Family Fun Guide To The Dallas Zoo

The Dallas Zoo is the perfect place to spend the afternoon with friends, visit from out of town, or just take the kids when they need some educational entertainment and you don't want to plan all the activities. As Texas' largest zoo, the Dallas Zoo boasts over 100 acres, including thousands of animals and an array of family activities for everyone. Just be sure to pack your sunscreen, some cold drinks, and lace up the old walking shoes.

For The Kids

The Lacerte Family Children's Zoo located on the north end of the zoo is the perfect stomping grounds for the wildest animals: your kids. With a petting zoo full of friendly, gentle goats and underground tunnels to crawl eye-level with the bugs and rodents, the children's zoo has something to meet the demanding desires of even the most unique kids. If the butterflies or farm animals don't tickle your child's fancy, they are sure to enjoy the play area for climbing and shallow stream for cooling off. Don't forget to stop by the carousel on your way out if the kids behaved well enough. What? A little bribery goes a long way.

Guided Tour

For the facts and details people, the tour-guide led Monorail Safari gives you a more natural look into some of the desert inhabitants and their daily musings. This can be a nice break from all that walking that tends to happen at a large zoo like this. Plus, it is always nice to have someone who knows what they're talking about point out all the animals and their quirky tendencies. You might even learn some fun facts, like the giraffe relative that can clean its own ears with its abnormally long tongue.

Food

The zoo offers three different locations to grab a meal. The Zoofari Food Court, Wilds of Africa Grill, and Serengeti Grill each provide you with plenty of meal options while providing an up close and personal view of the surrounding animals. There is also a large shaded area with several picnic benches to take a break with the family and fill up on homemade sandwiches and snacks. This is a great way to make your trip to the zoo more affordable.

Entertainment

Whether you catch a showing of soaring birds at the Wildlife Amphitheater or hop on a hump back for an authentic-feeling camel ride, there is plenty to be entertained by at the Dallas Zoo. You can even get close enough to a giraffe to feed it some lettuce and get a whiff of some malodorous giraffe breath. If the stench doesn't entice you, at least do it to pet the giraffe.  It is quite an experience. Hanging out and just observing the monkeys and their strangely human mannerisms is entertainment enough.

Education

Obviously the zoo is a more educational experience than say, a day at the playgound. But did you know it offers kids and family programs, camps and workshops? This is a great way to slip in some educational nuggets while the kids think they are just "oohing" and "ahhing" at creepy crawlies and reptiles. The zoo is a great host for a field trip or home school activity. The Lacerte Family Children's Zoo is especially designed for this!  So what are you waiting for? With all that the Dallas Zoo has to offer, make a day out of it and go explore the different habitats and wild animals that make this big planet our own world.  A word of advice: get there early. Beat the heat and the crowds!

Lauren Kimmel is the Co-Founder of  Dallas Moms Blog, a great resource for moms looking to connect to other moms, learn and laugh about motherhood, and discover all that Dallas has to offer. She is a wife to a musician and a mother to a bouncing baby boy.