The Maryland Zoo is a nice size zoo with lots of animals, located just north of Inner Harbor, Baltimore. Free parking is available near the zoo entrance. After purchasing tickets, you can either ride the tram or walk through the historic main valley to the center of the zoo. We chose to walk on the way in and ride the tram on the way out. This was a great choice because you go downhill to reach the main areas of the zoo so the walk was easy but then we could rest at the end of the day as the tram drove uphill to the exit.
Historic Main Valley
The Historic Main Valley area has a large prairie dog colony at the beginning. We were there in June and there were lots of baby prairie dogs. It was fun to watch the little guys running around. There are also a few birds in the Historic Main Valley. The real interest in this area is that it contains the original zoo cages dating back to the late 1800’s, when the zoo first opened. Adults might enjoy reading the signage about the zoo’s history along this ¼ mile walk but most children will just be in a hurry to get to the animals.
Zoo Central
At the end of the walk through the Historic Main Valley (or at the end of the tram ride), you will find yourself at Zoo Central. This is the central hub of the zoo, from which the main animal areas branch off. Each main animal area (Northern Passage, African Journey, and Maryland Wilderness) is a loop that begins and ends at Zoo Central. Zoo Central has a food court, souvenir stand (the main gift shop is next to the zoo entrance), and numerous other ways to get you to spend more money. The carousel is located here, as is a virtual reality experience, face painting, and the train ride. We did not do any of these activities as they all had additional fees. The penguins are the only animals located here. The zoo has a LOT of penguins. There are numerous places to view them from and you can also enter the building to the left of the penguins where you can get an underwater view.
Northern Passage
The Northern Passage area is quite small, with only two grizzly bears and a bald eagle. One of the bears was hiding but the other was quite active, clawing apart a log. One neat aspect of this area is that you can go inside a tundra buggy (a vehicle that they use to travel out to see animals in the Arctic) for a better view of the grizzly enclosure.
African Journey
The African Journey is the largest area of the zoo and it has the most exciting animals. It is here that you will find lions, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and cheetahs, along with many other animals. There is also a walk-through aviary here. Our two favorite zoo experiences happened in this area. We got to watch one of the elephants give himself a dirt bath by picking up dirt with his trunk and throwing it up on himself. He then ambled over to the water and cleaned off his trunk by swishing it all around. Our other favorite experience was standing on one side of the plexiglass while the cheetah paced back and forth on the other side!
Maryland Wilderness
The final area of the zoo is the Maryland Wilderness. There are two large slides in this area for the kids to enjoy. There is also a farmyard area. Not only can you see farm animals, you can enter the goat corral and brush the goats. The goats are very used to the attention and just stand quietly while kids brush or curry comb them. The Maryland Wilderness has several areas that have snakes and other reptiles. Instead of one large reptile house, there are several smaller areas that are set up as caves to walk through and the reptile cages are set in the cave walls.
My Takeaway
On the day we went to the zoo, there were numerous school field trips but even with all the schools there, the zoo didn’t feel crowded. There are multiple places to view most of the animals so everyone wasn’t trying to shove into one area. There were lots of friendly staff and volunteers around the zoo, willing to share their knowledge of the animals or to help if you had a question. I appreciate that the zoo allows you to bring in outside food and drink. We enjoyed a packed picnic lunch while watching the elephants play. We spent 4 ½ hours at the zoo and were able to meander slowly around and see all the animals. I would definitely recommend visiting the Maryland Zoo.