City: Springfield, MO

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (417) 864-1800

Address: 3043 North Fort Ave.

Description: The zoo owns 175 acres, much of it undeveloped, but it’s home to a variety of species. The land for the zoo was purchased in 1922 and grew during the late 1920s and 1930s. Dickerson Park has continued to grow over the years and has become an attraction worthy of a half-day’s trip. The zoo has developed an international reputation for its work in breeding elephants and in the past has involved area schoolchildren in contests to name newly arrived pachyderms. A 1995 addition, now a thriving pachyderm toddler, was christened Asha, Hindu for hope. An important arrival appeared on November 28, 1999: a bouncing 378-pound baby named Haji, after a pregnancy of 674 days and a 34-hour labor. Haji was the first Asian elephant in the world born as the result of artificial insemination. Baby elephant births have almost become commonplace today.During its annual Teddy Bear Rally in April, free admission to anyone carrying a teddy bear packs the zoo. Of course, the spring weather and the trees and shrubs in bloom are big draws, too. Other events during the year include Mother’s Day and Father’s Day activities; a Reptile Mania Day in May, with educational activities throughout the zoo addressing the fear and fascination people have with reptiles; and an Ice Cream Safari in July. On Grandparents Day in September, children get a 75-cent discount when accompanied by their grandparents. And on October 31 of each year the zoo throws a Halloween party for children! The zoo hosts Zoofari, an early fall outdoor fund-raiser dinner to which many come in costume. It’s the one time people are more exotic than the animals! There is a gift shop at which you can purchase animal-related items and books. You can even take home a bag of “zoo-doo” for your flower bed! To get to the zoo, take the MO 13 exit off I-44 and immediately turn right at the light on Norton Street. You’ll see the zoo on your left in a few blocks. The zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily April through September, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily October through March, except during inclement weather and on major holidays. Admission: $6 adults, $4 for children 3 to 12. Children two and younger get in free. Although the Playground Park is free, there is an additional charge for the train ride, as well as wagon, stroller, or wheelchair rentals.