Play With A Polar Bear Without Getting Mauled
Written: Mar 08 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great open-concept layout, inexpensive, variety of animals
Cons: Some of the older buildings look dated and worn
The Bottom Line: You'll never really know how simply wonderful life can be until you've visited the Milwaukee County Zoo!
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| nifer's Full Review: Milwaukee County Zoo |
You might think that because I'm a Milwaukee townie through and through that this opinion is more biased than most. So, just for the record I have been to the San Diego Zoo and although I found it nice, I honestly believe that the Milwaukee County Zoo is better. There's just an unpretentious, open-concept feel at the Milwaukee County Zoo that the folks in San Diego just don't get. I mean, why do we go to the zoo? To see the animals! And you really get a chance to see the animals up close and personal in Milwaukee. Better still, the animals in Milwaukee don't just lay around, thanks to the foresight of the park designers.
My absolute favorite thing about the Milwaukee County Zoo is the polar bear exhibit. Like all of the other outdoor animal sanctuaries, there is no cage around the bears. A simple fence, some shrubbery and a fairly deep but narrow moat is all that separates you from the feature creature. Sometimes, if they're old fellas who aren't shy (like the hippos and the rhinos) they'll come up to the edge of the moat so you can really get a good look at them, and them at you.
But the polar bear exhibit offers a fun surprise. On a hot summer day you can trek down a flight of concrete steps and thanks to an enormous glass window, see the polar bears frolicking in the icy blue water. They're incredibly playful, and when they stick their huge paws against the glass to push off and swim in the opposite direction you really get a sense for how big these bears really are. I could sit there and watch these guys all day, and I would if there were not so many other cool animals to see.
The staff at the Milwaukee County Zoo is really friendly and the administration is very proactive. They're constantly adding new habitats and new varieties of animals, or updating the homes of the standard fare. For example, a few years ago they added a new penguin exhibit just inside the main entrance to the zoo where you can get extremely close to the penguins and watch them as they jump in and out of the water and swim around in a circle. A lot of what makes this zoo so terrific is that they've made the habitats fun for the animals, so you really get a days worth of entertainment for a very small admission fee.
Btw -- on my 21st birthday, I got a big group of my friends together and we all spent the day at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Do I love this place? You betcha.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
nifer
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Member: Jennifer
Location: Milwaukee 'burbs
Reviews written: 73
Trusted by: 77 members
About Me:
I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious. ~ Albert Einstein
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