Good Day fellow ZooChatters! I present to you all another one of my reviews and species lists. Last week, I took a little vacation and visited 4 zoological facilities (3 of which were entirely new to me, the 4th was a place I lasted visited over 15 years ago).
For this first review, we will be looking at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C, which was the first of the 4 facilities I visited. Situated within Rock Creek Park along the river of the same name, this zoo is one of many units operated by the Smithsonian Institution in the nation's capital. The zoo was opened in 1889 and was among the first to establish a scientific research program. Today, the zoo occupies over 120 acres and features more than 300 species.
(Sorry, no fancy entrance photo this time; this is where I entered the zoo and I did not have enough time to get a photo of the main entrance)
Overall, I found the Smithsonian Zoo to be an above-average facility. It's honestly sort of a mixed bag for me. There are some parts that I thought were really well done, and then there were other parts that left something to be desired. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of the Philadelphia Zoo, especially in regards to its layout, organization of exhibits, and historical elements. That being said, I found Philadelphia to be the superior facility, as Smithsonian definitely fell short in the areas where the two overlap. That said, the Smithsonian isn't a bad zoo at all; I enjoyed my 10-hour visit to this zoo (yes, I was there rope-drop to close) and there are some things that the zoo does really well.
The zoo contains a mix of outdoor and indoor exhibits. Interestingly, the outdoor exhibits are mostly geography-focused while the indoor exhibits tend to group animals based on taxonomy (with Amazonia being a notable exception). Also notable is the zoo's terrain; the zoo is built on a hilly plot of land crossed with ravines near Rock Creek. This makes the zoo rather hilly, but also lends itself to some creative exhibit design.
As a Smithsonian institution unit, admission into the zoo is free, although you need to reserve an entry pass in advance. They do have their own parking, which requires a fee. The zoo has several entrances.
For this review, I entered through the Lot A entrance, located at the very "top" of the zoo (the northernmost entrance). This is right next to the Africa Trail exhibit. I will be starting there and working my way approximately counterclockwise around the zoo, going through the Asia and America trails, past Amazonia and the Kids Farm, and then through the various indoor exhibits located in the Southeastern part of the Zoo.
As usual, I also compiled as species list on iNaturalist -> [VISIT] Smithsonian National Zoo Species List - 2024/05/07. Do note that some common names may not exactly match with what is signed at the zoo; I matched everything up using scientific names.
Without further ado, we will go ahead and jump in with the next post.
For this first review, we will be looking at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C, which was the first of the 4 facilities I visited. Situated within Rock Creek Park along the river of the same name, this zoo is one of many units operated by the Smithsonian Institution in the nation's capital. The zoo was opened in 1889 and was among the first to establish a scientific research program. Today, the zoo occupies over 120 acres and features more than 300 species.
(Sorry, no fancy entrance photo this time; this is where I entered the zoo and I did not have enough time to get a photo of the main entrance)
Overall, I found the Smithsonian Zoo to be an above-average facility. It's honestly sort of a mixed bag for me. There are some parts that I thought were really well done, and then there were other parts that left something to be desired. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of the Philadelphia Zoo, especially in regards to its layout, organization of exhibits, and historical elements. That being said, I found Philadelphia to be the superior facility, as Smithsonian definitely fell short in the areas where the two overlap. That said, the Smithsonian isn't a bad zoo at all; I enjoyed my 10-hour visit to this zoo (yes, I was there rope-drop to close) and there are some things that the zoo does really well.
The zoo contains a mix of outdoor and indoor exhibits. Interestingly, the outdoor exhibits are mostly geography-focused while the indoor exhibits tend to group animals based on taxonomy (with Amazonia being a notable exception). Also notable is the zoo's terrain; the zoo is built on a hilly plot of land crossed with ravines near Rock Creek. This makes the zoo rather hilly, but also lends itself to some creative exhibit design.
As a Smithsonian institution unit, admission into the zoo is free, although you need to reserve an entry pass in advance. They do have their own parking, which requires a fee. The zoo has several entrances.
For this review, I entered through the Lot A entrance, located at the very "top" of the zoo (the northernmost entrance). This is right next to the Africa Trail exhibit. I will be starting there and working my way approximately counterclockwise around the zoo, going through the Asia and America trails, past Amazonia and the Kids Farm, and then through the various indoor exhibits located in the Southeastern part of the Zoo.
As usual, I also compiled as species list on iNaturalist -> [VISIT] Smithsonian National Zoo Species List - 2024/05/07. Do note that some common names may not exactly match with what is signed at the zoo; I matched everything up using scientific names.
Without further ado, we will go ahead and jump in with the next post.
