The Dallas Zoo is one place you must visit when you travel to the Lone Star State of Texas. During the summer of 2021, my best friend and I visited and it was such a great experience. The zoo has so much to offer from the exhibits to the wildlife shows and even the encounters.
Dallas Zoo Shows: The Wonders Of The Wild
Explore and learn more about the wild with Dallas Zoo’s Wonders Of The Wild show. It’s held twice a day once at 11am and another at 1pm. During the show, zoologists talk about how these different animals survive in their environments. In the beginning, the beaver comes out and waddles around until it dives into the stage pool and begins to swim. the long tail of the beaver helps it propel through the water as it makes its way to the other side. The zoologist talks about how intelligent beavers are because they go out and gather wood to build dams over time.
Next up in the show is the American Bald Eagle and seeing the U.S. national bird that close was very exciting. The first handler uses a thick pair of gloves to let the talons or feet of the eagle rest on it. As she walks around the zoologist speaks about how eagles hunt for fish in rivers using their talons and can have a wingspan of almost 7ft. Finally, the last animal the tamandua, or the lesser anteater is shown to us. The zoologist talks about how the less anteater is the cousin of the giant anteater and can climb up trees. The less anteater can consume up to 9,000 ants a day which is pretty incredible. The wildlife show teaches you so much and gives guests the opportunity to see these animals in action.
Feeding The Giraffes
The giraffe encounter is one of the treasures of the Dallas Zoo because you get the chance to feed them. This is an amazing experience to be up close and personal with these animals. You can purchase 2 bundles of lettuce for $10 and have your pictures taken while you feed them. I was so surprised to see how long the tongues of giraffes can be when they reach out to eat the lettuce. At first, it can be scary walking up so close to the giraffes but once you start to feed them you can see how gentle they are.
Along with the encounter, you can also see the exhibit of giraffes and how they interact with each other. To see the height of the giraffe in person is breathtaking. The long legs and how they walk so majestically in their enclosures demonstrate how they carry themselves in the deserts of Africa. This exhibit also featured two baby calves that were roaming and playing around. The giraffe feeding encounter is available all day at the Dallas zoo and is one experience worth your while.
Zoo Exhibits: Hippo
The Hippo exhibit was one of my favorites at the Dallas Zoo. In the beginning, you get to see the hippos sunbathing and walking around making noises. It sounds like loud grunting and can be heard miles away but it’s interesting to see that this is how they communicate with each other. After the hippos chat, they make their way into the water submerging their bodies. It’s extraordinary to see the sheer size of these animals and how they carry their weight.
Once submerged the two hippos take off like torpedoes, swimming in the water and occasionally coming up for air. I was lucky enough to see these two play around with each other up close. You can hear the clicking noises and see how quickly their ears flutter when bobbing in and out of the water. Finally, the two hippos walk up onto the sand and you see how the water glistens off their body. I enjoyed seeing the hippos interact with each other and caught some great shots in the process.
Exhibits: Anteaters, Elephant, and Tortoise
The giant anteater which is the cousin of the sloth is a unique-looking creature with its long trunk snout, bear-like claws, and wide bushy tail. Wandering through the enclosure you will see how the anteater walks on its knuckles and pokes through the bark looking for food. It’s interesting to see the multi-color coat and the length it gets to be. As the anteater walks, I get to see how the tail sways in the wind. In this exhibit, you learn how these anteaters hunt for termites and ants in mounds.
Dallas Zoo also hosts keeper chats and I was able to sit in on one for the giant Galapagos tortoise. The zoo handler talks about the tortoise’s eyesight, what the shell is made of, and their life in the wild. The tortoise can live to be over 100 years old and grow to knee height. These keeper chats are very informative and allow you to see how these wild animals interact with humans. The elephant exhibit is also one of my favorites and seeing these beautiful animals lock trunks and pick up food is amazing. Looking at elephants always brings me back to my childhood when I would watch Tantor in Disney’s Tarzan.
Meerkat Enclosure
If you ever watched Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet like I did then you know these animals are very smart hunters and travel in packs. Keeper chats were held at the meerkat enclosure and I learned so much about their diet and environment. It was so funny to see these meerkats pop their heads up from under the rocks. The keeper even demonstrated how meerkats stand on their hind legs when looking for food. You can hear the noises and clicks of the meerkats as they communicate with each other.
Tickets and Dining
Tickets to visit the Dallas Zoo are about $20 for adults and $16 for youth. If you’re looking to save a bit more money visit the zoo on the first Tuesday of every month for $8 admission. Parking is $10 and you can also bring your own food and snacks inside. The food options at the zoo were really good and dining at the Prime Meridian Cafe is a must. You can choose from a wide selection of meals like pizza, burgers, and ice cream. Plus they offer gluten-free options for guests that have dietary restrictions.
Finally, stop by the gift shop to pick up some merchandise as a memory of your visit. I usually purchase keychains or refrigerator magnets as a keepsake. These mementos will always remind me of the fun times I had visiting the Dallas Zoo.
