Penguin Connection

The National Aviary in Pittsburgh offers the daily "Penguin Connection" program, which allows guests to play with and touch the birds.This new program, where guests sit in a circle as a penguin walks freely among the group, provides a unique face-to-beak encounter. The penguin trainer will describe what it takes to care for these birds, from natural history to medical care.

The program plays directly into the current national penguin fever. The daily meet-and-greets quickly began selling out for November and December, so the aviary added a morning time slot during some of the busier weekends, "and those are close to selling out as well," said Nicole Begley, supervisor of animal programs at the aviary. For $40, a maximum of six people can register for the one-hour program offered from 3-4 p.m. daily.