Zoo Atlanta

Friday we had the opportunity to visit Zoo Atlanta. We were greeted by Miss. Rachel who is an absolute sweetheart. She was very knowledgeable and very understanding of our kids.

Blake loved the otters and the monkey.  Nathan the Goats, Sheep and mole rat. They have a fantastic  facility. We saw the largest Gorilla exhibit in North America. They have about 24 right now with more on the way. They have over 1,000 animals and cover more than 200 species from around the world. They really do a great job mimicking the natural habitat for each animal.  How cool is that?  They are expanding for sun bears and tigers. We can’t wait to travel back and see the new additions.

Here are some more important facts about Zoo Atlanta.  They are private nonprofit corporation. They also are accredited by the  Association of Zoos and Aquariums.  They were founded in 1889. Zoo Atlanta is one of the oldest zoo’s that is in continuous operation. They are open year round except thanksgiving and Christmas day.  They are open Daily from 9:30 to 4:30 pm.  Admission is  19.99 for adults, 15.99 for seniors 55 and older, 14.99  for children 3 to 11. Free to zoo members. It is worth  the membership cost. If you travel through out the country you can get in free or reduced at other zoo and aquariums on the reciprocal list.  So on with our day.

The different areas in the zoo are Asian Forest, Flamingo Plaza, World of Reptiles, Orkin Children’s Zoo, Outback Station, The Ford African Rain Forest, and the African Plains.

One of our first stops were the Flamingos. My kids couldn’t grasp why they weren’t pink. They were from Africa. We also saw a Rhino that my kids were more than impressed with. They asked really great questions. They asked about what they ate and if they stood on one foot at all times. Fantastic.

My personal favorite was the Panda Bears. They have three. Zoo Atlanta is one of only four zoos in the U.S. housing giant pandas. How cool is that? Did you know there is only an estimated 1,600 Pandas left in the wild? how sad is that. They are beautiful. Mei Lan who was born in September of 06 was the only giant panda born in the U.S. that year. They had quite the appetite.

They also have the largest Orangutans and Gorilla exhibit in the U.S. The Orangutans age in 2-39. They were cute.Did the Orangutans live solitary lives? They have the largest Gorilla habitat in the U.S. as well. They have a sucessful breeding program. They have a huge natural habitat that allows for plenty of play time and daily activity space. We had a great time watching the younger Gorillas Play.

They have a huge reptile exhibit. I was creeped out. Me and snakes don’t do well together but my kids were intrigued. They could not believe the size of some of them. They had a few cool turtles in the exhibit. They have more than 400 reptiles and this represents 100 species. Many of these animals are critically endangered.

We also saw baby warthogs. They are so cute. This area also has meerkats, zebras and the elephants.

See arent they cute?

The kids also had a blast in the petting zoo. You will see that in the slide show below. You all need to go and visit Zoo Atlanta.

We definitely made great memories on Friday at the zoo. Our kids are still talking about the animals. A special thank you to Rachel.

Thank you to Zoo Atlanta for hosting us and giving us a private tour. We received free admission in return for our written review and experience.

Tags: atlanta zoo, Autism, traveling with autistic children, zoo programs

Category: Aspergers, Autism, Entertainment, Family, PDD-NOS, Travel