Visit the National Zoo
Admission to the zoo is totally FREE - no tickets required! It can get crowded during weekends in April, May, June and sometimes in the Fall, but for the most part is easy to navigate even when crowded. When the zoo is crowded they reserve the right to check bags/strollers before you enter the zoo. Zoo grounds are open 6a-8p (last admittance 7p), Visitor Center, Concessions & shops are open 9a-5p & the Exhibit Halls are open 10a-6p.
Parking
The parking lots tend to fill up fast, even on moderately slow days. Parking is $22/car, which you pay on your way out. There is a Parking Panda, which allows you to reserve guaranteed parking, which runs anywhere from $11-33 and includes parking both inside the zoo and at parking lots or garages outside the zoo. The Metro is also super close & easy to access from the zoo.
Food & Drink
National Zoo offers a variety of food, drink & snacks - with many healthy & allergen free options clearly noted at each location. You may also bring outside food & drink into the zoo so we pack our lunch and snacks to enjoy at the zoo. We also bring refillable water bottles to fill up at many of the water fountains throughout the zoo. Sometimes my kids don't like the taste of water fountain water so we bring liquid water flavor for their bottles.
Maps & Navigating the Zoo
National Zoo is not laid out in a loop, you have to plan a little bit to make sure you get to see all of the animals you want to. When you enter the zoo and throughout the zoo, there are giant maps showing each animal exhibit and exhibition building - we usually take a picture of the map on our phone to refer to throughout our visit. You can purchase a map for $3, but somehow we always manage to lose that map or something gets spilled on it during our visit. All outdoor exhibits are stroller friendly, although there are some hills - some of which are long. All exhibition buildings ask that no strollers come inside, making it tricky to visit a building if you have a sleeping child in the stroller or young babies. When one of our kiddos were sleeping parent stood outside with them in the stroller while the other went inside with the other two kiddos. We also found baby wearing to be super helpful to be able to leave the stroller outside, the baby nap in the carrier and the boys walk in buildings.
Extra Info
- It usually takes us 4-6 hours to visit the zoo, depending on how many snack breaks we take & how many animals we stop to watch get fed.
- There are signs near the exhibits letting you know what the animal is, where it is from & other fun info
- Keep an eye out for signs letting you know which animals will have demonstrations & feedings and those times throughout the day. A lot of the times the zoo keepers will talk about the animals they're feeding and will answer questions.
- In order to miss the traffic on the way home during rush hour, we drove downtown and past the monuments - the boys loved seeing sights they've learned about in school.
- There is a Giant grocery store (3336 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016) that only a few streets away from National Zoo & the National Cathedral (which is awesome to see!), and is easy to stop at on the way home to grab something to eat. They also have a parking garage with free 90 minute parking. After you leave Giant it is super easy to head north and jump on the highway.
