Wanderlust: Sacramento Zoo

Zoos are always a hit to children. There’s something about animals that just captivates them. And then there’s the wild animals that they only see on TV (oftentimes cartoon-ized at that) right before their eyes. They get wowed over the majesty of the lion with its pride surrounding him, the big teeth of the alligator, the height of the giraffe and the thickness of the python.

Our trip almost two week’s ago with Captain Awesome’s class was very pleasant (thanks to the beautiful October weather) that, I have got to say, visiting the Sacramento Zoo has got to be one of the major things to do in Sacramento, especially if you are visiting California’s capital with the family.

photo credit: The Sacramento Zoo

It might not be as huge as the San Diego Zoo, but its 14-acre span houses a variety of animals that kids (and the kids at heart) would definitely love to see, such as kangaroos, flamingos, snow leopards and more. As with any zoo, mornings are the best time to visit as the animals are very active and playful. As a matter of fact, during our visit, the chimpanzees went wild, with the alpha male (or female) reinforcing his (or her) dominance by banging the glass. We never found out what caused the commotion. The zoo was kind of undermanned, the poor primate did not have anyone to calm it.

The [fairly] newly-constructed viewing deck called the Tall Wonders is an amazing, one-of-a-kind experience. It allows visitors to interact with the giraffes by feeding them with browse (a small tree branch). Tickets for this activity cost only $3 per person and usually last up to 30 minutes.

The Reptile House exhibits reptiles from the different parts of the globe. Some of the children were a little disappointed by the zoo’s current display of reptiles, though, as they were expecting to see more (and larger) snakes, crocodiles and alligators, instead of the iguanas and red-eye tree frogs. Nonetheless, they enjoyed jotting down the origins of these animals by continents (and it is not surprising that Africa wins the tally) and learning a lot of fun facts.

Fourteen acres is a lot of ground to cover. Fortunately, there are the carousel and the train rides that allow your feet to rest for only, I think, $5 per person.

Meals and snacks are available at the Kampala Cafe and the Savannah Snacks. I usually do not buy food from these attractions because of their overpricing, but according to Captain Awesome’s class adviser, the hotdog sandwich was delish, but cost her $11-something. :/

If photos are not enough to have a remembrance of your trip, the Zoofari Market Gift Store has the usual souvenir items that you can bring home for yourself or for your loved ones. Captain Awesome got himself a ball-chasing weasel and his little sister a stuffed tiger to add to her collection.

All in all, Sacramento Zoo is okay. It just needs a little tidying up and more zoo staff to ask questions from, but they do have the Ikea-sponsored Cellphone Safari to cover that. Entrance fees are reasonably priced. Since it is located inside the William Land Park, parking is not a problem and other Sacramento attractions are easily accessible such as the Fairytale Town.

The Sacramento Zoo

3930 West Land Park Drive

Sacramento, CA 95822

(916) 808-5888