An Oldie But a Goodie

Over the last 3 months I have taken my children to 5 different zoos (and have plans to do another in the next couple of weeks).  What have I learned? 

1.  Make sure you bring a stroller (or get one from the zoo).  Even if your child is used to walking, they will inevitably get tired of walking.
2.  Get a membership to the zoo most local to you because you will get discounts at other zoos.  Don't forget to mention it everywhere you buy something inside the zoo.  You'll be surprised what you can get at a discount.
3.  Check before going to make sure you can bring in your own food.  If not, plan on going to the car to eat or plan your trip so that you are arriving or leaving around lunch.  Most food inside the zoo is overpriced and doesn't taste that good either.  If you can, make sure to pack not only a lunch, but snacks and lots of drinks too (20oz drinks cost an average of $2 ea).
4.  Be prepared to say "No" to the MANY requests for things from the gift shop.  I tried to avoid the gift shop entirely but marketing being what it is, they always seem to put it in a place where kids see it.  My solution for this was to get my kids started on collecting elongated pennies.  We wander around the zoo in search of the 1 design they like best.  This not only gives them something to look at later to remember the trip, but it doesn't take up much space and costs between $.51 - $1.01 each.  Many postcards aren't even that cheap.
5.  Before going to the zoo, find out what animals are there and let your child(ren) know.  Ask them which one they want to make sure they see and plan accordingly (very important in some of the larger zoos where it is hard to see everything in one day). 
6.  Be prepared for disappointment (theirs and even yours).  One zoo I took the kids to, didn't have the standard animals (elephant, giraffe, zebra, etc) and my kids were a bit disappointed but because we knew some of the animals that were there I was able to distract them with what we were going to be able to see.  I must admit it was our least favorite of the 5 so far, so there is something to be said for the old standbys. 

More zoo information to come after we visit zoo #6 (one of the top 10 in the USA).