Spotlight: LA Zoo with Kids

When people think of visiting Los Angeles, beaches and Hollywood immediately come to mind. It’s a rare person who thinks of visiting wild animals and despite having grown up in Los Angeles, I never thought much of the local zoo, favoring the San Diego Zoo and then, of course, being partial to the National Zoo while living in DC. This past summer, I was delighted to not only discover the LA Zoo and Botanical Gardens with my kids for the very first time, but I was thrilled to learn that it’s a well managed zoo that offers opportunities and experiences that are not available at other zoos!

The LA Zoo is much larger than I expected an in fact, one of the more delightful discoveries was not only that the zoo has giraffes (which are noticeably missing from the National Zoo), but that for a $5 fee, visitors can participate in daily feedings of the giraffe between certain hours!

My three year old son, always the adventurer, was thrilled to engage in the activity and we were both startled when the giraffe’s big black tongue reached out to snag the branches we had ready for him!

A close second favorite experience at the LA Zoo was the petting zoo, called Muriel’s Ranch. Free with admission, the petting ranch offers the opportunity to get up close and personal with the zoo’s residents goats and sheep. I was thrilled to be handed a brush on our way into the petting area and my three year old and I had a great time, brushing the very docile and friendly goats.

In addition to our giraffe and goat experiences, we were enjoyed the general layout of the zoo as well. Despite visiting during record hot temperatures in the high 90s, we found plenty of shaded pathways and even indoor exhibits, which offered much needed respite from the relentless heat.

Finally, in addition to the normal panoply of zoo animals, the LA Zoo also has a “Botanical Garden” component which I initially dismissed but soon discovered was severely underrated.

I appreciated the the opportunity to not only visit animals that visit the rainforest with my kids, but to also show them the rainforest and provide a small visual of how the rainforest has changed over the years.

Moreover, although not quite the same scope as Arashiyama bamboo forest in Japan, this mini bamboo forest right in the middle of Los Angeles was a real treat, especially for my three year old who has only visited Arashiyama in utero.

Pro Tips for those considering an LA Zoo visit with kids:

• Parking is ample and free, but I hear that the lot can get extremely congested during the weekends as the parking lot is shared with a number of nearby attractions such as the Autry Museum of the American West.
• There are quite a few dining options, although, as expected, pizza and burgers, and chicken tenders are the general fare. There is one cafe that offers Mexican options and another that offers gourmet pizza and craft beer, so be sure to keep and eye out for whatever suits your fancy!
• In addition to the giraffe feeding experience, the LA Zoo offers a few other animal experiences for an additional fee. For instance, there is the Flamingo Mingle, which is $25 per person and offers the opportunity for guests to “mingle with flamingos.” There’s also the hippo encounter, which allows guests to get up close to a hippopotamus.
• The LA Zoo also offers “attractions” such as a carousel ride for $3 per ride, and a “safari” ride around the zoo, which is essentially a tram that drives around and unloads at various spots. We did not experience the carousel, but we did opt for a safari ride at one point when we were extremely tired and hot.

The LA Zoo is located at 5333 Zoo Drive in Los Angeles and is open to the public seven days a week, from 10am – 5pm, 364 days a year (closed Christmas Day).

Be sure to check out our entire category of posts on things to do and places to visit in Los Angeles with kids! And, be sure to visit the LA Zoo with kids!

Every so often, we encounter a place that is so fabulous for those traveling with kids that it is worthy of being featured on its own. For more fun locations, please check out our other Spotlight features!