Public travel plan
A Wildlife Lover's Family Day at Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium
Plan this as a full-day, hill-heavy zoo loop rather than a quick stop. There are real uphill and downhill stretches, with roughly 50 feet of elevation change between some sections, so comfortable shoes and an unhurried…
Source videos
Travel inspiration behind this plan
Plan notes
Useful context before you go
Plan this as a full-day, hill-heavy zoo loop rather than a quick stop. There are real uphill and downhill stretches, with roughly 50 feet of elevation change between some sections, so comfortable shoes and an unhurried pace matter; if mobility is limited, a scooter is worth considering. The creator found a Saturday visit very busy, so a weekday should feel easier. The indoor underwater viewing areas, aquarium halls, and primate house are the best cooling breaks. Admission in the video was $27, AZA reciprocal membership cut that in half, and the snack bar also sold a Louis Hazy Pale Ale and a raspberry hard tea.
Itinerary highlights
What is in this plan
Day 1: Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium Full Loop
Follow the zoo's loop to avoid backtracking: start with the water exhibits, move through African Savannah, Tropical Forest, Forest Passage, and Jungle Odyssey, then switch to the aquarium building, Kids' Kingdom, The Islands, and the dinosaur/carousel finish. The indoor spaces are your best heat break, and the aquarium labels can be a little scattered, so read carefully.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
This is a strong first stop when you want a cool break, because the underwater tunnel and giant windows let sea lions pass right overhead.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The underwater viewing area gives you another angle on the polar bear, and it works well as an indoor cool-down if the bear is active.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The sea otter was smashing ice against the glass and then using its tummy as a table, which made it one of the cutest stops.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Here you get Louis the giraffe, the three female African elephants, and the nyala right alongside the new giraffe house construction.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Stay a little longer for the three lions, the flamingo enclosure with the thatched umbrella, and the cheetah den, where the cheetah was lying low in the corner.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The outdoor yard is spacious, with at least four gorillas out and the smallest ones playing on the hill.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Inside the big hall, look for the howler monkeys, the white-faced saki monkey, the gibbons, the black-and-white colobus, and the blue monkeys.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
This side extension is worth the extra walking because the tiger was up watching birds and you can catch it again on the way out.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The red panda was climbing high in the branches here, so this is one of the cutest stops on the far side of the zoo.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The Komodo dragon has indoor and outdoor viewing, and it sits right across from the red panda area.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The giant anteater is the first animal in Jungle Odyssey, and it is usually active enough to justify a pause.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The pygmy hippo was out of the water and then dropped back in, so keep clear of the flat area by the glass if it moves that way.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The ring-tailed lemurs were looking relaxed and calm, making this an easy short stop.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
This rainforest-style section focuses on Amazon River fish, including the arapaima and pacu, and the pacu was called out as the second-largest freshwater fish in South America.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
This 20-foot-tall tank gives you a zebra shark, black-tip reef shark, sea turtle, moray eel, and red-bellied piranha from multiple angles.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
This plant-heavy section is humid enough to fog a camera lens, so it is best as a brief pause rather than a long filming stop.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The nearly ultraviolet lighting makes the clownfish tank pop, and the smaller reef tanks also hold camel shrimp, hippo tang, garden eels, shrimp fish, diamondback terrapin, crab, and eel.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The sea nettles are mesmerizing even though the tank feels a little small for them.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
This cold-weather penguin stop has macaronis and gentoos, with both above-water and below-water viewing and a very echoey room.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The quiet here is a good sign, because it means fewer turtles need help in the rescue rehab area.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
These warm-weather penguins are native to South America, and there were a lot of them in the water when visited.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The slides in the kids' area look great and make this an easy family reset between the bigger animal exhibits.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The crowned pigeon is a colorful contrast to the mammals, and the head feathers are the part to linger on.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
This walk-through path is fun because the wallabies can come right up to you when they feel like it.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The otters were not out, but their night home was open, the beavers Nugget and Alice were snuggling in back, and this area also had the bald eagles, goats, sheep, kunekune pigs, alpacas, and donkey.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
This modern-looking room is all about camouflage, with chameleons, leaf-tailed geckos, mossy frogs, and a copperhead blending into the leaves.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The first two enclosures were empty during this visit, but the section still delivered Philippine crocodile or false gharial, the siamang indoor home, the Galapagos tortoise, Visayan warty pigs, and a clouded leopard in the tree.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The dinosaur event is spread all over the zoo, with Utahraptor, Carnotaurus, Dilophosaurus, Spinosaurus, Quetzalcoatlus, brontosaurus-type figures, a T-rex on the hill, a baby triceratops, and even a rock-band dinosaur.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
This older carousel is simple, but the painted animals in the middle and around the outside give it plenty of charm.
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Sea Lion Underwater TunnelSea Lion Underwater Tunnel, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
The snack bar sits in an old enclosure and serves a Louis Hazy Pale Ale named for Louis the giraffe, made by Cinderlands Brewing Company, plus a raspberry hard tea; the beer was about $13 and helps support the zoo.
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