We weren’t expecting much from this zoo, as we started a zoocation weekend with other larger zoos on our schedule. But the Washington Park Zoo provided us with a nice afternoon. This is a pretty small zoo, good size to let toddlers walk around. Overall it needs some updating, but does well with the room they have.
Highlights:
- Bears – This seemed like a lower-budget version of Black Bear Falls at the Knoxville Zoo. Upon entry, this exhibit is in the middle of the zoo, and was one that we kept coming back to look at.
- Otters – The playful otters have some room to run around and play, and there’s a tunnel for kids as well.
- Parakeet aviary – a nice walk-through aviary where you can feed the parakeets – one of very few interactive activities in this zoo, so this is a must.
Lows:
- Big cats – the exhibits for the tiger and lions were very depressing. This zoo needs to do better – tiny space for these big animals. We visited on a cold day, where they should have been more active, and they weren’t – a sign that their habitat is not engaging.
- Structure – this zoo kind of puts exhibits where they fit – wasn’t much of a flow to it at all.
- Interactions – We went on a Friday in the fall, so maybe that was part of it, but per the website we didn’t miss any interactive opportunities. For a small zoo, they need to increase that to get people coming back.
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