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The Ultimate LA Family Guide
Copyright © 2006-2012 The Teachtopia Network
Los Angeles Zoo
The address for the LA Zoo is 5333 Zoo Drive in Los Angeles near the intersection of the 5 and the 134 freeways and is part of Griffith Park. The zoo is open 10 am-5 pm, every day of the year except for Christmas Day. The admission prices are as follows: Adults (ages 13 and older): $14, Seniors (ages 62 and older): $11, Children (ages 2-12): $9 and Children (younger than 2): Free. Parking in the large adjacent lot is free.
The zoo is home to a large, diverse collection of animals, reptiles, birds and more. There is a large playground structure at the back end of the zoo, a tram to help navigate the many hills, a petting zoo with goats and a live bird show. The zoo is constantly undergoing improvement and refurbishment so it is best to be aware that there will likely be construction crews there and areas blocked off to the public. The zoo can be difficult to navigate and the food options are limited and unappealing, but this is the zoo for LA and is mostly beloved by all families for the pleasant and curiosity-filled experiences that it has provided to many generations of Angelenos.
Our children gravitate toward the larger animals and the playground structure. Our usual zoo experience starts by bringing a packed lunch for everyone and eating it on the picnic benches in the play area. After they are full we slowly make our way down the hills, stopping at the African animals, the monkeys, apes and gorillas, checking out the Komodo dragon and koala bears and ending with the petting zoo and animal nursery. We try to avoid the weekends if possible because the zoo is extremely crowded then, although during the week we usually encounter a large number of kids from school field trips.
The zoo has definitely been focusing as of late on beautification and there are many areas of flowers and plants to enjoy. The elephant area has ben highly publicized and we are anxious to see the outcome of years of work on that habitat. My kids really love the cave area near the nursery and the animal encounters when a zookeeper brings out a small animal, such as an armadillo, for the kids to get close to and learn about.
Yes, we have also been to the Santa Ana Zoo and the Santa Barbara Zoo and enjoy both but being an LA resident means taking pride in our zoo and we have shared many happy memories there with our kids and will continue to make new ones!