Go For a Stroll In The Saint Louis Zoo
Written: Mar 17 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Relaxing, Fun, Entertaining, Educational, Free Admission, Many Animals To See
Cons: Parking is either Free or $10... Food is expensive, especially drinks
The Bottom Line: This is great destination for anyone!
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| susieq112's Full Review: St. Louis Zoo |
One of my many near by trips that I take on a not so regular basis is a day trip to the Saint Louis Zoo. The Saint Louis Zoo is always got alot of activity going on somewhere with in the park. With so many things to see and do, the zoo is a great place to visit for all people.
The Saint Louis Zoo is broken down into six different areas. Each are different and unique and set up in different ways so you cn easily observe the animals that live here.
Lakeside Crossing
Lakeside Crossing is the one area set aside for shopping, souvenirs and dinning. The major offering here is your meals while at the Sain Louis Zoo. While smaller snack stands are located around the park, your best bet is here at Lakeside Cafe. They offer a larger menu of choices not available at all stands in the park. The South Entrance is located in this area of the park which offers all of the guest services that you need.
Rivers Edge
This is the newest section of the Saint Louis Zoo. In this area of the zoo you are walking down a path to meet up with different animals. Barriers are barely visible and you get a better feel of the animals real habitat or behavior. Following the path of lushly planted trees and plants you meet different animals. The animals in the Rivers Edge exhibit come from four different continents: South America, Africa, Asia and North America. When entering the first animal you see is the rhino. The rhino seems to have a path beat down that he prefers to stroll back and forth on, both times I've been there (since the exhibit has been in) he slowly paces back and forth. The next animal I recall seeing is a Giant Anteater. These animals are just plain odd. There hard to explain and I don't know they're just odd animals. Other animals seen in the River's Edge exhibit include a bee-eater, hippos, cheetahs, mongoose, and elephants. At the end of the exhibit is a large aquarim filled with fish native to the wet lands of North America. Sometimes you can catch a peak of a hippo going for a swim here.
Red Rocks
One of the main features of the Red Rocks area are your big cats. Big Cat Country offers a glimpse of some very large cats. Many bask in the sun on hot days or hide in the shade, while others pace back and forth in anticipation I suppose. In this area you see a number of large cats that include the: Leopard and Snow Leopard, Tiger, Cheetah, Jaguar, and Puma.
The other part of Red Rocks is the Antelope Yards. In this area you see many animals including the Zebra, Camel, Kangaroo, and giraffes. There are many other animals in this area that are rare to this area that I cannot remember the names of, but many animals can be seen in this area. One of the most interesting aspects of this area is the barn area. This is especially interesting if you can catch a giraffe while its inside. Inside the walls are marked by the foot and you can look up and barely see their heads. It gives you a great comparison in size...
The Wild
There are many areas to The Wild. Here is where Saint Louis Zoo houses there bears. Lined up in 4 large area you can seek out the Polar, Grizzle, Black and Spectacled bears. This is also the area where you find the Penguin & Puffin Coast. Here you venture inside to a cooled two room exhibit. In the first is a large tank connected even underneath the walkways for penguins to play. While very cold you have other things to worry about because the penguins will splash water everywere also, So watch out. In the second room you find yourself surrounded by puffins. Puffins are alot like penguins, but they are also able to fly. The other major part of this area are the chimps, gorillas and orangutans, which are currently in the Jungle of Apes indoor exhibit. The Fragile Forest is a new exhibit and is an outdoor exhibit for these same animals.
Historic Hill
This area covers another large part of the zoo and houses a large variety of animals. Two buildings in this area, which were built in the 1920s house two very different animals. The Herpetarium houses a number of snakes in all sizes, colors, and deadliness. Along with snakes you can also see turtles, toads, frogs and many other reptiles. Most of the animals are contained in aquarims that suit their living habits. The other building is the Primate House. This is easily one of the most active areas of the zoo. You can catch site of a number of monkeys and lemurs in this building and sometimes they are quite wild. The 1904 Flight Cage is also in this area not far from the Primate House. The Flight Cage was recently redone into a wetland like area where you can see a number of ducks and other birds native to a swamp. Other animals included in this area of the park are sea lions and river otters.
Discovery Center
The Discovery Center offers three additonal sites to visit at the Saint Louis Zoo. The first is the Insectarium where you can get dome views of different bug including the Butterfly Dome where many of the flying beauties can be seen. You can also stop by the Children's Zoo here. Small children don't understand why they can't touch the animals, but here they can. Here children are offered the opportunity to interact with many animals inlcluding bunnies, goats and toads. The Living World is the third part of this area. The Living World offers a small museum like information area along with many guest services and other information on the zoo.
While admission to the zoo is free, parking can be questionable. There are a number of free parking spots located in Forest Park that are free for the taking, but you must get there early to utilize them... Like before the zoo opens. Or try your luck driving around until you catch a patron leaving. But if you can't find one of those free spots with in a mile of the place the zoo has taken care of that for you. They have two parking lots one at each entrace, however they charge a $10.00 parking fee.
Another main attraction of the zoo is the Zooline Railroad. Atrip aboard the Zooline comes with a roundtrip tour of the zoo. Tickets are $5.00 each.
You can also become of Member of the Zoo, which basically consists of a donation to the zoo. In return you receive a through perks on purchases and special dates in the zoo. You can buy different levels of membership in order to get more perks. Perks include free parking, discounts at shops and food stalls, additional discounts on rentals, and more.
Overall the Saint Louis Zoo is a wonderful destination. It offers so much to look at and see. We just recently took our 9 month old son to the zoo for the first time. Even at his age he was able to check out some lemurs, giraffes, a leopard, and some other animals along the way. It was truely wonderful experience for not only him but us also. The zoo makes a wonderful destination for people of all ages.
Recommended:
Yes
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Procrastination ~ At this rate, I'll never finish my mini-doumentary...
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