I was in town just for a few days but found myself up very early Sunday morning and decided to do something that had been on my wish list for years: go to the zoo.

Wow, has it changed. The only thing that looked pretty untouched was the pachyderm facility, but I remembered it so well I was rather glad to see something very familiar. Brought back lots of good memories from my childhood and it still had one of the original Mold-a-Rama machines!

Everything was very impressive, not the least of which being the landscaping. I loved all the natural plantings which were very well maintained and labeled in detail. And being there around 9AM meant many of the animals were active and it seems all of them were out putting on a show.


One thing that wasn't a huge deal but that will draw a letter from yours truly: People smoking all over the place, frequently with little kids all around.

It looks like they restrict smoking to only certain areas which also seem to be the food/gathering areas. So, every time I came across one -- and there are a bunch -- you'd see these people puffing away with little kids either with them or in the immediate vicinity.

I hate to say this but if I was relatively new to OK or was just a casual tourist, that sight would leave me with a very negative impression. Hence, the letter. How hard is it just to ban smoking in a facility that almost revolves around children? Not hard at all and it's time they did it.


Still, what a great facility. If you haven't been lately you really should because it's outstanding.

I don't understand the smoking thing myself. When they banned smoking in the work place all they did was move people to the entry of the building and then I have to walk by it 4 times a day. I travel a lot and I can't hardley watch the people trying to get off the plane as fast as they can to get to the smoking lounge. Honestly, I don't know why this stuff is even still legal. But I digress.

The OKC Zoo is one of the best I have been to - and I have been to a lot more than the average bear. Actually, the biggest problem with the OKC Zoo is the size. It is almost too much for one day, especially when it is hot. It is hard for the kids to take that much walking.

Oh man, it is too much for one day, especially with kids! A friend of mine and I took her 2-year old on Saturday for her little birthday and we were worn out in less than two hours. We didn't even make it to an entire side of the zoo :P

I really enjoyed the Oklahoma Trails exhibit. And the bears were adorable!

When we bought our annual pass this year we got a bunch of train tickets.. that's always good for the little ones. I still have them. I need to go again.. waiting for the weather to turn a bit cooler. I love the zoo!

I agree with the smoking especially around the kiddos. It gives such a bad impression to out of towners/first time visitors. Most people inside OK probably don't realize that a good majority of states have changed smoking habits and many people have quit. In other words, smoking isn't all that popular elsewhere.

When my kids were younger we always got a yearly pass to the zoo. The kids even have a brick outside that we can look at when we go. We went more often but for shorter periods of time and we always saw a different part of the zoo each time. We would go at different times during the year, like those unseasonably warm days we have in February and March. We could go after school and see a lot of animals we didn't normally see when it is so hot. Also, the zookeepers had more time to talk to us when there aren't so many people.
I agree that the landscaping is very nice. If you notice, they have added botanical garden to the name of the zoo. I know a man who is a gardener there and he has actually taken us on a tour of the gardens in the zoo. Each horticulturist is responsible for his or her own area of the zoo so you might notice the different "personalities" of the gardens. It is quite an operation and a great asset to th community for sure. I like to visit zoos across the country and we surely do have one of the best I have been to.

I have never been to ANY zoo and am looking forward to going soon, hopefully when there are no kids there, LOL. What day is grown-up day? 25% of Oklahomans are smokers, it's everywhere. The vast majority of people in this state absolutely should not breed, I see SOOOOOOOOO many bad-parent things going on everywhere. It's ridiculous here and passed on each generation. I wish there was a massive push for better education here to break the cycle.

it really has improved, but I really miss that ft. worth zoo!!!

I could hardly recognize most of it from when I was a child!

I don't understand the smoking thing myself. When they banned smoking in the work place all they did was move people to the entry of the building and then I have to walk by it 4 times a day. I travel a lot and I can't hardley watch the people trying to get off the plane as fast as they can to get to the smoking lounge. Honestly, I don't know why this stuff is even still legal. But I digress.

The OKC Zoo is one of the best I have been to - and I have been to a lot more than the average bear. Actually, the biggest problem with the OKC Zoo is the size. It is almost too much for one day, especially when it is hot. It is hard for the kids to take that much walking.

While it's a big zoo (area wise), you should try hiking around the San Diego Zoo sometime...You might as well go walk up and down Mt. Scott 3 or 4 times. They could have a street luge competition in at least 12 different sections of that place.