How is the Zoo these days? (Atlanta: trip , price, adult)

[spacelord75]

I was thinking about taking my wife to the zoo for a fun day of looking at animals, but have not been there since 1999. Is it still pretty good? I remember the remodel in the 90's, but didn't know if they had kept it up well or not. Just don't want to be depressed if we go there!

[JPD]

I haven't been since the mid-'90s, and it was pretty good then. From what I understand it's gotten better since we got the pandas. (Are they still there?)

If you wait another couple months you'll get to see the brand new lion cubs:

Lioness produces cubs at Zoo Atlanta | ajc.com

[RainyRainyDay]

I was last at the zoo a couple of years ago. I thought this wasn't recent, but it's a lot more recent than the previous couple of posters' visits. It seemed fine to me. It's a small zoo (relative to the size of Atlanta) but it's not depressing, unless things have gone badly wrong in the last couple of years.

[CMMom]

It's fine. I wouldn't say that I was overwhelmed by it when I was there last summer, but the kids enjoyed it. The pandas are still there, and they're definitely cute. It's worth a half-day, I'd say.

[atlantagreg30127]

The zoo is still fine. Prices of course are higher though I'm not sure what they are now.

One thing - it's hot now. Already near or at 90 degrees. Many of the larger animals go into their dens/caves when it gets that hot and you'll see very few of them during the mid day or afternoon. If you want any chance of seeing anything, plan on getting there when the place opens and it's still at least somewhat cooler.

[CMMom]

Yes, if you get there right at opening, it's cool and you can see them feeding the animals. The place really starts to fill up at 11:00.

[spacelord75]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

The zoo is still fine. Prices of course are higher though I'm not sure what they are now.

One thing - it's hot now. Already near or at 90 degrees. Many of the larger animals go into their dens/caves when it gets that hot and you'll see very few of them during the mid day or afternoon. If you want any chance of seeing anything, plan on getting there when the place opens and it's still at least somewhat cooler.

Good point...I forgot about that facet of the equation! I got the wild hair to go to the zoo b/c we were just out in Vegas this past weekend and went through the "Secret Garden" at the Mirage and forgot how cool it is to see large animals up close!

[pinetreelover]

The other reason to get there early is to beat the daycare summer campers. The kid to adult ratio is not good and there are little ones running all over the place with not much supervision. They typically show up in droves between 11 - 2.

[BobKovacs]

We went last summer, and it was a nice trip -definitely won't take the whole day to get through it though.

[smoothrat]

We go there regularly (with a family membership) and there's always a lot to see. Several new exhibits: warthogs, meerkats, naked mole rats, as well as a renovated area for the giraffes and zebras.

I agree that earlier is better, to beat the heat and crowds.