Pittsburgh Zoo Mom Tips

Our experts tell you what you need to know in our Pittsburgh Zoo Mom Tips.

Parking – There are several parking lots at the zoo. When you enter, you drive down a long straightaway where you can park. Watch for the zoo entrance and park near it. Or, drive all the way through and circle around to the left where there is a lot pretty close to the entrance.
Cost – AZA reciprocal membership gives you 50% off admission. However, note that this zoo is no longer AZA-accredited.
Strollers – This is a pretty large zoo – I would bring a stroller for young kids.
Route – One of the best qualities of this zoo is the structure. It is basically a circle, so traffic flows in one direction. The map even numbers the exhibits so it’s easy to know which way to go!
Bathrooms – The zoo had a lot of bathrooms. None of them stand out as being better than others, but we found one each time we needed one.

Hands-On Opportunities – We really liked the amount of opportunities kids have at this zoo. Our middle daughter needs to touch everything! Most of the exhibits have something that the kids can touch. The aquarium also has a touch tank, if you’re willing to wait in line for a good spot.
Must-see exhibits – The polar bear and sea lion exhibit was really fun to watch! We also recommend Kid’s Kingdom (near the end of the zoo) where you can walk in with llamas, wallabies, and also farm animals.
Playground – This zoo goes above and beyond to make sure there are things for kids to do, and ways for them to get energy out! In Kid’s Kingdom, there is a big plaground, complete with multiple slides. These slides are marked with suggested age ranges. We very much appreciated this! There was also a playground and slide in Worlds of Discovery’s indoor facility.

Feeding Opportunities – There weren’t a lot of interactive opportunities, but they do have giraffe feedings available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. There is touch tank in the aquarium building.
Extras – There weren’t too many extras at this zoo, but in Kid’s Kingdom we let our little ones do the log ride for $1. We caught the end of the Sea Lion Training demonstration in Kid’s Kingdom. This demonstration is free. There were other demonstrations throughout the day, but even though we arrived when it opened, the lines prevented us from getting to them on time.
Food – You can bring your own food into the zoo or buy food here. We purchased food, and although slightly pricey was really good. We sat at tables outside that overlooked the giraffes!

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