When was the last time you visited Tracy Aviary?

Guest Post by J'nel Wright.

What is bright red, covered in feathers and struts around the yard? Wrong! It’s the Scarlet Ibis. You can find it, and many other varieties of birds, at Tracy Aviary.

When was the last time you visited Tracy Aviary at Salt Lake City’s Liberty Park? If your last memory of this exhibit is from a field trip as a youth—it’s time to come back.

Founded by local banker Russell Lord Tracy when he donated his private bird collection to Salt Lake City, Tracy Aviary has been welcoming visitors since 1938. Today, the only bird park of its kind in the U.S. cares for approximately 400 birds representing about 135 species.

This isn’t mere chicken wire and peacocks, folks. Rather, Tracy Aviary maintains numerous rare and endangered species in award-winning facilities that have been nationally recognized in both the architectural and structural engineering industries. Our favorite collection was the South American exhibit. The Socorro Dove may be extinct in the wild, but you can see it at Tracy Aviary.

On this particular day, I visited this 8-acre park with 3 teenaged skeptics. As we meandered around the wide landscaped sidewalks and walked into the interactive bird displays, the final opinion on our visit was surprisingly positive.

“I enjoyed Tracy Aviary,” said Dillon. “It was fun and updated and had a wide variety of birds. It was cool to be able to walk into a display and get so close to them.”

Josh was pleased with it, as well. “It wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought it would be a big building filled with cages, and it would be hard to see stuff.”

“This is a great place for adults and children to see birds they haven’t seen before,” said Nate. “I saw birds I never knew existed.”

Despite the positive reviews, the visit was not without its regrets. For an additional fee, we could have fed the Sun Conures, but we ran out of time. We agreed to return soon.

While the cost for visiting Tracy Aviary is not prohibitive (Kids (3-12) can visit the park for 5 dollars, the fee for seniors, students with a valid ID and military is 6 dollars, and adults total 7 dollars), Tracy Aviary often offers great deals for families to visit. Coupons4Utah.com regularly posts details on these packages. In this way, the entire family can discover fascinating birds surrounded by a beautiful setting that sits close to home. If you are looking for something to do this week, why not consider Tracy Aviary? It is definitely something to chirp about.

For more information on Tracy Aviary and other attractions available at Salt Lake City’s Liberty Park, please visit www.tracyaviary.org.