Planning a visit to the Zoos in Washington but don’t know where to go? Do not think much; here, you will find the list of best zoos in Washington, DC. An adventurous visit to the National Zoo to learn about various animals is a great idea for a vacation.
Let us see various zoos in Washington, DC, that might bring excitement and thrill to your life.
1. Famous Zoos in Washington DC
Washington DC is a beautiful city in the United States and is full of tourist places. Visiting great sites on the weekends and vacations is the best idea there. Animal lovers and excited kids always love to visit the zoo. These zoos take care of the animals’ lives and preserve them.
You can get many animal demonstration events going on in the zoos at different times. Animal care and healthiness are the priority of zoos, and thus, you can notice many animals hide during summers that are reluctant to heat, while some in winter. They are provided with their habitual environment to live in.
1.1. Smithsonian National Zoological Park
One of the oldest zoos in Washington DC, run by Smithson Institute, the Smithsonian National Zoological Park is the best zoo for the visit. It is located at 3001 Connecticut Ave NW in Washington, DC, 20008, United States.
It is famous for its conservation biology institute with various trails, animal houses, and more, which attracts approximately 2 million footfalls every year. It is free of cost to visit and engage in a beautiful environment filled with flora and fauna for animal habitats.
Smithsonian Zoo also provides you with its best services, like amazing restaurants, restrooms, drinking water fountains, rental wheelchairs, an indoor gift shop, and outdoor kiosks.
Spread over an area of 163 acres, it is home to more than 2100 animals, including the most critically endangered species in the world. Almost 400 varieties of species can be found in this beautiful zoological park.
Another campus for research purposes with facilities like doctors and researchers is also there. All of this is to research reproductive and veterinary goals to save not just the wildlife animals but their real homes and their habits, too.
This was pretty much about the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Let’s have a campus visit!
1.1.1. Asian Trail
The Asian trail was created when giant Pandas visited the zoo for the first time in 1972. It is a well-enriched place for animals like Red pandas, Sloth bears, Asian small-clawed otters, and clouded leopards. It has activities and training sessions as well for animals to enjoy. They even organize painting activities where animals like red pandas draw by walking over the canvas and more. One can visit the giant panda habitat here and get a closer look. For more, read here.
1.1.2. American Trail
It is a flourished trail encompassing all the essentials required for the animals to continue with their natural behavior. This trial has animals like sea lions for whom the 300,000 gallons of water pool is prepared. Similarly, for seals, 125,000 gallons of water pool there. All this is done to make a natural habitat for these animal species to live as if they are in a wild coastal area only. For more, read here.
1.1.3. Bird House
Bird House consists of various aviaries for the visitors to walk through and Delaware Bay. Here, they get to know about the migration of shorebirds. Then, they enter the prairie pothole, which is also known as “the Duck Factory of America.” It is an endangered ecosystem. Now, the third aviary is called the “Coffee Farm,” a beautiful habitat with songbirds singing on the canopy of coffee plants. Lastly comes the bird plateau, where you can find barred owls, American flamingos, and more. For more, read here.
1.1.4. Elephant Trails
It is like an Asian elephant conservation community center that does everything that can help them remain as sharp-minded as they are born. Various activities are organized to keep them active. There are concrete as well as natural floorings for them to choose from that fit them best. Recently, the elephant trails consisted of five elephants: 4 female elephants and 1 male. Woo, it encompasses an area as large as to hold on to 10 adult elephants with their baby elephants. It works on replenishing the area for Asian elephants’ reproduction, biological behavior, genetics, and many more things. For more, read here.
1.1.5. Amazonia Exhibit
This exhibits the world’s largest river basin, the “Amazon” river’s fish animals, and other animals that roam around. It contains a wide variety of the largest freshwater fishes and turtles. For the sight of some titi monkeys and spoonbills, visit the rainforest. Now it has something new for the visitors known as the “Electric Fish Demonstration Lab,” which contains a 5-foot-long electric eel in it. The studies showed the amazing abilities of this electric eel. Visit and experience it yourself. For more, read here.
1.1.6. Reptile Discovery Center
The center takes care of 70 plus amphibians and reptiles, which all have unique adaptations. You can visit them in the summertime as they hide in winter due to their cold-blooded body temperature. They can’t withstand the winter season. An Aldabra tortoise is also found here and has a life of more than 100 years. Also, catch sight of an extinct golden frog called the “Panamanian golden frog.” It also offers the “Jewels of Appalachia exhibit” that lets you experience an undersurface world of salamanders. For more, read here.
1.1.7. Small Mammal House
The Smithsonian’s women’s committee started this small mammal house, which has become home to more than 35 pieces now. It gives you knowledge about the animal body and its behavioral relations. This is explained using radiography and artifacts. You will find sand cats, golden lion tamarins, white-nosed coatis, and more. For more, read here.
1.1.8. Great Cats
The Great cats exhibit the strongest predators of wildlife, the lions and tigers. It contains the African lions and Sumatran tigers provided with a very vast area for roaming around freely. Also, they are trained as a cub to defend themselves from drowning in the moat. For this, they are made to pass the swimming test. For more, read here.
1.1.9. Cheetah Conservation Station
It is a safe place for not only cheetahs but also for animals like zebras, vultures, hornbills, and more. Being in the same surrounding helps them develop interactive skills and let them live in their natural habitat. Let them keep up with their survival skills. For more, read here.
1.1.10. Kid’s Farm
Its sole purpose is to provide a space for kids to meet the animals, too. The adventure for kids to see live animals which they have seen in their picture books. It is safe for children as it only exhibits mild animals like cows, goats, fishes, donkeys, chickens, and alpacas. For more, read here.
1.1.11. American Bison
In 1887, when the Smithsonian’s Zoo was established, it only had American bison and other American animals to exhibit. Later, it developed so much. So, the Bison are considered the inspiration and spark that helped in raising the sense of responsibility towards conservation. For more, read here.
This was all about the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biological Institute. It’s a must-visit zoo in Washington DC. You see how many exhibits are there to attend and explore. It is full of adventure and exciting events to attend. So, visit and find out for yourself: Why?
1.2. Cougar Mountain Zoological Park
It has been spreading awareness through education for the last 50 years, that is, since 1972. It is located at 19525 SE 54th Street, Issaquah, Washington 98027, United States. Their main focus is to educate people about the conservation of endangered species.
You will find a wide variety of animals, such as cougars, gray wolves, Bengal tigers, Siberian reindeer, and many more. They celebrate various events like Woo at the Zoo, Earth Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July celebration, Henrietta’s summer bash, howl-o-ween, and reindeer festival. In addition, the master plan, as they said, is to ensure a high quality of life for the animals in the zoo.
1.3. NOVA Park
A non-profitable zoological park for the welfare of wildlife situated at 1228 Hunter Mill Rd, Vienna, VA 22182, (703) 757-WILD (9453), Washington DC, United States.
It encompasses 30 acres of land. Not only can you visit but also experience jungle safari, in which you are allowed not only to see but also to feed some animals. A car parking facility after the safari is also available at the zoo. Then, you can have sight of about 40 species of capybaras, wallabies, and more.
They also offer a special animal visitor meet available with special ticket purchases. That includes spending time with a few animals with the guidance of a zoo keeper to enlighten you with all the knowledge. You can find various animals like Emu, Indian Peafowl, miniature donkeys, silver cheeked hornbill, greater rhea, llamas, and lots more.
1.4. O. Orkin Insect Zoo
O. Orkin Insect Zoo was established in 1976 at 1000 Madison Drive NW Washington, D.C. 20560, United States.
It gives an extraordinary experience of knowing the insect world. Visitors can have a close look at the lives of these crawlers or flyers. It has a nursery that holds onto the live insect’s larvae and pupae.
You can see the most favorite of all, the “Butterfly Pavilion,” where you can roam around these butterflies in the tropical region. Moreover, Eastern lubber grasshoppers, leaf insects, and others can be found too. It is free to visit.
The insect zoo. Really? Wasn’t this your reaction before knowing about it? Amazing, right? This specialty makes it a must-visit zoo in Washington if you love insects.
1.5. Cat Tales Zoological Park
The Cat Tales Zoo, established in 1991, is a C-class zoo responsible for providing aid and rescuing big cats. It is located North of Spokane, Washington DC, United States.
A multi-purpose zoological park for rescuing animals, a rehabilitation center, and a retirement place as well. It is not only a zoo in Washington DC, but it is an educational and training center too, which shares animal stories with its student volunteers, interns, and all to motivate them. It trains interns to become a zookeeper, too.
You can find various big cats, such as Siberian and Bengal tigers, foxes, lynx, wolf dogs, black bears, bobcats, and many more. Even in the hardest times of post-pandemic situations, they have trained 42 students, of which 17 were graduated, and 25 were college students. Also, 28 animals were taken in by the zoo.
It also has a “Cats of the World” museum along with a gift shop. You can buy souvenirs for your trip.
This cat tales zoological park itself is a small world of cats. It holds onto so many varieties of big cats. It is a must-visit for students as it provides a special training program for them. Also, it provides internships.
1.6. Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
Since 1975, the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park has been situated at 11610 Trek Drive, East, Eatonville, WA 98328, United States.
It offers the best sight to the native animals of the Northwest. First, it has released a “Wild Drive premier tour” for the visitors to drive through the paths providing beautiful sights of animals like caribou, Roosevelt elk, bison, and mountain goats. Moreover, these animals pass by freely, and you can see them through your car drive.
Second, the “Keeper Adventure Tour” offers 90 minutes of on-the-ground visits to animals like bison and mountain goats. To take you to the ground, a jeep is available. Also, a “photo tour” is there for people over 16 years of age due to security reasons.
Next, the “Elk Bulging Tour” gives you an unheard and unseen experience of elk’s eerie sounds and their antler fights. This will always remain in your head once visited. Further, an “Animal walking path” is also there that will provide you with the sight of canines, cats, birds, meat bears, and many more animals.
For a kid’s adventure, there is finally a “kid’s trek” as well, which contains various adventurous activities for kids, such as climbing, sliding, jumping, splashing, and more.
1.7. Leesburg Animal Park
A family-owned business purpose animal care is known as Leesburg Animal Park. It is situated in Leesburg, Virginia, 40 miles northwest of Washington DC, United States.
Since the year 2000, it has provided a closer animal experience to its visitors. Here, you can meet and feed animals such as llamas, goats, or sheep.
It provides you with a choice of wagon rides, pony rides, camel rides, or live animal shows, as well as indoor and outdoor playgrounds. You are allowed to feed animals in the animal petting and feeding area, where you can find animals like llamas, alpacas, ducks, cows, goats, sheep, bunnies, and more.
Also, the “Exotic Animal Exhibit” is famous for showcasing a variety of animals such as white-headed gibbons, zebras, camels, coatimundi, sloths, squirrel monkeys, Patagonian cavy, African serval cats, and African crested porcupines. It provides party services like safari birthday packages, fall festival birthday packages, and group and field trips too.
Kids of age 6 to 12 years of age can have a summer camp here. It has a special “Jr. Zookeeper Summer Camp” for kid animal lovers. The real zookeepers take care of these little ones, teach them lessons, and take them to the park animals. It might come out as a once-in-a-lifetime experience for little ones at your home.
1.8. The Maryland Zoo
The Baltimore Zoo, later known as The Maryland Zoo, was first established in 1876 and further, renamed in 2004. It is located in Baltimore, Maryland, 40 miles northeast of Washington, DC, United States.
It encompasses an area of more than 135 acres that contains a variety of animals, such as Harris’s hawk, northern ground hornbill, lesser kudu, lappet-faced vulture, northern pintail, and fulvous whistling duck.
Next, the must-see animal in the zoo is the lynx Rufus Bobcat. It is almost twice the size of any normal household cat, with the power of taking down any animal 10 times stronger than it. The Maryland Zoo in Washington, DC, is full of the most famous and different types of events for adults. Some of them are Girl’s Night In (the Zoo), Supernatural Dance Party, Wild Workshop, Wine in the Wilderness, Oktoberfest, Zoo Zoom, Zoo Experience, and many more.
Moreover, it also has kids’ events. Some are breakfast with the animals, zoo boo, trucks for tots, twilight stroll, zoo snooze overnights, and Zoo Zoom. Free events are Back to School, Penguin Feeding, Trucks for Tots, and zoo boo.
They also offer various other group and party packages for your weddings, birthdays, and groups as well. Lastly, you can rent the zoo as well. Private rentals, corporate rentals, and the zoo are a few rental options.
3. Final Note
Zoos are the best way to have an enjoyable weekend or a vacation day. Knowing about so many animals and birds that we all have only heard of or seen photos of. Seeing them live with your own eyes is a different experience, especially for the kids. So, make a choice and visit these famous zoos in Washington, DC, in the upcoming holidays.
Visiting zoos for entertainment purposes is not wrong as they are meant for it, but harming animals is a punishable act. So, make sure not to do any such kind of behavior in the zoos that might cause any trouble to animals. Moreover, it is we who should make sure that the zoo animals feel safe.
Support animal care and make your kids learn, too. Do not litter around the zoo, and keep it clean. Also, as a souvenir, they offer gift shops inside the zoo park. Buy gifts for yourselves and loved ones too.
Visit a plan and ENJOY!
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology
