Logistics
In the beginning of December we visited the Dallas Zoo located just minutes from downtown Dallas. The temperatures in Dallas at this time of year vary widely. One day were were there it was 75 but the day we visited was a chilly but sunny 48 degrees and we were warned ahead of time that most of the animals were inside and not available for viewing. Being "tough, cold blooded" New Englanders we wore just light jackets and jeans and were fine.
There is a parking charge of $5 per car. Admission to the zoo is $10 per adult and $7 for children. You can save a bundle by showing them your AAA card. Our total admission was only $26. Due to the weather and it being a week day there was only a handful of visitors in the park.
Wilds of Africa:
To enter this part of the park you need to walk through a wide tunnel (the Dallas METRO rail and other highway is located above) which contains exhibits to view. Upon entering the African section you immediately come upon African Penguins. They didn't mind the cold and were about playing. Unfortunately though on this "chilly" Dallas day, the rest of this section of the park was a bit disappointing. The monorail was not running (due to the weather and most likely the low attendance) and indeed many of the animals were inside and there is no inside viewing areas. We did not see any gorillas or chimpanzees. We did see some storks, crocdiles, and some really cute meerkats along with an Okapi (which to me looks like 1/2 donkey and 1/2 zebra).
Throughout this 'woodys trail' part of the park there is life-size bronze statues of certain animal for the kids to play around and snap a picture or two. One section even has lots of live bamboo trees growing.
Zoo North
The older part of the zoo (I presume) contains many more animals. This part of the park for the time that we visited was much more entertaining. My 4 year old son got a kick out of the Lemur (since he loves the show Zamoobafoo). This section is much larger and could take several hours to properly tour. They have a huge cafeteria and modest size gift shop.
Most of the animals not afraid of the cold included: the Elephants, Rhinos, Giraffes (had an inside viewing area).
They even has some exotic animals which you don't typically see in zoos in the Northeast including: Cheetah, Red-flanked Duiker, Kangaroos, Wallaby's, African Bongo, Giselles, etc.
Overall a GREAT selection of animials including several various species of monkeys. We spent a good amount of time watching them interact with each other. One even had a new born. Also it was a bit disappointing because the Tigers were in.
I really didn't find the Dallas area all that appealing with heavy traffic for miles around at all differnt hours. However, if you find yourself in the Dallas area with your family then I highly recommend visiting the Dallas Zoo. We visited for a quick 3+ hours but we could have easily spent a whole day there (especially in warmer weather).
Our pictures are located here
In the beginning of December we visited the Dallas Zoo located just minutes from downtown Dallas. The temperatures in Dallas at this time of year vary widely. One day were were there it was 75 but the day we visited was a chilly but sunny 48 degrees and we were warned ahead of time that most of the animals were inside and not available for viewing. Being "tough, cold blooded" New Englanders we wore just light jackets and jeans and were fine.
There is a parking charge of $5 per car. Admission to the zoo is $10 per adult and $7 for children. You can save a bundle by showing them your AAA card. Our total admission was only $26. Due to the weather and it being a week day there was only a handful of visitors in the park.
There is a carousel and monorail ride which costs extra.
The Dallas Zoo currently has two sections: Wilds of Africa and Zoo NorthWilds of Africa:
To enter this part of the park you need to walk through a wide tunnel (the Dallas METRO rail and other highway is located above) which contains exhibits to view. Upon entering the African section you immediately come upon African Penguins. They didn't mind the cold and were about playing. Unfortunately though on this "chilly" Dallas day, the rest of this section of the park was a bit disappointing. The monorail was not running (due to the weather and most likely the low attendance) and indeed many of the animals were inside and there is no inside viewing areas. We did not see any gorillas or chimpanzees. We did see some storks, crocdiles, and some really cute meerkats along with an Okapi (which to me looks like 1/2 donkey and 1/2 zebra).
Throughout this 'woodys trail' part of the park there is life-size bronze statues of certain animal for the kids to play around and snap a picture or two. One section even has lots of live bamboo trees growing.
Zoo North
The older part of the zoo (I presume) contains many more animals. This part of the park for the time that we visited was much more entertaining. My 4 year old son got a kick out of the Lemur (since he loves the show Zamoobafoo). This section is much larger and could take several hours to properly tour. They have a huge cafeteria and modest size gift shop.
Most of the animals not afraid of the cold included: the Elephants, Rhinos, Giraffes (had an inside viewing area).
They even has some exotic animals which you don't typically see in zoos in the Northeast including: Cheetah, Red-flanked Duiker, Kangaroos, Wallaby's, African Bongo, Giselles, etc.
Overall a GREAT selection of animials including several various species of monkeys. We spent a good amount of time watching them interact with each other. One even had a new born. Also it was a bit disappointing because the Tigers were in.
There was a children Zoo section as well. We didn't have time to visit this area.
OverallI really didn't find the Dallas area all that appealing with heavy traffic for miles around at all differnt hours. However, if you find yourself in the Dallas area with your family then I highly recommend visiting the Dallas Zoo. We visited for a quick 3+ hours but we could have easily spent a whole day there (especially in warmer weather).
Our pictures are located here
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