The St. Louis Zoo is one of the best zoos in the country. If you are in the St. Louis area, try to plan a day to visit the zoo. The zoo covers an enormous area that is somewhat hilly, so make sure you gear up for a lot of walking. Right now, the zoo requires a reservation for visitors, but park admission is free. Parking is also available free of charge across the street from the main entrance. A pedway bridge allows visitors to cross over the street that separates the zoo entrance from the parking lot. As you traverse over the bridge to the entrance, you will see their iconic sign.
After entering the zoo, purchase tickets to the paid attractions, such as the carousel, railroad, 4D Theater, the Sea Lions Show and Dinosaurus at the Customer Service window. The Carousel is temporarily closed due to refurbishing, so please check the website for the availability of these attractions before you start your way to the park. Grab a map after entering the park and choose a direction. On this day, my family took the pathway to the right and headed towards the area known as Historic Hill, where we found the Herpetarium, Bird House, Primates and Cypress Swamp. We saw many beautiful and scary snakes, birds and reptiles in this area that were fascinating.
Following the path, we went around to the hooved animals and big cats. I am a cat person, so my favorite part of the zoo is the big cats. Unfortunately, the big cats were hiding in their elaborate habitats, so we could not see many of them. There was only one jaguar that was visible. He was taking a nap in the sunshine on a rock ledge.
In the center of the park, the Lakeside Cafe offers lots of indoor and outdoor seating with walk-up food service. Before heading out to see the other half of the park, we took a lunch break and rested for a little while. After lunch, we headed to what the zoo calls The Wild where the apes, grizzly bears, flamingos, penguins, polar bears, pandas and prairie dogs reside. The polar bears were not home, but I think my favorite in this area was the penguins. I could watch their antics for hours.
Discovery Corner is a small area of the zoo near The Wild which includes the special exhibits that may require a paid ticket as well as the Insectarium, Tasmanian Devils and the otters requiring only the regular free admission reservation. Because this area is close to the North parking lot for the zoo, You can find a small café, shop and stroller rentals here. The education gallery is found nearby that conducts special classes and exhibits for the kiddos.
The very last section along our route was called The River’s Edge. Here you can find elephants, rhinos, hippos, Andean and Malayan bears, cheetahs, hyenas, anteaters and more. These are all animals that live near fresh water around the continent.
Walking around the zoo is an all-day affair. Taking in the special exhibits, children’s educational area, riding the train and anything else will add to your day but is totally worth it. The carousel is not open at the moment due to refurbishing, but when it opens back up, you won’t want to miss riding the antique horses and other animals on this beauty. The St. Louis Zoo is definitely entertaining and a must-see if you are in the St. Louis area.
A visit to the St. Louis zoo is an all-day event. When it is time to go, everyone will leave as fast as a herd of turtles.
