Livinglovingandexploring!

The one place we can’t wait to get back to once this COVID-19 nightmare is over—the St. Louis Zoo. Now, if you’re so unfortunate as to have never heard of this particular Zoo, well, let me fill you in. This Zoo is one of the best in the country and renowned throughout the world for its’ conservation efforts, amongst other things! They have over 13,000 animals in the Zoo! There are several different areas to the Zoo, which has a handy-dandy map for you upon entering so that you can find your way around. Or better yet, if you don’t feel like walking, you can always hop aboard the train and make your way from stop to stop. The train does cost a fee, so be prepared for that!

When we do get to head back, I already know it’s going to be a day-long adventure! There are just so many things to see and do that you have to spend at least 4 hours there, if not more, depending on your list of animals you’d like to encounter! One of the most exciting areas at the park is the Wild Area, at least from our point of view! How would your kid like to get within 3 feet of a full-grown polar bear?! Well, at our zoo, you can do that! (Sorry for the wicked photo, it was nighttime – but the experience is AMAZING!) Or, get up close and personal with a penguin? You can do that too! Just prepare to be splashed by them!

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There are giraffes, lions, zebras, snakes, sea lions, bears, gorillas, and so many more animals; it’s just incredible! There’s a place called Stingray Cove, where if you get there the first hour the zoo is open, it’s free to take a peek inside and TOUCH THE STINGRAYS! Incredible, right?! I know that most zoos have an excellent variety of animals, but most zoos also charge you to get inside. So, instantly, our zoo is my favorite! Now, if you go inside and visit any of the vendors, shops, or take in a show, then you can expect to drop some money. But if you’re going strictly to see the animals and nothing else, and you’ve found parking on the street inside the entirety of Forest Park (that’s a story for another time), then it’s FREE! Now, if you can’t find parking on the street or in the surrounding neighborhoods or areas, then there is a fee to park IN their parking lot.

Now, the other beautiful thing I love about our Zoo is that they celebrate different occasions all the time. For instance, come October through January, expect to see millions of lights, and more changing the scenery at the Zoo. They celebrate Halloween, and it’s super kid-oriented, so bring the littles in their costumes! They also celebrate Christmas with more lights and all-around fun! There’s hot chocolate, funnel cakes, adult beverages! You name it; they probably have it if it’s at all associated with that holiday! Each summer, they have a ‘Jungle Boogie’ series where on Friday nights, they’ll have musicians come into the center of the Zoo and rock to some tunes! People are dancing and laughing; it’s a HUGE deal! People even bring lawn chairs! (Of course, these things all happen when the Zoo is open; which due to the current crisis of COVID-19 going on, it’s not, unfortunately.)

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I can’t very well tell you all about our zoo without a small history lesson. In case you weren’t aware, St. Louis was home to the 1904 World’s Fair (think Judy Garland in ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’.) For something spectacular for visitors and citizens alike to fawn over, the Smithsonian Institution commissioned the flight cage (an open-air exhibit which is one of only a few worldwide to this day). If you made it to the fair, you could go through the cage (it had an enclosed tunnel down the center) and see the assorted birds brought in for the exhibition. After the fair was over, St. Louis fought to keep the flight cage here as it was such a huge hit! They managed to keep it by purchasing it for $3500.00, and as they say, the rest is history. In 1910, the Zoological Society was founded, and they went about figuring out how to get a Zoo set up in our great city, which they accomplished in 1916.

If I’ve at all whetted your appetite for our amazing Zoo, they have decided during their temporary closure to keep us up-to-date with some of their animals by sharing stories and videos of them on their social media pages! They’re promoting the hashtag #bringtheStLzootoyou to try to engage folks to come and see what they’re up to! You can find the Zoo at the following spots: https://www.stlzoo.org/about ; IG @stlzoo ; Twitter @stlzoo ; FB @stlzoo ; Pinterest Saint Louis Zoo ; YouTube @StlZooTube

With that, I’m going to let you ponder on how you’re going to make it here to come and visit our spectacular zoo! I’ll leave you some fun photos to take a look at too along with a final parting thought from Mr. George Vierheller, who was the St. Louis Zoo Director from 1922 to 1962, “There are two things a lively city needs — a good zoo and a good baseball team.” We’ve got those covered.

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What can you and your family not WAIT to open back up again once everything is re-opened?!

Let me know in the comments!

Love ya,

Kelly Ann

Relevant hashtags if you choose to share (which I’d GREATLY appreciate!): #STL #STLZoo #saintlouis #placestogo #zoos #animals #supportconservation #worldsfair #1904worldsfair #forestpark #zoofriends #stlouismissouri #kcmo #downtownstl #stlouismo #stlmo #stlgram #stlouisgram #stlbloggers #raja #wild #history #bringthestlzootoyou