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@DarthQuell
It's now just over a month until my Texas trip that will hopefully include Dallas Zoo, Dallas World Aquarium, Fort Worth Zoo, Houston Zoo, San Antonio Zoo, Gladys Porter Zoo, Capital of Texas Zoo, and perhaps Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. I know Houston Zoo is your home turf, so do you have any advice for how to approach the zoo (or any of them, really!), routes I should take, things that might be easy to overlook, etc.?
Coming out of my temporary Forum retirement to answer this
(yes, I occasionally check the forums offline)
Before I answer the question, another place that might be worth your time is Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX. Galveston was one of the most important ports in the US, and it's actually beautiful (the city, not the beach. Don't ever go expecting a dip, go for the old city feel; my favorite stop is La King's Confectionary)
Ok, about the Houston Zoo. First, when you walk in, the Galapagos is like right there. So visit the sea lions and penguins and check out the coral reef tank. Amazing stuff, it's my 2nd favorite part of the zoo.
After you exit, walk along the reflection pool, which has been there forever. You're gonna reach an intersection:
- To the left, you are led to the reptile house, Carruth Natural Encounters building, and the Asian elephants
- To the right, you have the Cypress Circle Cafe and the Texas Wetlands section
- Straight ahead, you have the Wortham World of Primates
Personally , I almost never go to the primates, but if you like that, go ahead and check it out. I'd recommend going right, to the Texas Wetlands. We have bald eagles, whooping cranes, alligators, and some nice views of the man-made lake where ducks sometimes come.
When you exit the Texas Wetlands, start walking to the right, as if you're going to the children's zoo. You'll see the entrance for the South America Pantanal (my favorite). We have howler monkeys, an anaconda, giant otters, jaguars, and a South American pampas exhibit (featuring rheas, capybaras, southern screamers, tapirs, and an anteater). When you exit the Pantanal you're found at the exit of the Wetlands as well.
Now, go towards the children's zoo. You'll see a carousel and giraffes in the left. Go to the left and you'll go through the back of the African Forest section. We have chimps, gorillas, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, red river hogs, and white rhinos.
And to be honest, I usually start heading back to the front of the zoo to head home. On the way, I stop by the asian elephants and also go in the reptile house.
The lions and tigers and small cats and bears are alright, but I usually don't see them and/or they're sleeping. And the primates has always seems boring except for the lemurs and gibbons
