The American Pigeon Museum & Library — Attraction in Oklahoma City

Pigeons are my “favorite animal”, so this place was a must when I found myself in OKC for a couple days. It’s free (or donation), so that’s nice, especially since I don’t think I would’ve felt completely comfortable paying.

I say this because, as an animal rights proponent, I was kinda disappointed that the majority of the beautiful brick building’s space and exhibits were focused on the many ways we’ve exploited the pigeon—frivolous competitive breeding, tools of war, and non-consenting “athletes” used for the purpose of idiotic gambling. There’s still really interesting information about the pigeon’s history as a species and their journey to becoming one of the most successful species on the planet, and the plethora of outstanding pigeon artwork is great to admire, it just sucks that the only time an animal is revered is as entertainment, food, or other utility. I would still encourage people to visit, just had to put this critique out there.

On weekends, several very different live pigeons visit, and you can hold some. A very nice man whose passion for the animal was evident with how he spoke of them, was also really knowledgeable and friendly, and he’ll introduce you to them and shower you with trivia. Most of these pigeons are mutations created by humans, as gorgeous and majestic as they all are. Slappy will give you a light but loud slap of the wing if you put your hand in his cage. I was told they otherwise live in a huge pigeon loft nearby and are allowed to naturally pair. I hope that’s true, but was relieved to know that the museum itself doesn’t fund the forced breeding of these birds.

So, I’m torn about the museum. It was everything I wanted it to be, more or less, but as a joyless vegan buzzkill with a respect for non-human animals that goes deeper than the average person’s, I found a lot of it problematic with too much celebration of humans who have only exploited this already unfairly...

My family has been traveling the country for years now, and often, we'll encounter a free museum of questionable interest. But sometimes we give it a shot because it's free and convenient. Sometimes, this strategy lets us down. This was not one of those times.

Although small, the museum was loaded with interesting history and usage of pigeons over the last couple hundred years. Of particular interest were the military applications (both failed and successful). The live pigeons they have - an interactive experience led by legitimate experts - were super cool. There was even a pigeon named Slappy who'd give you a "high five" if you stuck your hand in his roost! 😆

While I was expecting a bunch of older folks running a museum dedicated to what I'd expected to be an antiquated hobby, I was pleasantly surprised to find several younger, passionate people dedicated to sharing this interesting hobby with the masses.

It is for this reason that - even though the museum was free - I felt compelled to offer a proper donation on the way out. I highly recommend spending an hour or two here if you're in the...

Found this place off of a Google AI recommendation of things to do in OKC. The price of admission is a donation , unless you’re reallllly into pigeons you can see this place in under 30 minutes if just a casual stroll thru it .

FYI this place is about a half mile away from the cowboy museum that’s diagonally across on the highway so can pack in a day of sightseeing (and FYI if you buy your ticket online for cowboy museum you can pair up tickets with the Indian history center and save $10 a person ).

If you love the history of pigeons then you could spend a few hours here looking at every piece of artifacts and articles they have. I think they have a dedicated room for the lineage / pedigree lines of birds.

They also have live birds on site I believe during the weekend only. I would say this place is worth a visit for how much it will expand your knowledge about the bird. Including how they were used in the...