Woodland Zoo - Seattle - Where the Animals Can Hide
Written: Aug 14 '02 (Updated Aug 14 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Pony rides, butterfly conservatory. Lush foliage. Animal privacy. Zoo-doo!
Cons: Animals can hide.
The Bottom Line: We enjoyed the pony rides, and butterfly gardens. Don't plan on seeing all the animals. Climbing area for kids to burn excess energy. Get your zoo doo HERE!
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My 7-year-old grandson had never been to the zoo. There isn't a zoo in the Spokane area. The closest one is 275 miles away in Seattle, the Woodland Park Zoo. So I did what any other grandmother would do, I trekked that distance to take him there! We must have the BEST of luck. Each time we've been to Seattle, it has been sunny.
We got there about 10 am. The main parking lot was full on a Thursday. We went to the second lot, taking a right hand turn onto the main road and went to the next parking lot. It was about two lanes wide. It was next to a water tower. That is a nice landmark. I believe there are a total of 3 parking lots. Each parking spot has a number by it. REMEMBER THE NUMBER! I'm not sure if they tow vehicles, but they will ask you for the number where you parked your car. The number will also appear on your receipt. They will ask you for your zip code. This tells them how much you pay. The admission rates are below. Parking will cost you $3.50. You can get a $1 per person discount with your AAA and perhaps CAA card. The following information is from their website:
Admission:
(*kc-king county resident; non-non-king county resident)
Adult (18-64) $9.00 (kc) $10.00 (non)
Senior (65+) and Student w/ID $8.25(kc) $9.25 (non)
Youth (6-17) and Disabled $6.75 (kc) $7.50 (non)
Preschool (3-5) $4.75 (kc) $5.25 (non)
Toddler (0-2) Free
Hours (Open 365 days a year including holidays):
March 15 to April 30: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily
May 1 to September 14: 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily
September 15 to October 14: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily
October 15 to March 14: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily
*The North Gate off N. 59th St. & Phinney Ave. N. is closed during the fall/winter season.
Tell Me Where to Go
The park is divided as below, with the following animals within:
Austrailasia
Kangaroo, emu, etc.
Northern Trail
Brown bear, river otter, bald eagle, mountain goat, wolf
Conservation Yards, east
Snow leopard, raptor center
Tropical Asia - Trail of Vines/Elephant Forest
Orangutan, python, macaque monkey, siamong, elephant barn, tapir, Thai Village,
African Savanna
Lion, Patas monkey, Hippo, Savanna Aviary, African Village, Beech Grove
Temperate Forest
Red panda, Asian Cranes, Marsh, Swamp, Conservation Aviary,
Habitat Discovery Loop, Discovery barn, Family Farm, Bug World
Tropical Rain Forest
Gorilla, lemur
There are about 7 restrooms sprinkled throughout the zoo, and smoking is only allowed on the main loop.
The zoo is built in an oval pattern and has side roads, for the theme areas.
Two of our favorite attractions did cost a little extra money.
One of these is the Butterflies and Blooms. You pay a $1 per person entrance fee, each time you want to pass through. You enter, going through a large white greenhouse. Plants and butterflies abound. They just might land on you! This setting lets you enjoy looking at the butterflies, and tells you what type of plants the butterflies enjoy sipping nectar on.
Before you leave the greenhouse, a lady with a feather duster makes sure you don't take any butterflies outside the greenhouse. As you leave, there are a multitude of other plants the butterflies and their caterpillars enjoy munching and sipping on. They also show you various pupa, cocoon looking things that are butterflies in the making. There are also a panel of folks you can talk to if you want to start your own butterfly garden.
The second attraction that really caught my eye was the pony ride. This costs an additional $2.00. My 7 year old grandson had never ridden on a horse or pony before. He got the "big" horse, the largest pony out of about 4. The ponies are regularly lead around the ring by a caretaker who holds the reins.
The pony ring is about 50'x 200' approximately. The kids go around once, and it takes about 4 minutes. Parents are allowed walk alongside the pony and take snapshots along the way. They change ponies every so often throughout the day. You think I'm trying to make a rhyme? No way! I haven't the time.
I'm Hungry and THIRSTY!
Noon quickly approached and we stopped by the Rainforest Pavilion. There is a walk up restaurant with sandwiches, chips, ice cream, pop, etc. You can sit in the shade or sun. Each transaction took about 2 minutes, and there were about 10 people in the one line that was open. My grandson chose the Kids Meal. A PB&J sandwich, chips, crackers and a pop for $4.75. I chose a roast beef sandwich on a hoagie bun for $4.75. There were about maybe 20 choices, but you weren't going to get out cheap. A 20 oz pop cost $2.50 out of the pop machine. If you wanted a frozen treat, I believe the ice pop up bars were upwards of $1 and the drumsticks cost about $3.75, or somewhere in that neighborhood. We chose to wait until we got to Pike Place Market, but that's another review in the making.
There are also several restaurants inside the building, but we didn't realize that until we had already eaten.
Improve Your Garden - ZOO DOO!
Once a year the zoo sells its animal droppings. It is called the "Fall Fecal Fest! Get it while it's hot!" This can be a great aid for your garden. Here is the info. This link may disappear after the event has passed. The author of that webpage has a wicked sense of humor:
http://www.zoo.org/new/pr/2002/pr8_08_2002.htm
Overall Impression
I suppose it depends on one's perspective. If you are the animal, this would be a GREAT environment. If you are the observer, you are not going to see all the animals. We went past the penquins, close to the restaurant, perhaps 3-4 times throughout the day, and didn't see them once. Most animals have an area where they can escape to, if they don't want to be observed.
The lion likes to sun himself against a rock wall, which is out of sight to visitors. The giraffes were highly observable. Walking through the aviary, the colorful birds had their oranges perched along the visitor's path. They seemed pretty tame. There are a couple of exhibits where you need to let one door close before you open the second door, so the animals don't escape. (These are the non-threatening animals such as birds and butterflies.)
The elephants were in the barn, with a glass between you and them. They were getting their feet cleaned or trimmed. The gorillas were behind a glass enclosure. Make sure you look for the TINY baby, born in 2001. It was SO funny! There is a sign on the glass that says, "Do not tap on the glass. It disturbs the animals." One of the gorillas decided to hit the glass themselves. Where did they hit? The sign that says, "Do not hit the glass." Funny! These were two of the exhibits that attracted lots of kids.
The African Village had a place where the kids could climb into a hut. There was an African schoolhouse, with the animals behind the glass panel to the rear. African music plays in the background.
One other area my grandson liked was a playground of sorts. There were trees and rocks to climb on and through, and a couple of other features that don't come to mind. It was tough to pull him away. Bug World, with bugs behind glass enclosures was popular, too.
Oh, yes. No zoo would be complete without souvenir shops. We didn't look at the prices, we just passed right through.
I would recommend this zoo with lush foliage as long as you weren't planning to see all of the animals. Take at least 4-6 hours to see it all.
Contact info:
South Gate Entrance located at N. 50th and Fremont Ave N., Seattle, WA (206) 684-4800
http://www.zoo.org/
Recommended:
Yes
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