National Zoo

There is a lot to see but with children it is a bad idea to even try to do it all in one day. Try to plan the areas you most want to see in advance. I wish I could go more often and should since I live here!

its the national zoo

• Baby panda’s 1st birthday ~ loved the humongous bamboo and fruit popsicle
• Boo at the Zoo ~ No child should miss this event. Trick Or Treating at it’s safest and best as you collect treats and see the animals at night and millions of other Trick Or Treaters dressed up
• ZooFari – No Adult should miss this! OMG one of the most delicious and coolest ways to spend an evening with all you can eat from great restaurants in the city
• GuppyGala – You’ve Gotta take your kids, just once! Similar to ZooFari but totally overboard on the kid theme. Way too overwhelming for them, and hard to pack it all into one night, but soooo worth it (just take the pictures early on)
• My daughter’s 4th birthday party – They gave us a private room and had a tour guide walk our group through the Ape House. A Great Day (without messing up our house) and made me eligible for the Best Mom Award from her and her friends.

The Washington Post reports today that the zoo reached an agreement with China to allow giant panda cub Tai Shan to remain here another two years, instead of returning this summer, as originally planned. Yippee!

Tai Shan the baby giant panda!!

If you’re going to go to see the Pandas, or any of the new Asian animals, GO IN THE MORNING. And not, 10am, go at 8 or 7am instead. It’s cooler, which is closer to the panda’s natural habitat, and there are less people. The keepers usually put out toys or food at that time too, so you’ll get to see the pandas playing!

It seems that all the pandas do is sleep. So avoid the crowds and try to find the free-ranging tamarins in the trees, or see if the prarie dogs are out.

My 15 yr old son and I went to DC and went to the zoo. It was quite a walk from the metro. We saw the giraffes, hippos, etc next to the Pandas. We did see the pandas – I just loved that. We ate there, then left because my son was just not interested, so I must return!

I love to visit zoos and art museums in every town I visit and the National Zoo has been the best so far. Plus it is free!

Get off at the Cleveland Park Metro exit, NOT the Zoo stop, otherwise you’ll end up walking uphill the whole way. Take the Zoo stop home, and you’ll walk downhill to the stop. Sweat less!!!

A free zoo, so how much can you complain? They treat their animals very humanely, and in a good zoo, the animals are sometimes hard to find. The baby panda & elephant are both darling, and the Amazon exhibit (forget what it’s called…) is really cool.

Definitely go, but follow a tour map when you do,or you’ll end up walking WAYYYY far. Don’t go on a scorching hot day!