‘Cheap’ hops a 500 to the Pittsburgh zoo

The Pittsburgh Zoo

One Wild Place, Pittsburgh

(800) 474-4360

… The Pittsburgh Zoo

One Wild Place, Pittsburgh

(800) 474-4360

The Oakland Zoo supports Pitt basketball, but the Pittsburgh zoo supports your wallet. Lions and tigers and bears for a mere $8 – oh my!

Located in Highland Park, minutes away from Oakland, is accessible from Pitt by way of Port Authority’s 71A or 500 buses.

At an early age, I visited the zoo with my mother and my little sister. The first animal I saw was a dazzling peacock, with its feathers fanned in an array of beautiful colors. Now, whenever I visit the zoo or hear others talking about it, I can still see that peacock strutting around like royalty.

But peacocks aren’t the only animals to see at the zoo, and everyone has a preferred exhibit. The Pittsburgh zoo can accommodate everyone’s wildlife preferences. It is home to more than 400 species of animals, including 28 threatened or endangered species. Additionally, in the PPG Aquarium, wanderers can venture through the Candy Cane Window, a glass tunnel that puts visitors right in the middle of the aquarium with various forms of marine life swimming above, below and next to both sides of the window.

Visitors can also see the playful penguins, sleepy polar bears and lazy alligators, as well as venture through an Amazon rainforest.

Then there are the monkeys. Whether they are swinging from the trees, picking lice from each other or engaging in other activities, monkeys are some of the zoo’s funniest animals.

Ross from the television show “Friends” may have had the opportunity to keep one of these curious little guys as a pet, but the rest of us can only dream – and visit the zoo for a low price.