"Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!"
Dorothy unknowingly started a litany of the menegarie of wildlife found at our beloved San Antonio Zoo.
I fell in love with the zoo when I was a child. I have pictures of me with my Aunt Missy sitting under orange umbrellas near the hippo habitat when I was not much bigger than the Madagascan lemurs across the way. My children think those pictures are sooooo old. However, the zoo pre-dates my birth by 62 years.
Stared in 1914, the zoo grew from just a few animals donated by Colonel George Brackenridge, to the habitats and educational centers that encompass it today. Over 3500 animals, representing 750 species, call it home.
Enthusiasm for the zoo is wild, no pun intended. Every time I go, there is something new to discover. Last year, my daughters were enthralled with the free-flying butterflies, and a few days ago, they discovered that amphibians are "Toadally" terrific. This new exhibit made them realize that there is a spectrum of the croaking creatures beyond the ones that visit our backyard pond in the spring.
Enough with the alliteration.
The newest feature of the zoo is the "Africa" exhibit, which is near completion. It expands the previous habitats for the elephants, zebras, giraffes, and ostrich.
Besides all of the special displays, the kids delight in all the old favorites - the fish, the monkeys, the jaguar, the komodo dragon, etc.
There's so much to learn from taking the time to read the signs. We've studied the continents through going to the zoo and finding on a map where each animal came from. We've learned that flamingos get their pink color from the shrimp that they eat, and that bats are nocturnal creatures. We came face-to-face with a giant anaconda on our last visit. My nine-year-old daughter read that it was a carnivore. "Although today, it's an herbivore", she said, "because it's a Friday in Lent." Ha, ha, I suppose you can even create Catholic humor at the zoo!
I love that they have made an air-conditioned spot for the little ones, called the Tiny Tot Nature Spot. You can find it about halfway through the zoo, and it is such a respite on our hot Texas days. The first steps to the spot are over a lily pad, which leads to an aquarium tunnel where some of the fish are as big as the children! Later, you encounter a turtle pond, and then go inside where even more fun awaits the kids. The first room features animal toys, a puppet theater, and a ticket stand. The second room has a "fishing" hole. Then, you move on to what appears to be underground earthworm tunnels. The kids are one with the bugs as they crawl through and come face to face with tarantulas and other critters. At the end, they can tunnel up and mingle with a field of groundhogs.
The indoor part also features clean bathrooms, and even has a room with rocking chairs for nursing moms!
Back outside, a mini-petting zoo features roosters and goats, and hand sanitizer. A tot-sized water park is another great hot-weather spot.
My favorite thing about the zoo, though, it its size. I have seen a lot of zoos in a lot of cities, and have visited the remarkable San Diego Zoo several times. As fantasic as the S.D. Zoo is, it is too large to take in in one day, is quite expensive, and is a stroller nightmare as you have to navigate many hills.
The San Antonio Zoo, in comparison, can be completed in about four hours. A perfect day there features going through half of it, stopping in the Tiny Tot are for some down time, walking through some more of the zoo, and finishing it off with an ice cream.
A great value for families is their season pass. At only $60 per family, you will discover over and over the treasure that has been in San Antonio for 94 years.
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San Antonio Zoo
3903 N. St. Mary's St.
San Antonio, TX 78212
210-734-7184
Visit the San Antonio Zoo Website!
Please visit the website for an online coupon, and more information about classes for children - EdZoocation.
