My boyfriend Jake and I watched as waves of yellow buses pulled in, dropping mass groups of children and chaperons at the gate of the Louisville Zoo before pulling out and being replaced by the next yellow bus.
Being on a vacation in Kentucky we totally forgot that it was a Monday in late May. More or less, we forgot the implications of the day and month. Today had all the ingredients of a field trip day, which was exactly what we were witnessing.
See, we had gotten to the zoo early hoping to beat the crowds but that was unfortunately not going to happen due to the aforementioned flocks of children.
Initially, we thought to wait it out but almost 20 minutes later the busses just kept coming. After realizing there was simply no end to the yellow school buses, we made a dash to the front gate with our bought-online tickets.
Overall, the ticket prices were pretty reasonable for a mid-sized city zoo. They cost about $20 a person. However, it seemed if we had purchased in advance, we could have maybe saved a few dollars!
We also found out that during the night hours, the zoo had its Wild Lights Around the World event going on. Although we missed the lit-up portion, we would see the decorations during the daylight.
A Flightless Trip
As we walked into the park, we immediately fell into a theme park like a maze of wonder. See, the first section is a winding path that takes you through a cluster of decorations and photo opportunities.
Continuing on the path took us down a switchback to a small cluster of exhibit buildings.
One of the first houses we passed was Penguin Cove. It was a decently sized room with a large habitat for what we learned were Blue or ‘Fairy’ Penguins. The space was partially open air as birds flew around inside with us. For a while we stood there and watched as a penguin showed off for the waves of the field trip group, swimming back and forth right up close to the glass.
Being that this was one of the first buildings on the trail it was absolutely packed with kids, so we moved on out despite the fun show continuing on behind us.
Between there and the next exhibit area we stopped here and there to take photos of the large decorations of Kangaroos, Platypus, and Toucans to name a few.
Along the way, we went into a free flight Aviary. It was awesome to see the birds up close. We even watched as a pair assembled their spring nest together.
Cool Bear at Louisville Zoo
In my opinion the Polar Bear, in Glacier Run, had the coolest building. In front of the enclosure, there was a pick-up truck photo op with a window that looked into the Polar Bear’s home. Plus, the decor was on point as the path swirled around old-trading store facades immersing you into a story.
Just past the Polar Bear, there was a Snow Leopard, who was taking a cat nap right above us. We passed under and around its large Diggs, which featured netting that appeared to act like one long cat tunnel.
After a brief break, we visited the Amur Tiger who, if you were quiet, stood still and waited, would get very close to the glass. Ultimately a game evolved between the Tiger and the children. Initially, the Tiger would approach the glass on their loop only to have a crowd press in. To which the Tiger responded by altering their loop. It took a bit of patience, but we did stay long enough to say “hi.” It was definitely worth the wait!
Overall, there was so much to see and take in at this zoo. We were there almost all morning! Ultimately, this visit to the zoo ended up being the wrap-up to our Louisville, Kentucky trip. Unfortunately, we had to head out and go home for work the next day. With that being said, I definitely recommend that you add the Louisville Zoo to your itinerary if you are in the area. It really is a great budget option when you consider how much time you will spend sucked into their exhibits!
