Guess where I had the pleasure of visiting this week? Go ahead, guess, I’ll wait! Oh – It’s in the title! Yes, I went to the Atlanta Zoo!
I have to tell y’all, I haven’t been to the zoo since my kids were really small and boy, I have been missing out! I was really blown away by the sheer size of this place. It is over 40 acres and home to over 1300 animals.
I know you’re saying to yourself, “If you’ve seen one zoo, you’ve seen them all!” So not true when it comes to the Atlanta Zoo. Did you know that they recently opened a New African Savanna? This new section contains the elephants, giraffes and zebras and it is huge and still growing! I didn’t see any meerkats that day, but saw a sign indicating they were on their way. How fun!
If elephants aren’t your cup of tea, you can mosey on over to the gorilla exhibit. According to the brochure, the Atlanta Zoo is currently home to one of the largest populations of gorillas in North America. Did you know that the western lowland gorilla lives in a troop led by a dominant Silverback (big male gorilla), several adult females, and their babies? I found their habitat quite facinating. We had a funny encounter with the big Silverback, Ozzie. Every time we tried to get a front picture; he would turn his back to us. No matter how many times we tried to get a front facing picture, he showed us his back side….The nerve.
After getting mooned by a Silverback, we marched over the Amphibian and Reptile experience. If you’re anything like me, snakes and crawly things are not your thing. Rest assured though, this amphibian and reptile complex allows you to admire these lovely scaly creatures through a safety glass – a thick safety glass! We had so much fun trying to find the snakes & other creatures hiding under the rocks and at times hiding “in plain sight”. This complex had over 70 scaly specimens on display.
Once we finished making the rounds in the “snake house”, I suggested we go see the Panda bears, but was over-ruled for the Big cats: The Tiger and Clouded Leopard. We learned so much about these carnivores during one of the schedule presentations. I now have a better appreciation of their hunting skills. The zoo provides scheduled talks throughout the day. You should try to catch a few while you’re here. It’s educational & entertaining!!
Then….we went to see the Pandas.
Did ya’ll know that there were also Red pandas? I didn’t know such an animal existed….now I do! Red pandas are not related to panda bears at all……they’re in the raccoon family, who knew? Then, it was on to the Giant Panda exhibit.
When we arrived to this area, it was pretty crowded with preschoolers vying for the best spot to dance with the big bears. A few of the pandas were sleeping, but there was a cute one eating bamboo. We learned that Pandas eat mostly bamboo, which has little nutrient value…..hence the mid-day slumber.
We’d eaten before we arrived, but no worries if you get hungry for more than bamboo. There are several places inside for burgers, ice cream and my favorite, coffee.
Time zoomed by and before I realized it, we’d spent 3 hours at the zoo and didn’t see everything. I’m already making plans to go back to catch more of the keeper talks and wildlife presentations.
If you’re in Atlanta or planning a visit, do you & your kids a solid and stop by the Atlanta zoo. Right now, the weather is perfect for it. Don’t forget to get your CityPass to enjoy more of what Atlanta has to offer at a better price.
Save up to 50% on combined prices for admission to must-see attractions! Shop Now at CityPASS.com!
When was the last time you visited the Zoo?
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This looks like so much fun! Would love to visit the Atlanta zoo someday, my kids would love it!
Kileen
cute & little
Oh my goodness, Atlanta is definitely somewhere I’d like to visit. This zoo looks like tons of fun!
What great pictures! I was recently on vacation and took my 3 year old to the zoo. We were in China and had to see the pandas. It was so much fun!
Wow, this zoo sounds like it has everything! This would make a great family trip.
This looks like a fun zoo to visit! My daughter worked at our local zoo for five summers, and is now pursuing a degree in zoology. You just never know where all those trips to the zoo are going to take your kiddos!
You are so right; you just never know! That is an awesome career path.
This looks like so much fun! I don’t usually like our local zoo because it’s much too small and kinda cruel. But I would happily go somewhere that I know the animals are treated well and have enough space to move.