The National Zoo

I love zoos and I especially love the National Zoo. Unfortunately I think I've ruined it for my husband and daughter. You see, I have memories from when I was a kid, running up and down the hills, taking pictures in the big Os of the Zoo sign and of course, the animals. So, in an attempt to share my memories of this zoo with my family, every year when we would come to Maryland for Thanksgiving, I would drag them out to the zoo.....in the cold.  The first few years they humored me, went along quietly, even took pictures in the same big Os in the zoo sign, and I think they actually enjoyed themselves but, in recent years I've been getting a full-on rebellion at the mention of the word 'zoo'. As a result, I now have to wait for unsuspecting victims, ...er... I mean house guests to visit so I can suggest going to the zoo.

I love the exhibits, that it's open year-round, and that there are indoor animal houses to make even your winter experience pleasurable. The park is separated into areas such as Amazonia, where the multi-colored poisonous frogs are both creepy and cute, the Asia Trail where the famous pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are simply adorable, the American Trail where the playful otters will entertain you, the Great Ape House, the Mammal House, the Great Cats area, the Reptile House and much, much more. My favorite is the Reptile House. They give me the heebie-jeebies but I find them fascinating....as long as they're secure behind a pane of glass. It will easily take you a whole day to see everything in this zoo and I highly recommend it, whether you have kids or not.

 


Be prepared to do a lot of walking...up and down hills. I suggest parking at the bottom of the zoo and use your energy to work your way up the main hill at the start so that at the end of the day when you're exhausted, it's all down hill. Parking is $20 for the day, entrance to the Zoo is free, and the cost of food is reasonable (more than McDonalds but less than Disney World).  You can also take the Metro Red Line and exit at either the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adam's Morgan or Cleveland Park stations. The Zoo is halfway between both stops but it's an uphill walk from Woodley Park and a level walk from Cleveland Park.

Kid's View: "The zoo is cool, even though my mom dragged me there like 10 thousand times. My favorite things to see are the pandas because they're really cute. I hate the hills though, because I always get a cramp. My mom loves the reptiles but I don't like them at all and we both love the giraffes. I think it's funny when  they stick their tongues in their own noses."

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/