11 Tips for An Amazing Day at the Zoo with Kids (2023)

A Day at the Zoo with Kids

Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my! A day at the zoo is a fantastic way to spend a summer day with your kids. What’s better than being able to walk around and seeing animals first hand that you typically are only able to read about in books? They provide the perfect opportunity for up-close encounters with these amazing animals while making memories as a family too. As with any outing with kids, if you want to have a smooth trip, you should know a few things ahead of time.

My family is full of animal lovers which means we head to a nearby zoo any chance we get. I now have have over 7 years of experience of visiting zoos with young children. Moreover, the military has given our family unique opportunities to visit many zoos across the United States, some of our favorites have been the San Antonio Zoo and the Bronx Zoo. In this blog, I’ll share my top tips for having a successful zoo trip at any zoo with your family.

11 Tips for an Amazing Day at the Zoo with Toddlers and Young Kids

1. Plan.

1. The first way to have a fantastic day at the zoo is to plan in advance. I’m usually the spur-of-the-moment type person now but if we’re headed to a new zoo, I always check it out on-line before we go. You may be thinking, well what types of things do you need to consider before your trip to the zoo? Let me break it down for you.
   1. Hours. You always want to check the hours of the zoo to make sure they’ll be open when you arrive. I’ve been to some zoos that open early around 8:30a and other not until 10a. You don’t want to show up to a zoo with a car full of excited kids at 9am if they don’t open until 10a. Trust me, the hour of wait time may ruin the day. Also be sure to check their calendar. Most zoos are open everyday with the exception of a few holidays. However, there are always special occasions they may close for so be sure to call ahead or check their website.
   2. Price. I always like to know what I’m getting into ahead of time and plan accordingly. The price of admission to zoos vary depending on how big the zoo is and what they offer. Don’t be caught off guard with the price and always know befor you go.
   3. Discounts. A discount you say? Yes, always check to see if you can get a discount for the zoo. Most zoos offer a discount for military service and some even offer free addmission. If you are non-military I’ve seen groupon offer discounts at select zoos as well.
   4. Membership. If you are local to the zoo, and a family of four or more, considering buying their membership. I’ve learned that most annual memberships for the zoos are roughly the cost of two trips to the zoo. They can also sometimes be a tax write off too! The added bonus if you get a membership is you can visit the zoo as many times as you want for the year and those visits are essentially free. It’s a fun way to get out of the house with the kids too.
   5. Parking. This is another one you may not think to check about but some zoos will have paid parking and others free. If it is paid you can either decide if you’re going to use the zoo parking lot or try to find free local parking. I suggest looking at your options before you go.
   6. Zoo Map (physical or phone). If you have an elementary-aged or older child that enjoys reading maps (like mine), you may have to print one off to bring with you. My oldest loves to read the map, but I don’t want him carrying around my phone. I’ve noticed since COVID that most of the zoos have now went to an electronic map only. This means if it is an online map only, I print a copy to bring with us.

2. Wear Comfortable Shoes

I try to be pretty mindful when we’re going to the zoo about our shoe choice. You’ll be walking a lot, so I recommend comfortable tennis shoes. However, my girls love wearing their sandals, and as long as I know they won’t rub a blister, I allow it. I highly recommend avoiding any new shoes on this trip. The easiest way to ruin a fun day at the zoo is to have a new blister from your shoes.

3. Bring Sunscreen (Bug Spray)

Since we tend to visit the zoo in the summer, I ALWAYS have sunscreen. No one wants to end up with a painful sunburn while enjoying the animals. I also monitor how long we are there against the sunscreen’s recommended use. You may have to reapply your sunscreen if you stay an entire day. Also, if you’re in an area prone to bugs, bug spray is always helpful too!

4. Change of Clothes

If you have older children, you can probably avoid this one, but if you have babies and toddlers, I highly suggest bringing a change of clothes. You never know when someone will have an accident during your visit. On that note, also bring wipes. I swear wipes are always needed for one reason or another.

5. Water/ Snacks

Be sure to check the zoo policy; you may be unable to bring food from home. However, I always bring water to drink. If there is no policy, I try to bring snacks or lunch from home, especially if I plan a longer trip. Let’s be honest, the price of snacks and food at the zoo isn’t always budget-friendly.

6. Must-See List

This is one I’ve recently started doing myself. The kids are all developing their own interests in animals. As toddlers, they didn’t care which animals we saw as long as they saw some animals. Now my elementary-aged children want to see their favorites. This means we pull up the list of animals before we go, talk about what is on our must-see list, and make sure we head for those animals when we arrive. This way, their must-sees are done, and if we need to cut our visit short, they’re still happy with the trip.

7. Stroller

Always check the zoo policy before heading out with your stroller. Some areas have a ban on wagons or stroller dimensions. Some zoos rent these items as well. I’ll opt for my baby carrier over the stroller if we are doing a short day at the zoo. The carrier is an easier option, especially for zoos with hills or many indoor exhibits where you’re required to park your stroller. If you have a baby or toddler that will get tired of walking, you may want to buy a cheap stroller to use for these days.

I’ve never had our stroller or wagon stolen but I have heard it happens. I do have an Apple Air Tag on my wagon that I can track the location of should it ever come up missing. And on that note, it may seem crazy BUT if we’re headed to a bigger zoo (or any place that has a lot of people like an airport) then I use an airtag bracelet with the kids. I had tried to do a shoe insert so it was more discrete but my kids are sensitive and didn’t like the way their shoe fit but they did like the fun bracelets.

8. Time Your Visit

I frequently hear people say “get there early before everyone else” but let’s be real, the zoo tends to be busy all day. For this reason, I would make the time you go work for you. There have been days we have tried to get there first thing just to avoid the heat. There are also days we have a slower morning and then enjoy the evening at the zoo closer to closing. Don’t stress yourself out about a specific timeframe, regardless of when you go.

9. Expectations

• Behavior. I have a family meeting before we head into the zoo. Sometimes we do this in the car, other times, it’s once everyone is out of the car but before we enter the gates. We talk about our rules for the day (this varies if I have all four kids by myself or if there is another adult) and the expectations for behavior. I want everyone to have a good time, but there are also specific rules for our day to go smoothly. 
  • Some examples of expectations I have if I have the kids at the zoo by myself:
    • If you are walking, you are holding hands.
    • No running.
    • If you can’t see me, I can’t see you.
    • Red Light, Green Light (This is for the toddlers that want to walk. If I say red light they have to stop. They get one warnings, if they ignore “red light” a second time then they’re back in the wagon until we try again)

• Paid Zoo Encounters. Decide ahead of time and let your children know if you’ll be doing any of the “extra paid” encounters. This one always comes up for our family. The kids love the animal encounters and sometimes we splurge (usually special occassions like a birthday) and will do an up-close encoutner but for the most part we skip them because they can really add up. I always let the kids know ahead of time before we even enter the zoo if we’ll be doing one. This helps with expectations when they see the encounters, they already know the answer. Of course, they still sometimes ask but I remind them of the talk we had in the vehicle before we came and that maybe next time we can do an ecounter.

10. Take Breaks

This one may not be one you think about, but I promise for a successful day, expect to take breaks, especially with toddlers. I usually look at a map to see if there is a playscape, water play area, or greenspace where the kids can run around and burn off some energy during our trips to the zoo.

11. Have Fun.

The whole point of a zoo trip is to HAVE FUN! Go enjoy yourself and make some family memories. I always try to remind myself there is always going to be something that “goes wrong” or a child that throws a tantrum during our trips but don’t let it ruin it for you. I don’t think I’ve made it away from one zoo trip without a tantrum and we’ve been going to zoos for 7 years nows. Take a deep breath, mention an exciting animal you’re headed to see, and continue on with the fun.

Have Any Tips for Taking Kids to the Zoo?

If you have any additional tips that you have found helpful while visiting the zoo I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below and let me know. Have your tried any of these tips? Did it make your trip easier? Let us know below.

If you want to explore a new zoo, check out “A Day at Central Park Zoo with Kids.”

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