A Visit to the Oregon Zoo, January 29, 2010

The zoo is a magical place to visit. Where else can you see so many different and wonderful animals in such a short time? I have yet to meet a child who does not love the zoo, and adults are also entertained by watching the animals in their habitats. Friday afternoon my husband, my four-month-old son, and I met up with my cousin and her one-year-old daughter, and we all went to the Oregon Zoo. This would be my son Alex’s first visit to the zoo.

Admission to the zoo is $10.50 for adults, $9 for seniors 65 and over, $7.50 for age 3 to 11, and free for children under 3. Parking is $2. My cousin has a membership to the zoo since her daughter enjoys visiting so much and the kids were both under 3, so we only had to pay for one person.

Alex has a cute little teddy bear jacket with ears on the hood, so my husband asked the ticket taker if it was ok if we brought a bear into the zoo. She laughed and replied that he was small enough to let in. Later when we visited the orangutans, one of the apes came over to the glass to check Alex out. The ape visited with us, then made a bed out of cardboard right next to the glass and laid down. It seams some of the animals enjoy watching the people as much as the people enjoy watching them.

There is a lot of construction at the zoo right now, and many animals were not on display, but there is still plenty to view. Since we had the babies with us, we went at a slower pace than my normal visits and did not see as much as I would ordinarily see. The zoo was not as busy as it the other times I have visited, so going on a winter weekday does have its advantages. I noticed that there were a lot of parents with younger children there.

The Trillium Creek Family Farm is a favorite place for families to visit. Children love to get to touch the farm animals, and usually there is an attendant who will let them in to pet the goats. As is was late in the day when we were there, the attendant was gone, but the little ones still enjoyed watching the farm animals, and we got several pictures of Alex with his dad on the tractor.

On the way out, we stopped at the Warren J. Iliff Sculpture Garden. There were lots of children climbing and playing on the sculptures, and my cousin’s one-year-old was fascinated. Kids love climbing on things, which is part of the reason Inflatable Kingdom is so popular. The open play sessions and birthday parties give kids a chance to be kids in a safe supervised environment.

By this time, Alex was sound asleep in his carrier. It had been a long and exiting day for him. We stayed until after the zoo closed (the zoo lets visitor to stay for one hour after closing time, which is 4:00 pm this time of year).

The zoo is located near the Portland Children’s Museum, the World Forestry Center, The Japanese Gardens, and the Rose Gardens, so on the unlikely chance anyone gets tired of the zoo, there are plenty of other entertainment options in the area. Visitors can hop the zoo train from the zoo to the Rose Gardens and Japanese Gardens, where they are welcome to get off and explore, then take a later train back.

Next week, we hope to make it over to the Children’s Museum. My cousin had taken her daughter the day before and they loved it so much, she bought a membership there too. She said her daughter would go every day if she could. Isn’t it wonderful to live in a city with so many fun places for families to go!

More information on the Oregon Zoo.

HL

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