Woodland Park Zoo is hailed as one of the finest zoos in the world for its award-winning naturalistic exhibits.
The zoo provides quality care to approximately 1,100 animals, the largest live collection in Washington state. Nearly 300 animal species and a thousand plant species are represented in this lush oasis. And, the must-see attraction is just minutes from downtown Seattle!
Making their debut in May 2012 are rare Visayan warty pigs and warthogs. The critically endangered Visayan warty pigs boast prominent head tufts that resemble the hairdos of punk rockers. Warthogs, the wild pigs of the African savanna, earned their name from the large facial warts on each side of their tusks and jumped to fame when the character warthog Pumbaa endeared itself to fans of Disney's “The Lion King.”
Go nose-to-nose with a jaguar in a tropical rain forest. Observe a family of gorillas foraging for food. Come eye-to-eye with orangutans living atop trees in an open forest canopy. Enjoy a herd of elephants meandering rolling terrain in a Thai village. Safari to Africa for sweeping views of giraffes, hippos and gazelle. Trek to the north for underwater views of grizzly bears and otters. Explore, climb and slide in Zoomazium, an all-season nature play space where kids can connect with animals, habitats and more through the natural language of childhood – play!
You'll want to take a nostalgic ride on the zoo's Historic Carousel (additional cost). And don't forget to stop and smell the roses in the award-winning Rose Garden featuring more than 290 varieties of roses. The zoo also features an indoor/outdoor restaurant and two ZooStores for one-of-a-kind souvenirs, eco-friendly items, conservation commerce and the ever-popular Zoo Doo.
No Ice, Still Cool
Encounter waddling penguins that aren't from a land of ice, but from a desert by the sea at the Humboldt penguin exhibit. The award-winning penguin exhibit mimics the arid, rocky coastal peninsula of Punta San Juan, Peru, a natural refuge for Humboldt penguins and other native species. From Nov. 1-April 1, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. daily, feed the penguins a handful of tasty fish and experience these endangered birds hand to beak ($5 fee). The 17,000-square-foot exhibit features shoreline cliffs, viewable entrances to nesting burrows, rocky pools, crashing waves and a beach.
Real Close Tours
See what goes on behind the scenes at Woodland Park Zoo with a 90-min. guided Real Close tour. Trek through the rain forests of South America and Africa with a tour through the award-winning Tropical Rain Forest exhibit featuring red ruffed lemurs, jaguars, ocelots, poison dart frogs, golden lion tamarins and more. Take a peek behind the scenes at the prep kitchen where daily meals for a variety of rain forest residents are prepared. Or, depending on the season, visit the Zoo Doo yard where the most exotic and highly prized compost in the Pacific Northwest is created and the greenhouses where lush, tropical plants are cared for before they are put on display in our award-winning exhibits.
Real Close tours are offered year round for an additional fee.
Get Animal Smart – Education at the Zoo
A host of zoo classes and programs are offered at the zoo year-round for all ages – infants, toddlers, and grade schoolers, and teens and adults. Discover a range of wildlife topics from animal defenses, baby signing and animals, to birding and creating your own backyard habitat. Also check out Zooper Day Camps offered during school breaks and Zoo Overnight and Evening Adventures. For information, call 206.548.2424 or visit
www.zoo.org
and click on Education.
Mobile App Application
Free zoo apps are available for iPhones and Androids. Just visit the app store on your brand. Track your location on zoo grounds, discover more about the animals, and access daily activity schedules to make the most of your next zoo visit.