Animal Encounters
Animal Encounters
You can get nose-to-beak (or snout) with animals at the National Aviary when you book an Animal Encounter! Get one-on-one time with a flock of flamingos, hang out with a sloth, or spend time with a penguin. Encounters are limited in size, so you’ll have a one-of-a-kind, personal experience as a National Aviary expert shares fascinating facts and details about the animal ambassador you are meeting. Gain a deeper understanding of a unique bird or mammal and learn about the important role they play in nature as you get closer than ever!
All National Aviary Animal Encounters now include general admission!
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Sloth Encounter
If life in the slow lane is more your speed, spend time with a Linnaeus’s Two-toed Sloth. Learn about these adorable creatures and what it’s like to spend life upside-down.
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Sloth Painting
Participants get the unique opportunity to watch our resident artist and sloth ambassador, Valentino, engage his senses by creating a one-of-a-kind masterpiece for you to take home!
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Flamingo Mingle
Get a bird’s-eye view from the beach of the Wetlands, where a friendly flock of flamingos will greet you. What makes flamingos pink? Why do they have such long necks? You’ll learn this, and more, from an expert as you feed the flock!
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Penguin Encounter
Meet an African Penguin up close! Learn how penguins make themselves waterproof for life lived partially underwater. Get to know the National Aviary penguins’ favorite foods, and find out how you can help protect this endangered species.
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Jr. Penguin Encounter
In this family encounter, penguin lovers of all ages can get nose-to-beak with one of the National Aviary’s African Penguins. Watch them waddle by as an expert helps you learn how their adaptations help them survive life on land and in the water.
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Private Penguin Feeding
Hand-feed the entire colony of African Penguins! Suit up and join an expert in Penguin Point. Penguins will come right up to be fed their favorite foods during this one-of-a-kind immersive experience.
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Owl Encounter
With enormous eyes and feathers designed for silent flight, owls are masters of the night skies! Hold an owl on your gloved hand and learn how their hearing and eyesight help them navigate in the dark.
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Falcon Encounter
Falcons are fast and fearsome flyers, among the fastest animals in the world. Meet a falcon up close and learn how their special adaptations make these birds of prey the masters of the skies.
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Jr. Zookeeper Encounter
Meet two unique National Aviary residents–an owl and an armadillo during this exciting new encounter geared toward our junior fans!
Jr. Zookeeper Encounter