Philadelphia Zoo – The Oldest Zoo in America

Philadelphia Zoo is home to more than 1600 exotic animals and has become one of the leading zoological institutions in America. It’s also one of the most modern zoos with features like Zoo360, a system of trails that let animals roam more freely.

Kids will love the chance to see their favorite animals as well as discover new ones, from cute little critters to scaly reptiles. Click here for more info.

Zoo 360

The oldest zoo in America, Philadelphia Zoo is a great zoo with well-crafted enclosures and a wide variety of animals. It also has some fun distractions like Zoo360, a campus-wide system of mesh trails that allows the animals to roam around and above the zoo’s grounds; and Wild Works Ropes Course.

The zoo also has a reputation for breeding endangered animals like orangutans and chimpanzees, as well as big cats such as lions and snow leopards. And it has a number of educational and conservation initiatives that are making a difference both in Philadelphia and around the world.

The 42-acre Victorian garden is home to 1,300 animals, including many rare and endangered species. Guests can visit KeyBank Big Cat Falls, PECO Primate Reserve, and McNeil Avian Center for a closer look. They can also take part in animal talks, feedings, and interactions at the zoo.

Treetop Trail

The Zoo’s first trail system allows monkeys and lemurs to explore the outside world beyond their exhibits. W.H. Myers Construction Co. helped the Zoo develop a new, innovative animal campus travel and exploration network, consisting of a series of elevated passageways.

The Treetop Trail is a 700-foot flexible mesh chute that provides a pathway for lemurs and monkeys to leave their indoor exhibits and move about the Zoo’s outdoor spaces. This is the only known trail system in the United States.

Visitors can also visit Creatures of Habitat, a collection of 30 intricately-designed LEGO brick animal sculptures created by master LEGO builder Sean Kenney. Each sculpture includes signage that shares information about the conservation challenges facing the species and the work the Zoo is doing to help save them. Other exciting new additions include the Hamilton Family Children’s Zoo, KidZooU, and a 925-foot trail that connects the Rare Animal Conservation Center to PECO Primate Reserve. Discover More about Norristown here.

Dinosaur Adventure

The zoo’s two dozen animatronic dinosaurs will take guests back millions of years in an immersive, multi-sensory experience.

Starting in an Earth-themed portal with an overarching asteroid that dealt the dinosaurs their fate, visitors will be taken on a journey through the dinosaur trail with creatures like a 60-foot Giganotosaurus (the biggest meat-eater among dinos) and velociraptors, explains the zoo. The dinos roar, move their heads and tails, and bend over to look guests in the eye. They were built by an outfit called Dino Don in Media, Pa.

Halfway through, visitors will “shrink” and pass through a giant magnifying glass into a garden of macro views of insects that live in the world today, from a hissing cockroach to a screaming katydid.

The exhibit will also highlight the importance of each person’s actions in determining the conditions for all living things, including ourselves. 6abc is proud to sponsor the exhibit, which opens to zoo members Thursday and to the public Monday.

Staying Power

Dinosaurs aren’t the only creatures that roam Philadelphia Zoo, a historic 42-acre site that also boasts America’s first public botanical garden. In fact, bugs – including the stink bug whose humble appearance belies its incredible stinking skills and a flower beetle that can hide in plain sight – outlived dinosaurs thanks to their unique traits, explains an exhibit called Staying Power, which opens April 1 and is only available through September.

The immersive experience invites visitors to walk through an Earth-themed portal and onto a dinosaur trail among animatronic creatures that roar, move their tails, and bend over so guests can look them directly in the eye. They then shrink down to insect size and enter a super-sized landscape of giant insects that hiss, click, and buzz as they explore the Insect Garden.

The final stop is an exploration of the delicate Monarch Butterfly and its disappearing habitats, highlighting how visitors can help this amazing creature hold on to its “staying power.” Tickets to Staying Power cost an additional $6 on top of regular zoo admission. Click here for the next blog post.

 

Driving directions from Clean For Me to Philadelphia Zoo

Driving directions from Philadelphia Zoo to Wissahickon Valley Park