The Zoo

Mama Kat's topic I chose for this week: 

4.) Take us somewhere local spot in your city and show us what we're missing...you'll be saving us thousands of dollars now that we won't need to take that trip!

I haven't been to the zoo yet this year. I am certain the trip will come soon. I want to take my nephews there, as I always do at least once a year. I really wanted to feature the zoo for this post though, because it is one of my favorite things about St. Louis. I will be including some photos from last years trip, because pictures make things more fun! 

We live close to St. Louis. Very close. Hop on the highway and be there before the next commercial break close. It is great. We get all the benefits of St. Louis, without living in the middle of the city. I still get the quiet neighborhood, surrounded by tons of stores, parks, and open space. 

St. Louis is a great city for kids. There is a countless amount of places to take children. The St. Louis Zoo is one of those places. It is free, clean, and has a few unique exhibits. If you have never been, go early! The Children's Zoo, within the zoo, is free for the first hour. So is the the yearly stingray petting exhibit. They aren't that pricey to get into after that first hour, but why not save the money. You can also buy the Safari Pass. It is $10 per person and allows you to ride the train, go to the Children's Zoo, the Sea Lion show, and pretty much see everything the zoo has to offer without any additional cost. Big advocate of this pass! 

One of the newest exhibits is Sea Lion Sound. This is a huge tank for the sea lions. It includes a tunnel you can walk through that goes directly through the tank. This photo was taken inside the tunnel. The sea lions swim right near and above the tunnel. It is pretty incredible, especially for a free exhibit!

The Children's Zoo:

Above are pictures of my nephews playing in the interactive section of the children's zoo. On the right, we are gardening and planting some flowers. They have mulch beds and silk flowers, along with all the tools. Anything you need to plant a flower garden! On the left, we have started and are working at our own farmer's market.

The Children's Zoo also has a petting zoo. You can walk through and pet, and brush as shown, the goats. Be careful, they are not above nibbling on your clothes. 

 Another great, and free, exhibit is the Penguin & Puffin Coast. There is usually a long line for this one on hot days, because it is very chilly inside! This gives you a very close look at the penguins, and in the next room puffins. It smells fishy in here, but it is worth it! This is one of my favorite exhibits. Even though I have seen it many times. These guys, and gals, swim right by the glass! It is sure to amuse any kids that are stuck in a stroller, usually unable to see anything. You get inches away from them as they swim by. Close enough to be splashed in the face a few times. 

Fragile Forest. Another exhibit near and dear to my heart. Again, the animals get to be in a "home" like situation and zoo guests get to be close to the animals. You can find monkeys swinging around on ropes, playing with toys, or eating. 

 You also can catch them being lazy, really close to the glass. Look at that guy playing with his toes and checking out my nephew! This is one of the many reasons this zoo is great for kids!

This is my most recent photo of the sea lion show. This whole stage has changed, and I've heard the show has as well. I have not had the chance to check out the new stage, but I hear it is neat. This is one of those things that does cost extra, unless you invest in one of those handy safari passes! Even if you do pay extra to see this show, the zoo offers so much, it is still a bargain!

This train will take you around the zoo. One ticket will get you past four stops. You can ride it nonstop and get completely around the zoo once, or hop off and on where you would like. They rip one section off your ticket at each stop. You choose how to use them. If you get the safari pass, you can ride it as much and as long as you would like. When my nephews were very young, the "choo choo" was their favorite part. We would ride it around the zoo at least three times. Making the safari passes more than worth it for the train ride alone! The train will take you right past the tigers and through River's Edge, a walk through exhibit with all the African based animals. On a good day, you can see elephants while riding the train. I believe they are currently working on building the area around the train up with more exhibits. 

 River's Edge. Another free exhibit at the zoo. Have you gotten the point yet? You can go to this zoo, not spend a dollar, and see a TON of animals and neat exhibits. I'm not even able to feature them all on this post. 
River's Edge has a very neat atmosphere. It was created so that you feel like you are walking through the forest, and stumbling upon animals in nature.

You will be walking and all of the sudden arrive at the hippo tank, which again allows you to be very close to the animal. They also have animals such as elephants, rhinos, ant eaters, etc. in this exhibit. It allows you to see many animals while conveniently winding through a predestined path.

So, overall. The zoo is worth checking out. It is one of my most favorite places to visit in St. Louis. If you get there early enough, you can park on the surrounding streets for free. That parking fills up quickly though. They have scheduled feedings and zoo keeper talk times, so pay attention to the map you grab near the entrance. Most importantly, have a great time and explore all the little corners! I could write a mile long post and still not include everything about this spacious zoo and all that it has to offer. 

This was just a small peek into the world of fun offered at the 

St. Louis Zoo!