie DeGoes

We went to the Asian Lantern Festival! It will be there till the end of October. It’s great for Everyone! If you can’t go this year make sure you go next year. It’s spread out thru out the Zoo. I am reviewing the event only. The Zoo has parking and handicap wheelchairs is ok to get around

Mary d

Great zoo experience. Staff is friendly and park is kept clean. Plenty of restrooms eateries spread around the establishment. Concession prices are pretty average. Animals seem clean and content ... well cared for. Aquarium is nice aside being kinda dim but the dimness enhances some of the exhibit colors. Hills may be somewhat of a challenge for elderly or disabled but they do have a tram that runs every 20 minutes but was not open the day we went should be running again soon, one quick phone call can resolve that. We did 6 hours and saw everything with 2 children. They have a nice play area for kids to blow out their last bit of energy on the way out called the discovery zone. All in all we had a great day and experience at the zoo today.

Charles G

Reservation recommended

Kat Patterson

Recently visited with my family, wife and 3 daughters (3, 7 and 9). We loved everything about the place. It's nice to see such a variety of species in a Zoo, all in 1 day. The enclosures seemed comfortable for the animals and in most cases the animals were easily viewed. The Aquarium is a decent bonus to the Zoo itself. Not the biggest but it does show a decent number of animals in the smaller space. There was adequate shade and places to take breaks from the vigorous terrain that the Zoo occupies. Really tough to get around with a wagon, and I would imagine wheelchairs and strollers would be an equal chore. It was a great day all in all, the only issue we had was finding decent parking, took about 15 minutes to find a spot. Maybe adding a parking garage in the future might help.

Matthew Rychtarsky

Always a great facility to visit. The animals are well-cared for while also being visible in fun environments, the staff are friendly throughout the entire park, and there's always great events going on. Right now, their Asian Lantern Festival is truly spectacular. Wonderful trip to make any time of year. I highly recommend visiting.

Mohamed Eshnuk

Had a great time at the zoo. It was hot out so a lot of the animals were resting. Just wish the aquarium part had been a little cleaner. Some of the tanks were dirty and hard to see.

Shawn Leriche

5 star zoo, however, space for animals removes one of them. I get this zoo is shoved into the middle of a city like most, and they try to …

Jessica Lucero

Weekday

mace mace

It's great to take the kids to a quick zoo trip and some lunch in downtown. We drive from Wheeling and can do the zoo in 2hrs. We love the aquarium side!!

T Clark

Reservation recommended

Adam Mikolaj

Visited on

Megan Sinagoga

O M G. Me and my honey had a wonderful day at the Zoo/Aquarium , it is really a nice place. We got to see the seals get fed and show off for everyone, we got to watch one of the elaphants get a shower and how smart she was . The Gorillas are amazing ,they have a little guy in there and he was hilarious to watch splashing in the water and clapping to show his momma.. the lions have 3 cubs and the momma was playing with them with a stick so that was cute to watch! What a wonderful time we had! And the price is super cheap!

Adam

Weekday

goodtimebear1

Always loved the zoo. About to experience the Lantern Festival????UPDATE: The Lantern Festival was incredibly beautiful and so much fun! We even saw a Karate performance. I had such a great time????????

Eugenia Ziegler

Visited on

Pittman Family

I've always enjoyed visits here. The upgrades have been great. I do miss the bears. The Lantern Festival is beautiful!! I greatly appreciated the descriptions that explained the meaning of each. Big cats are big favorites. And the joyful otters!!!@

Carlo Milan

Weekday

Jake Madden

No wait

Rylie G

Lots to see, we loved the penguins, kangaroos, gorillas, alpacas, and monkeys. Did you know they sell beer? We had food and ice cream, it’s good but you can spend a lot of money here! We liked the clues along the way too!

Karen Leslie Brooks-Montgomery

We've been to several zoos and this one is our favorite so far. The park had a great variety of animals in enclosures that made it easy to observe and learn about the animals. There were fun activities along the way, including these cool swings. Having an aquarium too was a great value for the money. While we didn't go at night, the Asian lantern displays were amazing and worth seeing in the daytime. The food was extremely expensive and they only had one register open. Getting food took about 15 minutes and paying for it took another 15. Our fries and pizza were cold before we could eat them. Once we got lunch though, we were able to watch the giraffes and zebras while we ate. That was pretty cool. Aside from eating, the rest of the trip was awesome. Just so you know. Getting into the zoo meant riding an escalator that was extremely steep. My daughter was too afraid to come down it. They have an elevator but we opted for a walking trail. It was also steep, but manageable when dry.

Juice Ramirez

Weekday

Chad Fillion

Price for adult entry

Edgar Stephan

Reservation recommended

Tiffany Yanosky

I have visited the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium several times over the past several years. Of course, during the summer months, more animals are outside in their exhibits, and during the winter months, many animals are inside buildings and cannot be seen by visitors. Nevertheless, I have always enjoyed walking around the paths and seeing up to several thousand animals. Prior to the pandemic, this zoo had really fun animal encounters, and I hope that those are brought back in future years. Some souvenir shops and restaurants are available. Tickets are reasonably priced, and parking is free.

Billy Peene

Wonderful zoo and aquarium.. and all the exhibits are well done and give animals plenty of room. Definitely a must visit..but it is alot of walking just a heads up.. we were there for three hours

Jeana Velasquez

Visited on

Courtney KBug (AdventureFish)

Reservation recommended

Dougie DeCosta

Went during the week while it was slower, had a great time and most of the animals were all up and running around

JOJO

You can tell they really take care of the animals there. All around a great experience. Great value when you consider the aquarium and zoo are all in one location for the same price.

Jessica Striker

Reservation recommended

Dave Tankersley

No

Para Un Tiempo Como Este Rosaly Guzman

Yes

Lois Francis

Yes

Jessica Bundrige

Went during the Chinese Lantern festival. Was so nice! Great zoo! Very clean. Lots of hills and walking

Tasha Esaki

Reservation recommended

Debra T

Visited on

Nicole Kohler

Not sure

Veronica Mayo

Wait time

Jolene Messmer

My children and grandchildren took me for my birthday as a surprise. It was Very Beautiful, Bright and Big. We loved all the sights, well done attractions. Someone got married had their reception there. Only problem was the ticket lines, the 1st step to entry sucked up to 6lines whether tickets was prepaid on line or not, just wasnt organized clearly at all.

Erica Burpee

No wait

Brandon Bell

Reservation recommended

Heather Krygier

Nice zoo very shaded for most of it. Kids enjoyed every minute of it. Although is is not on the same level as Cincinnati or Virginia zoos in terms of exhibits and animals/things to do it was still nice. We got through it all in about 2 hours. The aquarium section was the best part. Overall a good time!

April T

Reservation recommended

Tristan Wenzig

Nice Zoo and aquarium. Both are included in the admission ticket. The animals were all active when we visited. There is a tram service but now, it is suspended. There is a considerable walking needed, and there are small hill like inclines. But nice shades in majority area. There is rental strollers available. The shop items are also well priced and not overly priced as in some other zoos. Worth a visit if you are visiting Pittsburgh.

Sara Salvador

Had a great trip here with our 4 and 7 year old. They were at a great age to enjoy and remember the animals. The aquarium was great although no polar bear and actually no bears at all. That was a little bit of a bummer. The layout made sense. The food was good and usually a few chances to see the animals from different perspectives. As a tip if you make it to the aquarium you are about halfway. Its a good bit of walking so be prepared for sleepy and worn out kids (and adults) if u make it through all of it. We needed a solid 4 hours to comfortably get through all of it without too much stopping.

Lisa Young

Such a great day! The animals looked great and the zoo was clean with sanitize stations everywhere. Staff was super friendly and helpful.

Mike Bucci

Wait time

Angela Menne

Definitely one of the best zoo experiences you can have. Beautiful park, lively animals and a huge variety. A little disappointed this visit with the outdoor portion of the aquarium, seems they removed the sharks from the walk-under tunnel exhibit and replaced it with an extra sea-lion in the tank (which was full of algae) but that aside it was a nice return to an in-person visit after the pandemic.

Brett Kemper

$16–20

steph Tikki

Very nice zoo. Parking was free so thats a plus and all the animals looked well taken care of and their enclosures were clean. Prices everywhere were a bit high, but I was expecting that. A nice place to spend a couple of hours viewing various species of animals and aquatic life.

Denise Fair

The Asian Lantern Festival, Aug14 to Oct30 at the Pittsburgh Zoo is a worthy autumn evening outing. It is well crafted and rightly illuminated layout of 50 exhibits spread throughout the zoo's meandering pathways. Besides oriental lanterns in an array of colors and bright lights, every animal exhibit presents lit lantern models at their original spots. A great evening for kids, parents, grandparents and just about anyone. A little past the welcome arch, a troupe plays the Japanese taiko drums accompanied by flute. The players place forth rigidly straight arm and leg stretches in line with the drum beats. Good to watch and appreciate their music. Excellent effort by the Pittsburgh Taiko group.

Blue Fire

Wait time

frank blackwell

My family had such a GREAT DAY! It was a magical day for all of us at all of our ages! The kids never got bored and NEVER ONCE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE 7 HOURS WE WALKED FOR ????????????... I can't wait to go back next year! And get even more awesome pics!!!

Christina Clancy-Filla

Wait time

Kayla Kaminski

No wait

Brenda Trettel

It was fun beside the walking unlike the Cleveland Zoo there is transit for where you need to go and you want to go but overall it was a cool experience as long as my daughter had fun but all she can think about was going swimming in the neighborhood pool where my wife grew up but overall she had fun

Maggie Frohnapfel

Weekday

Leah R

$16–20

Robert Williams

Had so much fun walking through the zoo and aquarium. Was hot but there are several misting stations to help break the heat. Trees help keep areas cooler. There is a grill there but I wasn't impressed with their food. Takes about 4.5 hours to really see everything. Get there early for the bird shows. They are 3 with last one ending at 11:30 am. Recommend parking inside the fenced area in back. Easy to get to gate. You can buy tickets online or get tickets at gate.

Trim Reaper

10–30 min

melissa hill (Mellymel)

They had the lantern displays out. They were beautiful. Really enjoyed the day at the zoo, it was peaceful and relaxing. Will be going back for the lantern festival. I'm sure it will be a great experience. What more can you ask for.... lantern displays, a animals and gorgeous flowers on display!

Daniel Zeronis

This is a beautiful zoo. The only animal i did not see is the polar bear. The china lanterns are made very well and all of them are beautiful. The landscape is well done. You can tell they spend hours making this zoo beautiful. Very clean bathroom very clean zoo. There is no smoking areas in this zoo at all.. No throwing ur money in the ponds it kills the animals. U must visit. Its beyond 5 stars.

Lexi Gonyer

No wait

Tyler Conklin

We visited later in the day and few animals were out to be viewed. The aquarium was impressive. The escalator at entrance was a bit daunting. Steepest I have experienced and left me with a sense of vertigo. The entrance and parking could use better signage.

Jessica Thompson

Well designed enclosures, a good representation of the various animals one might expect to see at a good zoo. Some concern over polar bear/elephant seal/sea otter areas. Bear looked stressed. Water quality in these areas may need review, heavy algal growth noted in "walk thru" tunnel. Free admission for veterans, see rules. Parking free, handicapped parking adequate. Help for "sensory challenged" individuals. This can be up close and personal, great for the kids, and some good information at each of the various enclosures. Looks like the cheetahs are fed right around 2:00 p.m. Plan on spending several hours, perhaps 4 to 5, not counting any stops for food or beverages. There's some uphill walking, but this does seem to be reasonably stroller and wheelchair friendly.

leslie fennell

Absolutely loved this zoo and aquarium!! It is very well kept, updated, not run down at all! Lots of animals, and the lantern festival is amazing! Great area for kids to play as well! They allow you to bring bags in, including lunch/water …

Dennis Govachini

Visited on

Richard Flickinger

Went to the aquarium for a wedding reception, and was delighted to find out that the Asian Lantern Festival was going on at the same time! We walked through the zoo, admiring the animals and light displays, and then partied at the aquarium. All the staff I interacted with were friendly (if a little stressed).

Kimmy Bro

Went on a school field trip with CCA it was a nice clean zoo. Not all of the animals were out (,assuming it's too cold for them) I would definitely take the 3 1/2 hour drive to see it again with the whole family!

Doug DeHaven

Great place to visit. A true Pittsburgh gem. Lots of animals are out even in the cold. Truly enjoyed the aquarium!

Steven Groom

Reservation recommended

Adrienne Mcfee

Visited on

Cindy Lubinski

We went when it was free with a non perishable donation. Has a wonderful time!!!!

Craig DeFloria

No wait

Cheryl Walge

Reservation recommended

Craig Brocklehurst

Weekday

missy sek

We were pleasantly surprised by the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium! Being from Columbus, we have fairly high standards for zoos. It may not be as large/diverse as the Columbus zoo but it was still a lot of fun. Due to COVID, there was a set path too follow so we couldn’t cut straight to the aquarium like we wanted but thankfully it wasn’t crowded at all on an early Monday morning. Loved seeing the red pandas and the sea otters, but the highlight was definitely the aquarium portion. It wowed us as soon as we entered. Definitely the highlight of the visit! If you’re in town and love animals this is a must visit.

Garett Saksa

The zoo is more fun during the day and on a weekday. The Asian lights festival was ok but not worth the drive because it was packed. The kids were hoping to have more fun. Wouldn’t be back for the lights, but will be back for the animals

Karen Alukonis

Weekend

LAURI CLIFTON

Price for adult entry

crystal K

We always go to the zoo . We attended the asian lantern festival my daughter and I thoroughly enjoy all the lanterns . Food choices awful and gift shop tiny . Could have set this up better.

Lori Perry

It's cool. Missing a. Few things that other places have but surprisingly good for not being a huge city. Also lantern festival is awesome.

Denis Sutter

Nice day, my boyfriend and I decided to take his daughter on a Sunday and it was not crowded which was our preference. I remember taking my kids when they were little so I was kind of excited to see how things had changed since I had been there last which had been many years. There were some sprinkles that we thought were going to show up and make things sketchy but it turned out to be a very nice day to visit. Overcast and a little chilly but not too bad overall. It was the take down of the Chinese festival so we saw the last of the exhibits. Wish that we had actually come to see it when it was up because what we did see looked pretty cool. The one complaint that I have is that for the price of the tickets there were a lot of empty animal exhibits. I feel that if there weren't going to be that many animals available to see then they should have at least offered a discount to the tickets. We did get to see the lions, rhinos, giraffes, elephants, seals, flamingos, monkeys, bats (which were really stinky ????), the aquarium and sting rays that were really cool were probably my favorite. Overall a decent thing to do instead of sitting in front of the tv on the weekend but I didn't think it was worth the cost of the ticket, sorry Pittsburgh zoo. I think you need to amp up your game compared to what you used to have for us to see. Btw, where was the polar bear??

Lynda Nester

Wait time

kristine hayes

Tell me you wanna see gorgeousness and I'll tell you to go look at the zoo! I was completely surprised that I missed the tip that the lantern festival would be happening, but wasn't disappointed! Family friendly and surprisingly peaceful are how I would describe this zoo. Please visit and support the animals!

Judy Pfoertner

Yes

Kevin Morris

Visited on

Eric Gay

Up to 10 min

Sharon Stephenson

Yes

allen close

Awesome zoo to go visit. A lot of different animals to see and learn about. Animals are very well taken care of. Easy to spend hours out of a day to see and learn for under 20 dollars per adult. Can buy food and drinks inside the zoo. Donations can be made and can buy items to take home for memories to look back on. Easy walking paths.

Tommy T

Wait time

Rich Lewis

Wait time

Donna Marano

$16–20

Abbey Road

Surprisingly good! Very comprehensive variety of animals, great enclosures.

Anthony Thompson

I was here for the Asian Lantern Festival while visiting my family. I've been to the zoo plenty of times when I lived in the area. 1. They need to install bigger signs for the zoo around the area. Signs that are mounted on telephone poles are way too small. I know the zoo can afford bigger, bolder signs. 2. For the festival, people with printed tickets were able to get in before people with digital tickets. This is very ironic because the zoo has signs up throughout the area talking about saving resources such as trees yet they cater to the people who used paper tickets.... 3. I went to a museum in Atlanta a few years back when they had adult only night. This zoo should join the club. Some people don't have kids, don't want kids and don't want to be bothered by screaming kids while getting run over by strollers. An adult only day/night, once a month, would bring in so many people and so much cash. Trust me. 4. The parking lot needs more lighting and better signs for the exit. I've seen people drive around and around looking for the exit and it reminded me of a NASCAR race. 5. With the Asian Lantern Festival, I think the zoo should do other ethnicities. Have an African-American festival, a Slovak festival, etc. We should learn about ALL cultures. 6. The ground are well kept and there is little to no trash. The staff are always friendly and helpful.

Heather Kirchner

No wait

Aaron Host

The Asian Lantern Festival was absolutely stunning. It went beyond my wildest dreams.

Jack Frost

Public holiday

Simon Kelley

Went to see the Asian Lantern festival. Wonderful experience. The lanterns have begun to show a little wear but still throughly enjoyed ourselves. Most of the food stands were open and the icecream was a nice was to close out the night. Took a good two hours and we probably could have spent more time. Not overly crowded.

Madison Gaston

I took my family to the Asian Lantern Festival at Pittsburgh Zoo and it was a great time. Lots of great photos and the kids had a blast.

Alex Greenbaum

Not sure

Darlene Loftus

Weekday

Chad Llewellyn

We're here now for a special seasonal event (Oct), the Asian Lantern Festival. It's really wonderful, actually. The weather is beautiful, and the displays are great. We've seen a few of the animals too, but the main attraction, tonight, are the lighting displays. I'd recommend it, for sure. It's packed.

Daryl Radcliff

Visited on

Karisia Oditt

The PZ was a great place. Loved every minute of the 4 or 5 hours we spent there. Little disappointed that we didn't see the polar bear. We tried twice to see him and it was a no show. I'd recommend the zoo to place signs out when animals are not going to be shown during the day for whatever reason.

Ryan Retone

Free

Steph Z

No wait

Jeff Day

Wonderful Zoo! Really well set up and lots of great animals.

Christopher Leavens

No

Debra Wright

Price for adult entry

Jay Felgar

Visited on