I love going to the zoo. I love seeing the animals and supporting the conservation efforts being made at the zoo. Recently, I visited the Dallas Zoo with family one lazy winter day. I thought I would share with you my experience there as well as a few tips I have for you when you go.

The first stop for us was the Barn and Children’s Zoo. It was fun to see all the silly farm animals. But the cutest creature was the Armadillo in the barn. It was so small and an iconic Texas animal, so if you are visiting then you have to see it. Next we followed the winding paths were covered in Christmas lights in the shape of their animals for some holiday cheer. I surprising forgot to take photos that.

The best place to lunch was the Serengeti Grill as it is attached to the lion enclosure. Look at how close this photo was taken! I took this at our lunch table! It was fun to watch the lazy lions basking in the sun while dining on chicken tenders and fries. Once, you have finished lunch wander to over to the Giraffes.

The giraffes are so friendly. They love a sweet pat on the head in exchange for some treats which you can buy in the booth next to the enclosure. I could watch them all day, but had more zoo to explore.

Look at this slumbering giant. The gorillas were active and wandering all over their enclosure, hoping to find the best sun spot to bask in. This guy found his and proceed to take a nap. The volunteer near their enclosure was full of helpful information! More information than I can iterate here.

I loved the quiet weekday at the zoo. The zoo is smaller in size so families could accomplish seeing everything in a quick afternoon trip. The zookeepers were constantly checking in on the animals and cared for the animals deeply. The bad thing about the Dallas Zoo is that it is older. The enclosures have fencing and are not open concept so photos are not the best.

However, I recommend going in the spring and fall. It was winter when we were there. A lot of the animals do not like the cold so they were not in their enclosure. Also, all of the enclosures that you can see are mostly outside so if animals are not outside then you are not seeing them.

My second tip is to figure out keeper talk times that you want to see before walking around. The talks are not often and can easily be on the other side of the zoo.

I still think the zoo is worth a trip if you are in town just plan ahead on when and how you are going to tackle the zoo.