The Philadelphia Zoo, located in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, is the oldest zoo in the United States. This large zoo has many different animals and is a great day trip for those in the Philadelphia area. The zoo is not far off the highway, so while there can be congestion on the highway, you don’t have to do much in-city driving to reach the zoo.
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There are several parking lots/garages for the zoo so finding parking is easy. As we approached the zoo, there were signs telling us which lot to use that day. We parked in the Tiger Parking Lot, just a short walk from the zoo entrance. You can purchase tickets and a parking pass (not needed until you exit the parking lot) on-line or at the kiosks at the zoo entrance.
The zoo is laid out as an oval with several paths across the middle. I would suggest walking counterclockwise around the exhibits. Just inside the entrance on the right there are restrooms and a stroller rental kiosk, as well as some cute little monkeys. Continuing to your right you will come to the rare animal conservation building. Past that will be the reptile house on the left and the kid’s zoo on the right. The reptile house is large and has many different reptiles. Marie was the only kid in our party that day so we skipped the kid’s zoo for the moment. When she and I went back later we found that the petting farm section closes a half hour before the rest of the zoo. The kid’s zoo also includes a play structure and a really nice indoor exhibit area featuring some animals and lots of hands-on activities.
Next you will want to visit the Primate Reserve on the left. This mainly indoor exhibit features several types of primates. On our trip, the highlight was watching the orangutan with her new little baby. Right next to the Primate Reserve is Lemur Island. Only a few people at a time are allowed on Lemur Island so you might have to wait a few minutes until it is your turn but it is worth the wait to get a close up view of these interesting creatures. Continuing around you will come to Big Cat Falls, featuring lions, tigers, and several other big cats.
At this point you are reaching the top of the oval. There are no more animals along the route, just a carousel, miniature train, and a picnic area. As there isn’t much to see in this area I would suggest heading toward the Avian Center. After seeing the pretty birds, you can head to the tip of the oval to see the cheetah and eagles or just cut across toward the otters and red pandas. If you have little ones or are tired of walking it isn’t worth the extra walk to the tip of the oval. The cheetah was not cooperating and was hiding in a corner where he was extremely hard to see.
The otters are always fun to watch and we just happened to be at the red panda enclosure at feeding time. Red pandas are not bears and are not related to giant panadas. They are more closely related to racoons, skunks, and weasels. Nevertheless, these small, adorable animals were great fun to watch as they tried to get their food out of paper bags.
You will then pass hippos, giraffes, zebras, and rhinos. During our visit there was some maintenance occurring between the giraffe and rhino enclosures. The giraffes were very interested in the work, crowding around the fence to watch, while the rhino didn’t like the commotion at all and kept pawing and snorting.
The penguin exhibit was one of our favorites as Marie discovered that the penguins will interact with people. While standing at the large glass viewing area where you can view the penguins swimming underwater, try waving your hand and the penguins will flap their wings back at you. We spent quite a while enjoying interacting with the penguins.
From there, continue around to the top of the penguin enclosure to view any penguins that are not in the water before heading to Bear Country. There are several bear enclosures. One bear was busy trying to get food out of a cardboard box. Past the bears, you will find several bird areas and the spider house.
Walking around the zoo counterclockwise means that you end your trip at the gift shop so you can pick up a cute stuffed animal or t-shirt to remind you of your trip. There are also restrooms located near the gift shop.
The zoo has numerous places where you can buy food and drinks but you are also allowed you to bring your own food and drink (just not in glass containers). This makes the zoo a very family friendly outing, since kids can snack while walking around so they don’t get hangry and your wallet doesn’t have to suffer from buying food on-site.
My Takeaway
The Philadelphia Zoo is worth a trip. The zoo is large and well-maintained, with many animals. It is not difficult to get to and has ample parking. The paths around the zoo are paved, wide, and fairly flat. Plan on spending 4-6 hours leisurely walking around and enjoying observing all the animals.