The Zoos of South Carolina!
Yesterday we had to drive down to Columbia for an appointment, and since we had a little extra time, we stopped at Riverbanks Zoo for a short visit. We had visited there back on Mother's Day weekend. It really is a beautiful zoo. Probably of all the zoos I've been to, it is second in beauty only to Animal Kingdom at Disney World. But then that's Disney!
Riverbanks also has a good variety of animals. Michael especially likes the giraffes and penguins. Feeding the goats is fun too!
We have been really happy with the zoos down here. Greenville has its own zoo too. We like it so much we bought a membership so we can go any time. I probably take the boys there several times a month. It is pretty and clean. There are plenty of fun animals (even an elephant and two lions!), and it is the perfect size for visiting with preschoolers. You can visit the whole zoo in about two hours. (Or you can stop at the preschool playground within the zoo, and that's bound to extend your trip another hour!)
It is amazing to me that cities the size of Greenville and Columbia have such wonderful zoos. Especially when I compare them to the National Zoo back in Washington, DC. I always loved going to the National Zoo as a kid. There were lots of great animals and it was fun, fun, fun! But the last time we went (early 2005, I think) we were very disappointed. About 1/3 of the exhibits were empty. (Considering the animals seem to be dropping like flies, that's not surprising.) The place was dirty, and trashcans were overflowing. There were many visitors who were loud and pushy. The number of curse words coming form kids was amazing. I even got completely reamed out (yes, yelling) by a zoo parking lot attendant when I tried to ask him about parking. It was not a good experience.
But every zoo visit down here has been wonderful. The zoos are clean. The people are friendly. The kids are well behaved (and certainly no curse words!). The exhibits are all full of animals (except when they are obviously cleaning or doing repairs). We even have our own little baby orangutan here... and he is the cutest thing you'll ever see!
So we will keep going to the Greenville Zoo, and occasionally to Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia. But honestly, we really have little desire to go back and visit the National Zoo in Washington. It's a shame. That used to be such a wonderful zoo.
Riverbanks also has a good variety of animals. Michael especially likes the giraffes and penguins. Feeding the goats is fun too!
We have been really happy with the zoos down here. Greenville has its own zoo too. We like it so much we bought a membership so we can go any time. I probably take the boys there several times a month. It is pretty and clean. There are plenty of fun animals (even an elephant and two lions!), and it is the perfect size for visiting with preschoolers. You can visit the whole zoo in about two hours. (Or you can stop at the preschool playground within the zoo, and that's bound to extend your trip another hour!)
It is amazing to me that cities the size of Greenville and Columbia have such wonderful zoos. Especially when I compare them to the National Zoo back in Washington, DC. I always loved going to the National Zoo as a kid. There were lots of great animals and it was fun, fun, fun! But the last time we went (early 2005, I think) we were very disappointed. About 1/3 of the exhibits were empty. (Considering the animals seem to be dropping like flies, that's not surprising.) The place was dirty, and trashcans were overflowing. There were many visitors who were loud and pushy. The number of curse words coming form kids was amazing. I even got completely reamed out (yes, yelling) by a zoo parking lot attendant when I tried to ask him about parking. It was not a good experience.
But every zoo visit down here has been wonderful. The zoos are clean. The people are friendly. The kids are well behaved (and certainly no curse words!). The exhibits are all full of animals (except when they are obviously cleaning or doing repairs). We even have our own little baby orangutan here... and he is the cutest thing you'll ever see!
So we will keep going to the Greenville Zoo, and occasionally to Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia. But honestly, we really have little desire to go back and visit the National Zoo in Washington. It's a shame. That used to be such a wonderful zoo.
posted by Susan | 9:34 AM
1 Comments:
Hi Susan, Boy you are right about the D.C. zoo. We live here and I always go. It has really sucked lately, the biggest proble being as you pointed out the lack of live animals. We went through the whole bird house without seeing a bird. There were a few outside. And we saw the bird's habitat. Good thing my son doesn't seem to care and seems happy with the big poster they have of a panda. I told him, wow if you like that picture you'll love the real thing.
Anyway, sounds like a great trip you had. Enjoy your zoo.
Lisa
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