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Day Trips and Destinations: Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum

Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum
  
My husband and I have lived in the Tulsa area for a little over 3 years now, and we know nothing about this place. I have vowed to get to know my city better. The first stop on my journey through this city, The Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum. I have been asking Cory to go to the zoo for years, and he never wants to go. Finally, last Sunday, he decided it was time to go see what the Tulsa Zoo had to offer!


Before we headed to the zoo, I went online to check hours of operation, admission prices, directions and the weather, I always like to be prepared! The zoo is open 9am to 5pm, 363 days of the year, only being closed on Christmas, and the third Friday in June.

Admission is:
Adults:$8.00
Children Ages 3-11:$4.00
Seniors 65+: $6.00
2 and under are free
Tulsa Zoo Members are free
Members of other AZA zoos are half price
It was set to be a hot day, so we decided to get there at 9 when it opened, and I am very glad we did. After a short wait to get in, we were given a map and a list of the days activities, and we set off to find our first exhibit. We headed to see the chimps, but were a little sad to find they were not out yet. So off we headed to the next place, Wild Life Trek. At the Wild Life Trek, we learned about life in the water, forest, desert, and cold.


We headed off to the Children's petting zoo, but it was not open yet. So it was off to the Topical American Rain forest. I was expecting it to be so humid and damp, that I could not breathe in there. However, it was pleasantly cool and just slightly humid. I wandered in awe at how beautiful the birds were, soaring above our heads. At one point, the gorgeous parrot decided to get very close to me, which made me a little nervous. Cory had a pretty good laugh at my mini freak - out moment!


We continued on the path, and saw the bears, lions, rhinos, and other large animals. I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn't touch the animals. You can get very close to the exhibits at this zoo, it makes you feel like you are apart of the zoo. It's an amazing feeling to have the opportunity to be within feet of such glorious, animals. While we were at the bear exhibit, the bear was really, very silly. He was rolling in the water and seemed like he was dancing. Many of the younger children around us were having a blast, laughing at how silly the bear was being!


After the larger animals, we circled back around to see the Sea Lion Cove. I was super excited to see the sea lions and penguins that are housed here. The Sea lion, was just chilling half in the water, half on the rocks. There was a pretty large crowd gathering to wait on the sea lion demonstration that was getting ready to take place. We decided not to stay for it and went to look at the penguins. It was love at first sight. The penguins were so playful and cute, swimming through the water and sliding off the rocks. They drew probably the largest crowd of the whole park, and rightfully so. They are so much fun to look at, and were very interactive! Those cheeky little penguins, know how to play the crowds!


Next stop was the Conservation Center. Inside we found an abundance of life, from monkeys and lizards, to turtles, fish, and birds. There were so many things to look at, and I could have spent hours in there watching the monkeys goof off. They chased each other through door ways, up and over tree branches and pulled each other's tails like they were little children. Laughs and screams of delight could be heard before you even entered the building. Just on the other side of the building were the majestic flamingos! Vibrant pink and very loud, they played in the water and sat a top their nests. They are a sight to be seen and not to be missed.


Bouncing on over, we found the red kangaroo who was hiding in the shade. It was so warm on Sunday, that many of the animals were in the shade and hard to spot. But that made it more of a challenge and I was ready to accept! It took a while but we spotted the kangaroo along the ridge in the shade. While has was napping, he looked up just long enough for me to snap a quick pic of him. We left him to his nap and continued on our way to the Wetlands.


The wet lands was an interesting place. It was very wet and slick inside. I caution you to be careful in there. I like to wear flip flops and i slid many times inside and had to grab on to Cory to keep from falling. That said, I loved how the birds were perched on the railings and placards. We were very careful not to disturb any of them and keep our distance. Just remember to respect the animals. Don't try to pet anything that is not in the petting area.


There were many other exhibits and animals to see. We spent nearly two hours walking through the zoo looking at everything, some things twice. We noticed many signs throughout the zoo, stating the future home of a new exhibit. That is exciting news to see so many new exhibits going in. The zoo is an older zoo, and you could tell it was in need so some repair, but it seemed that they had already begun some of the repairs.


All in all, the zoo was a lot of fun and was well worth the $8.00. We could have stayed all day if it had not been so hot. It was already 90 degrees at 11am, yikes!! We decided the next time we come to the zoo, we will pack a picnic and enjoy Mohawk Park, just right outside of the zoo. There is so much to do here that you will surely enjoy the day. I know we did! Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum is located just a few miles from Tulsa International Airport and would be an easy drive when you have a long layover. It is definitely worth a trip to the zoo, and a play in the park. It costs $2.00 to park, but we got there so early, we did not have to pay to park.


I will be going back to the zoo and I look forward to seeing all the new exhibits! If you live in Tulsa or the surrounding areas, you should check out the zoo and plan a day trip! Have a meal in the many zoo cafes or shop at the several gift shops. Take the kids on a train ride, or mine for gems. Don't miss the Dog Days of Summer going on 6/29-9/1. Where you'll enjoy half price admissions on Wednesdays in July, water slides are $2 for members, $3 for non members. The Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum has so much to offer it's guests, you'll be glad you decided to go!

 

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3 comments

  1. Looks like a fun day! I love your penguin picture!

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  2. Thanks, Crystal! I love the penguin picture, too! We had such a great time! -Brittany

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  3. It looks like fun and at a great price too.

    ReplyDelete

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