Updated for September 2026
The Best Zoos in Pittsburgh
How this list is ordered: by how complete our listing is — how much we hold on opening hours, ticket prices, accreditation, photographs, animals and facilities. It is a measure of our own coverage, not a judgement of the venue. We hold no visitor scores or conservation assessments, so “best” here means every zoo in Pittsburgh that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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Animal encounterParkingSensory and cognitive support
National Aviary
Zoo in Pittsburgh
It is the largest indoor aviary in the country and the only one given honorary National standing by Congress. More than 500 birds are kept, along with other animals and reptiles, amounting to over 150 species in all.
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Keeper talk or show
Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Pittsburgh
The site occupies 77 acres of parkland and holds over 4,000 animals of 475 species, twenty of them threatened or endangered. It began in 1898 under the name Highland Park Zoo and shifted over time from a menagerie towards a conservation body. Growth in the late 1930s came from Works Progress Administration labour and foundation gifts, and produced what was then the second largest aquarium in the country.
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Wilderness Wildlife Center
Zoo in Pittsburgh
Wilderness Wildlife Center is a zoo in Pittsburgh, United States.
Our ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 3 venues above are listed alphabetically by name, the same order used throughout this site. We do not collect visitor reviews, star ratings, ticket-sales figures or a conservation-impact score, so none of those exist here to rank by — “best” in this page’s title means every venue that qualifies for this list, not first-to-last by quality. If we ever add a data source robust enough to support an honest ranking, this note and the order above will change together.