City: St. Louis, MO

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (314) 781-0900

Description: With its natural-habitat exhibits and more than 11,000 animals, the St. Louis Zoo is regularly voted one of the best zoos in the country. Some of the highlights include the Antelope Area, which also has zebras, giraffes, and camels; Big Cat Country; and the Bird House, Flight Cage, and Bird Garden. This was the very first zoo exhibit, left over from the 1904 World’s Fair Flight Cage. In the Bird House, thin piano wire separates you from birds from around the world, and in the Bird Garden you’ll have the chance to see a bald eagle up close and personal. At the Bear Pits, you can see polar bears play in their pool, and the Children’s Zoo allows kids to feed a lorikeet and see river otters swimming in their pool. At the Herpetarium, there are venomous snakes, colorful frogs, giant tortoises, and lazy crocodiles on display in replicas of their wild habitats, while the Insectarium, an interactive exhibit with more than 100 species of insects and invertebrates, features butterflies, damselflies, and katydids in a beautiful walk-through flight dome. The Jungle of the Apes exhibit has gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans, and the Primate House allows visitors to watch as social groups of monkeys and lemurs swing from branch to branch. The River’s Edge allows you to immerse yourself in nature, without visible barriers or buildings, as you follow a waterway to see how animals all over the world live at the river’s edge. The exhibit includes Asian elephants, cheetahs, hyenas, hippos (with underwater viewing), rhinos, and capybaras. The Cypress Swamp exhibit, features aquatic birds that live in swamps along the Mississippi River. Swamp-loving ducks, egrets, herons, and other feathered friends are featured in this wetlands habitat. The Wild features cold-weather animals such as penguins, puffins, and polar bears, as well as grizzlies and black bears, and the ZOOmagination Station offers interactive activities that encourage kids to explore and investigate life in the animal world. While general admission to the zoo is free, the Children’s Zoo and other special exhibits/attractions charge a nominal fee. However, admission to the Children’s Zoo is free every day from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.