One Texas city that we love to visit is San Antonio! When we are looking for a day trip outside of Austin I would say 9 times out of 10 we end up there. It is nice because it’s not too far away, and there are plenty of family friendly activities to choose from. One of our favorite day trips is a visit to the San Antonio Zoo. My kids love seeing animals and we like visiting places where there is always something new to see!

From our house to the zoo is about a 1.5 hour drive so we usually plan to make a day of it.  We pack plenty of snacks and activities for the drive! Parking at the zoo is free, however there is a 5 minute walk from the parking garage to the zoo entrance. It is not too bad of a walk, but it is a little hilly so for younger kids I would recommend bringing the stroller (especially for the end of the day when everyone’s legs are tired!).  The zoo has a lot of different ticket options (https://sazoo.org/buy-tickets) and some include rides on the train and carousel which are a separate cost once you are in the zoo. When we went for the first time they had a good deal on the annual pass so we ended up purchasing one, however I would only recommend buying a pass if you plan to go at least three times in one year to make it worth the cost.  One neat thing about the annual pass is that it includes many of their special events like the Whataburger Zoo Lights and Zoo Boo.  Often places require special tickets for these holiday events so this is definitely a bonus for this zoo.

One of the best things about zoos is that you can go at your own pace so even on the busier days it does not feel as crowded because you are not waiting in lines or having to rush around.  San Antonio Zoo also has so much to look at like indoor reptile areas, elephants, hippos, and much more.  One of our favorite animals is the giraffe and you can actually feed them for $5.  My 8 year old loved that and it was fun for mom and dad too because we got to see the giraffe so close.  They only do the feeding at certain times and you can check out their site for more details: https://sazoo.org/behind-the-scenes-experiences/giraffe-feeding/ .  This area was probably our favorite because it had a really windy path to walk on and an overlook platform where you can see the animals and explore. 

After we fed the giraffe we went on to explore the rest of the zoo.  They have a nice variety of animals and both indoor and outdoor exhibits which are especially nice on those hot Texas days.  Our two year old really likes the reptile and aquarium exhibits because he likes cages and windows that are at his level.  He also thought the hippopotamus was really neat and loved seeing some of the small waterfalls they had in that area.  My eight year old also really likes the reptile exhibit and he gets a big kick out of the fact the snakes freak me out!  It usually takes us about two hours to explore the entire zoo, however it can last much longer if you decide to ride any of the rides or take part in any of the animal experiences.

Once we are done with most of the exhibits at the zoo we will either purchase lunch there or head out and find lunch somewhere close by.  One thing that I will say is not my favorite thing about the San Antonio Zoo is that they do not allow you to bring in outside food and drinks with the exception of bottled water, baby food, and formula.  As we all know with young kids having snacks right on hand is very important and sometimes a packed picnic lunch is much easier than finding food close by to purchase.  However, that is their rule and they do have multiple restaurants to purchase food at so you will not go hungry.  If we do decide to stay there for lunch we usually purchase something at the Beastro Restaurant and then go sit on the grassy area called The Great Lawn and eat our snacks.  Sometimes they even have live music or shows going on which is entertaining for the kids.  On our way out we usually ride the carousel which is $3 per person and then call it a day.

My family really enjoys our visits to the San Antonio Zoo.  We have been multiple times and feel like we see something new each time.  A great thing about animals is you never really know what you are going to get.  Also, they often have special events going on or live music which makes it enjoyable for the entire family.  I definitely recommend a visit to the San Antonio Zoo, it is worth the trip and there is always more to explore in the fun city of San Antonio!

A few important Items to note about the San Antonio Zoo:

-If you are visiting during the summer months (or many other warm days in Texas) it can get very hot. I recommend bringing a lot of water because you will go through it fast!

-The zoo seems to be the quietest right when it opens so of you are looking for smaller crowds try and go right when it opens or on a weekday when the crowds are smaller,

-Parking is free (yay!), but it is about a five minute walk from the parking garage to the entrance so I recommend bringing a stroller for your youngest visitors because especially at the end of the day a five minute walk may seem like two miles for their little legs!

-The zoo offers some really neat animal experiences as well as a train ride. They all have a separate fee and you can find the details here: (https://sazoo.org/behind-the-scenes-experiences/).  We have not done the train ride yet because honestly we did not realize it is across the street from the zoo entrance so that will be at the top of our visit for next time!

-You cannot bring your own food into the zoo. You are only allowed to bring water bottles, baby food and formula so plan accordingly. You can find all of the details and more useful information on the zoo FAQ page: https://sazoo.org/guest-information/zoo-faqs/