A Family of Zoo Enthusiasts

For those that know me, it comes as no surprise that we are zoo enthusiasts. Borderline fanatics. I have always loved to see the animals, go behind the scenes, and explore the different facilities and what it takes to take care of all of the animals in their care.

Way before the girls were around, I would frequent the Houston Zoo on nice weekend afternoons, support their social calendar (Feast with the Beasts!), and even did a penguin encounter behind the scenes at Moody Gardens in Galveston. On trips, I would make a point to visit the local zoo as part of my visit. At this point, we have been to zoos in Austin (rescue), Ft. Worth, Tulsa, Colorado Springs, and (the) San Diego.

We have even gone as far as to visit the now-infamous Tiger King on a whim while we were visiting friends in Oklahoma City. I hear you, pictures or it didn’t happen. Also note, this visit was WAY before Tiger King came out, and their horrible practices were known.

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All that to say, I like going to the zoo.

As soon as I had our oldest, I became a member of the Denver Zoo. As my family has grown, the zoo remains a constant and it has been so fun to take the girls and watch the pure joy on their faces as they explore and see the animals.

Perfect Denver Zoo Day Itinerary: 2-3 hrs

1. Buy tickets for when it opens: I believe this is the most critical component of a successful zoo day. You get the best parking, your family is still freshly awake, the animals are most active, and, most important, the line for the carousel will be short! Tickets are still done in advance via reservation windows, but availability is typically pretty easy to come by.

2. Make a hard right: The Zoo entrance will naturally send you to the right towards the lions. Don’t deviate from this trail! Continue on towards the Animal Hosptial. There are often animals getting checked out (sometimes open surgeries), and always a zoo team member in the gallery to talk through any operations or, if there are no animals in at that time, to answer any questions you have or tell you about the animals who are coming in later!

3. Carousel and Train: The carousel at the Denver zoo cannot be beat. If you have to pick one, we ALWAYS choose the carousel, it’s gorgeous, the animals are unique and varied, and they play Disney songs throughout the ride. We cannot come to the zoo without a stop at the carousel and 90% of the time it’s running (even when it’s cold). The train, while fun, is secondary for our family. We find it isn’t running as frequently as the carousel, often gets started later in the morning so we have often already passed before it gets going, and when it IS working, brace yourself for a line. It also requires ANY rider to have a ticket whereas the carousel only requires tickets for children riders which makes the carousel much less expensive. Pro Tip: pre-buy a digital ride punch card if you can. Saves you from waiting in the ticket line.

4. Fork in the road: Once you hit the flamingos you are presented with a choice – head to the right to the primates or follow the route to the left. If you are looking to get closer to that 2 hour time frame, veer left and visit the primates another day. If you are game for more time spent at the zoo, veer right and go straight to the indoor house on the right, then circle around to the gorillas and back out to the Lorikeets.

5. Lorikeets! If the Lorikeets are open, and it isn’t crowded inside, make the stop. It’s so fun to go in to feed the colorful Lorikeet birds while they are still hungry and interested in eating (another good reason to Zoo early!). It’s also key if you have small kids that you aren’t going in when it’s crowded. Too much going on, people chasing birds with sticks, and the birds end up hiding high up in their trees. Save the $2 if that’s the case. Pro Tip: Ask for an empty feeding container so you can portion out small servings for kiddos to hold. Nothing worse than a kiddo spilling the entire food supply and leaving early.

6. Snack time: Once you’ve made it around the circle to see Mahali hippo, and find yourself at the elephants, it’s time to take a break. At the elephant pavilion, we like to let the kids sit on the bleachers (hopefully elephants are milling about) while we get a salted pretzel and go in Kamala cafe to get Dole whip. The Dole whips are huge and we always ask for empty bowls to split it up. We all look forward to this little break during our Denver Zoo trips.

7. Pivotal moment: The snack break typically gives us enough boost to get excited about the back half of the zoo, and things tend to move pretty quickly from here depending on general mood. Another pivotal moment will hit you when you get to the sea lions and come face to on face with the reptile house. Take a serious internal look at the time you have left to commit to the zoo, and decide whether you want to go into the house. It requires you to offload all children from whatever stroller or wagon you have before going in (just FYI). Admittedly we normally skip this just because it’s a pain, but we do love the sloths and capybaras that live inside.

8. Home stretch: Only a few exhibits remain between you and the exit at this point and they are not to be missed! During the summer, the newer stingray exhibit will likely be open. Don’t miss it! Even if you don’t want to buy a shrimp to feed them, our girls love to stick their hands in the water and watch them all swim by.

9. Enjoy a nice long nap from your littles on the drive home.

Things to remember:

Bring your water bottles! There are many filtered water refill stations throughout the zoo to help you and your family stay hydrated. And not spend a fortune on bottled water!

Check the weather. While the zoo stays open during even the coldest months, some animals move inside during these times to stay warm.

Pack snack lunch for yourself and your family. Even though there are actual food offerings at the zoo, it should come as no surprise that they are average at best and all overpriced. At a minimum, we have lunch boxes on hand for the girls in case they need something more substantial at snack stop or need to eat in the car on the way home.

Check the Denver Zoo’s Facebook and Instagram page! They keep it regularly updated and we use those updates to share with the girls so they know what’s going on with some of the animals they are seeing or can call them by their names.

Lastly, the Denver Zoo hosts the most amazing seasonal events. Our favorite is always Zoo Lights during the holiday season. You don’t see many of the animals, but the lights, carousel and train at night, as well as all of the festive snacks and treats is one of our favorite traditions. It’s spectacular!