I was asked over and over if I would be doing a blog post about our recent visit to the Woodland Park Zoo. While I wasn’t originally planning to, I’ve decided to share some photos and a few of the highlights that just might be useful if you are thinking of going.
PLAN TO SPEND THE DAY
There is a lot of ground to cover and a whole lot to discover while you are at the Woodland Park Zoo. I’ve mentioned it before and I’ll say it again, it usually takes us 4 + hours to get through the whole place. On our recent trip, we were there for over 5 hours and still didn’t get to see everything. I’d strongly encourage you to arrive for opening. This helps with getting parking in the lots there, if you’re really lucky you may even be able to score free parking on the street. We usually just pay for parking so we’re near the entrance and exit in case we need to rush back to the vehicle for anything.
Bring a stroller if you have younger kids. It’s a lot of walking! Little feet get tired, plus it’s helpful to have a spot for putting things like layers you may have worn. On our most recent trips, we’ve made the decision to simply rent a double stroller. There are single strollers and also wagons available to rent. Everything is on a first come, first served basis. Another reason to get there early!
THE CAROUSEL IS A MUST
At least it’s a must for our kids. There is just something about carousels that draws our kids in. I’ll admit, I love them too. The carousel there was first constructed almost 101 years ago. It’s a little piece of American history and the horses on it are beautiful. The girls are always zooming around to try and pick which one they want to go on as fast as possible.
It is a little pricey to ride at $3 per person, but adults going on to stand by young kids are free. The last time we went there was a deal if you paid ahead for a multi-ride card at the customer service counter. It was a much better deal and our kids worked through all of those rides during our visit. It’s something worth looking into if you have multiple kids who want to ride, or if you know your kids will want to ride several times. I wish I had asked about it on this visit.
BRING YOUR OWN FOOD
I really appreciate when places like this allow you to bring in your own food and drinks. Purchasing things from the food pavilion on locations can add up very quickly. On this trip, we opted to make a stop at Target. We needed to get some things anyways for dinner, and breakfast. So why not grab lunch and snack items too? We had also brought down a couple of things from home, like squishy food packs.
We realized that Target has a fantastic selection of ready-made food packs. While I get this isn’t everyone’s jam, it was fantastic for our needs. The girls had a variety of food options and we even found a salad kid that included a fork! Brilliant!
The zoo also has water fountains and water fill stations spread throughout. The problem we ran into was that almost every time we wanted water we came to a dispenser or fountain that was not working. This got a bit frustrating. Thankfully each of us had a water bottle we had filled before going into the zoo so when someone ran out, we were able to share. Bring lots of water with you!
TAKE YOUR TIME AND SEE ALL THE EXHIBITS
Don’t just rush through each exhibit. There are lots to see and often kids spot things that we just might miss otherwise. When there, you’ll notice on the map that there is one main loop, but then it divided into the different bioclimatic zones. You’ll find habitats ranging from the tropical rain forest to the forest of the Pacific Northwest.
If you have a chance, go over what animals are at the zoo with your kids before visiting. There are over 300 species there. Find out what your kids really want to see. That way you can make sure you do not miss what they are hoping to have an opportunity to discover.
PLAY SPACES
Tucked away off the path is a small area with some play structures. We had seen photos of this in the past but had never actually taken the girls there. To be honest, we stumbled upon it by chance. I sadly can’t even tell you exactly where it is. Sorry. But it was a great little spot for the girls to get some energy out and play. There was a couple of slides and a giant play structure. While it may not look like much, the kids were all enjoying climbing up and down and going through the tunnels. There was even a tree stump with some handles attached for kids to climb up. Right away our girls were pretending to be squirrels and raccoons climbing around.
There is also the Zoomazium which we have visited on previous visits. Unfortunately, it was closed on this trip, but it’s always a highlight to pop into. It’s a nature-inspired play space for young kids. We really like that it is indoors and provides a great escape if you are visiting in the summertime and need out of the sun for a bit. It is the perfect spot for more imaginative play.
