Tucson, AZ

The Reid Park Zoo has been a Tucson staple for as long as I can remember. Located on 22nd Street, just west of Alvernon off Randolph Way, it is a place that evokes pleasant childhood memories for those of us who can remember field trips from our youth. I can still remember spending the day at the zoo – the polar bears were and still are my favorite—then going across the street and having a picnic, while feeding the ducks at the pond.

It is nice to see that not much has changed. We take our children there quite frequently. There are always plenty of other parents there with their young children, along with school age children ranging from pre-school to high school there on field trips, along with older retired couples spending the day together. It truly is a place all ages will enjoy.

We bought the annual family pass, which for us is a great deal. For $48 a year you can go to the zoo as many times as you want. When you consider that admission is $6 for fifteen to sixty-one year olds, $4 for seniors sixty-two and older, $2 for children two to fourteen, and children under two are free, the membership pays for itself in just a few quick trips.

There have been a few changes the zoo has undergone in the past few years that have made it more family friendly and conducive to younger children. The first is the Kenya Get Wet water play area. There are pumps and sprayers that soak the designated area. While it is a lot of fun, I am a little surprised at how slippery and uneven the area is. It seems it would have been wiser to apply some type of anti-slip material to the surface. The second is the Lee H. Brown Family Conservation Learning Center. Inside there are a few different exhibits that have lizards and turtles. There is also an area for children to draw.  It is air-conditioned and a great escape from the heat.

 

Obviously, the main draw is the animals and they usually don’t disappoint. The day we went, all the animals were out and active. It seems like the earlier you attend the better chance you stand of seeing all the animals. During the weekdays, at 10:00 a.m., you can feed the giraffes for $2.  It is a pretty cool experience. They will eat right out of your hand.  We spent about a two hours making our way through the zoo and the kids enjoyed every minute of it.  The exhibits are pretty close together so you do not have to walk great distances from animal to animal.

There is an on-site café where you can get hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken fingers, french fries, and the like. However, it is expensive and the food is not that good. Think standard concession-stand food. There are plenty of other places to eat outside the zoo, like McDonalds across the street and Subway on Alvernon, north of 22nd.

After we had conquered all areas of the zoo, we decided to head across the street to the pond. There are dozens of ducks that wander around waiting eagerly for someone to feed them. There is also a little stream leading into the lake with two bridges and large stones for the children to climb on. I much prefer this area for small children as opposed to the area directly by the lake as there is less likelihood of someone falling in.  There are plenty of picnic tables and grassy areas to spread out a blanket and enjoy some relaxing time out of doors.