Last Updated on October 17, 2020
When you’re traveling with kids, it is inevitable that you’ll end up at the Zoo, where you can let them run free while being excited to see all their favourite animals in one place. For us, it is a little hard to see animals in a Zoo after being on safari in South Africa. However, there are some Zoos, like the Calgary Zoo, that do some great education and conservation. A zoo can be a great way for kids to learn about caring for our environment, keeping those good Zoos valuable. You just have to find a way to feel like you are making the most of the good and less of the bad.
With kids, you really need the fresh air and room to run. Not only is the Calgary Zoo a chance to get outdoors and enjoy nature, but it is also great exercise and a fantastic way to wear out three kids five and under after spending so much time road tripping in the van.
We are a big dinosaur loving family, so the “Badlands” display was adored. We loved walking around and finding each dinosaur and getting to learn some facts we did not know before. We found it to be a very creative addition to the Zoo – and what kid does not love dinosaurs?
One of the big highlights of our visit to the Calgary Zoo was the chance to see some Panda bears up-close. The girls were so excited to see the adorable Pandas that they wanted to stay at that exhibit forever. The Panda exhibit is really busy though, you need a timed ticket to enter, so make sure you keep a close eye on your little ones or they may end up lost in the crowd.
The staff is fantastic, all over the place during peak times, and happy to answer any questions you may have. Grab a paper map so you can always quickly figure out where you are and want to go.
We appreciated the size of the enclosures. It may not be the great outdoors, but it also was not a small box and the ones that could be were open-air ( with the exception, of course, being the butterfly and aviary exhibits and the cat exhibits that require metal netting on the ceiling). Part of some of the enclosures are indoors too.
Take a look at some of our favourite sights:
The Pandas caused quite the excitement. We hope that with the popularity of the Pandas and the increase in visitors through their doors this year, that Zoo visitors will also take notice about species that are endangered in Canada as well.
It is easy to spend a whole day at the Zoo, so put on some good walking shoes, take your time, enjoy being surrounded by the animals and use it as a learning opportunity — find out what you can do to help your favourite animals.
Will you take your kids to the Zoo? What are your thoughts on them?