Starting next week, you only have to go as far as the North Side to see the world’s national parks.
The National Aviary will open its new immersive show, “Passport to Parks,” on April 2. The 30-minute-long show will take place twice a day, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Wednesday, and then daily after Memorial Day weekend.
It’s billed as the Aviary’s most immersive free-flight bird show ever, with colorful lights, music, stunning video of parks from around the world and — most exciting of all — some live animal visitors.
Three of the eight species featured are an African grey-crowned crane, a striped skunk and a curl-crested aracari.
The crane, whose name is Clover, will fly from one platform to the other across the space, showing off an impressive wingspan and long legs, perfectly adapted for African grasslands.
“We’ve had Clover in other shows, but now she’s even closer than ever,” said Cathy Schlott, director of animal programs and experiences at the National Aviary.
The striped skunk is bound to be a favorite of show attendees. The Aviary recently acquired two striped skunks as its newest Animal Ambassadors. Named Pepper-Jack and Gouda, the creatures are omnivores. At a media preview on Thursday, Pepper-Jack ate a variety of treats during his time in the spotlight — relatably, he left his kale for last.
One of two volunteer opportunities for audience members during “Passport to Parks” comes with the appearance of the curl-crested aracari, a small species of toucan. A row of eager participants will line up and Izzy, the aracari, will fly from arm to arm, eating a blueberry out of each person’s outstretched palm.
At another point in the show, a silver gull will fly around the room and a few guests will hold up meatballs on sticks to be retrieved by the bird.
Other participating animals include scarlet macaws, a Harris’ hawk and a Eurasian eagle-owl.
“It’s really important with all of our shows to feel like you’re being immersed with the animals and you’re being transported to their natural habitats,” Schlott said.
This is the first show that uses two Aviary professionals as “tour guides,” injecting some humor and rapport into the script that keeps things engaging, in addition to other eye-catching aspects of “Passport to Parks.”
Schlott said that the show is great for all ages.
“The lighting and the music really help little kids, they get excited and they can dance to the music. … It really does hold everyone’s attention, and we do that deliberately,” she said.
Before each show begins, the screen at the front of the room rotates through multiple choice trivia questions about national parks so that guests can test their knowledge, an activity that Schlott said pulls in audience members young and old.
The show zips around the globe from Africa to Australia, South America to Finland, and beyond. There are more than 6,500 national parks in the world, and the Aviary stresses the importance of protecting those lands and the biodiversity within them during the show.
“A lot of people don’t realize how many, and the fact that they’re all over the world, not just in the United States. … The National Aviary, of course, is leading the world of bird conservation, but birds share these ecosystems with all these other animals. We want to show these connections,” Schlott said.
“It’s just a very fun, immersive experience,” she added.
Tickets to “Passport to Parks” are $5 for non-members, $4 for members and $4 for organ donors during April, which is Donate Life Month. Those tickets are add-ons in addition to required general admission.
Tickets can be found at aviary.org.