We had another great trip to the St. Louis Zoo recently! It is seriously one of my favorite places to take our kids. We always have so much fun. We are actually zoo members and really love it. We get free passes to different places inside the zoo including the train.
We've learned a lot since we started taking these trips. Here are some of our top tips!
#1 Take a backpack!
This is an absolute must for us. J takes a backpack and then I take one of the string backpacks as well. They especially come in handy when you are purchasing souvenirs as you go along. We collect pennies (which I am writing about soon), but there are also various gift shops throughout the zoo which have items other than the main gift shops. We have a spending allowance for souvenirs when we go (the kids know this), and they are allowed to purchase from other shops as long as it's in the budget. But ain't nobody want to carry that souvenir around the whole zoo! Enter the backpacks - we just put whatever is purchased in there and carry on. We also keep snacks and drinks in the big backpack which brings me to my next tip...
#2 Pack your own snacks!
The first time we ate at the zoo, we ran behind on time because of construction traffic (so tired of road construction, can I get an AMEN?!). We got to the zoo right at noon and ended up starving so we had to eat at the cafe. We had budgeted for that this trip, but since we learned how expensive it actually was there, we pack our own lunch, snacks and drinks. We actually have two of the Zoo sipper cups and you can get them refilled for a lower price than a normal drink at the zoo. We planned on picnicing in Forest Park, but that didn't work out because TRAFFIC!!! Which brings me to my next point...
#3 Get there EARLY!!
Getting five people out of the house?? The struggle is REAL, you guys!! The last trip we actually got out of the door at a decent hour, but we still should've left earlier. It was prime time for everyone else to get there and it took forever for us to find a parking place because we kept getting guided to overflow lots. Very frustrating for everyone involved. Take it from me and leave earlier than you think you need to!
#4 See the sea lion show!
This is a must! Even though our kids have seen it more than once, they still love it. Also, this is a great time to bust out some of those snacks you packed and rest your legs. It's a win for everyone!!
#5 Ride the train!
If you go to the zoo, you have to ride the train! You will see areas of the zoo you can't see from anywhere else. It's a blast. We rode it with the kids for the first time last time and they had such a blast. We rode it all the way around the park. You can go stop-to-stop or just ride the whole thing all the way around. I got my best photo ever of a tiger from the train!
Normally it is an all day affair and we close down the zoo when we go. It is so much fun though and we have made so many great memories with the kids. We've never had to wait a long time for anything either except the train. We waited about 15-20 minutes to board it.
Have you been to the STL Zoo? What else should I know for next time, if so? Let me know below!
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