Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Overview
I go to the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Gardens multiple times a week, depending on the weather. Summers in Oklahoma are hot, and I tend to not last long. To me it’s not a zoo trip, but a walk in the park with animals. I love that I can show up in the morning, get my coffee, and start making my rounds to my favorite spots. I have cool down spots and get lunch too. Before the construction and renovations, I would say that it was a smaller zoo that took an hour to get around. Now, with Expedition Africa up and running as well as renovating exhibits it has grown, and now, I can spend two hours. I love that I can take my son and make it a fun family outing.
Getting There
The Oklahoma City Zoo sits in a triangle with the Oklahoma Science Center and Remington Park. There is parking at the zoo and the science center with Remington Park as the overflow across the street. All parking options are free. Adult tickets are $20 per person ages 12-64, children’s tickets are $17 per person ages 3-11, and children ages two and under are free.
Noteworthy Animals
My go to animals include our grizzly and black bears. Whether they are going for a swim, pacing back and forth, and taking a nice bear nap, I always look forward to seeing what they’re doing. They used to have two grizzly bears and two black bears, but recently one of the grizzly bears passed away. The bears are on the Oklahoma Trail boardwalk that also includes the bison, otter, and elk all worth stopping at.
My favorite exhibit is the Asian Sanctuary where you will find the elephants and rhinos. The elephant sanctuary is currently under construction, but don’t worry, you can still see the elephants and recently they just got a tiny baby elephant. It’s been fun watching the herd of elephants taking care of her. Just pass the elephants are the rhinos. Good luck finding them they are usually camouflaged in the water and all you can see are their ears sticking out. It’s like playing a game of hide and seek.
Further on is the Lotus Café Restaurant and specifically the Red Panda. Good luck finding it as it’s usually hiding away somewhere. If you find it, you’ll notice that it only has three legs. I didn’t even notice it until someone brought it to my attention.
Experiences
The Elephant Encounter is my personal favorite. My husband and I did it twice as part of my birthday present. The first time was during COVID with social distancing and wearing mask. The week before the encounter, Oklahoma City just went through a major ice storm and several areas went without power for weeks. The morning of the encounter as we were pulling into the parking lot, we got a phone call saying that the encounter was cancelled due to the ice storm and were unable to open the elephant gate. Two weeks later we were finally able to do the encounter, we showed up to the zoo in the morning to check in at guest services to receive our encounter passes. We got there early enough to still enjoy the zoo.
We met at the entrance of the Asian Sanctuary and the Zookeepers took us back to the Elephant barn to start the encounter. When you walk in, be aware of the strong elephant smell. I was glad to be wearing a mask. They had an adult elephant and a baby elephant doing behavior training. I love baby elephants. The Zookeepers had the elephants standing one leg, laying down, standing back up, and other positions too. We finally got to the part where I got to pet the elephant. I had always thought that an elephant felt soft and silky, but it didn’t. The best way to describe it is petting a basketball with hair. You didn’t have to see my face to know that I was smiling ear to ear. A few years later we did it again and this time no mask. I was still smiling ear to ear. Happy Birthday to me. Next on my list I would love to do the bear encounter, both the grizzly and black bear, the Indian Rhino, and the Galapagos Tortoise.
Make sure before you leave you feed the rhinos and giraffes. The rhinos are $10, and the giraffes are $5. The rhino feeding was new to me and one I can’t wait to do it again.
Facilities
Safari Café is a frequent stop as they serve Starbucks drinks as well as teas and other drinks. I like to grab my coffee first thing before I check in and enjoy the rest of the zoo. They don’t accept the Starbucks app or redeem for stars.
Coming soon to the Oklahoma City Zoo is a Zoo Lodge. Construction is well in progress and coming along very nicely. I can’t wait to see it when it’s all done. You can best bet my next birthday or anniversary will be there when complete.
Overall Impression
If you need a family fun day or just kill a few hours make your way to the Oklahoma City Zoo. Say hi to the elephants during the behind-the-scenes tour, feed the giraffes, have lunch with the Komodo Dragon, and don’t forget to stop by the gift shop on your way out. I love getting to take my son and spend as much or as little time. I give the Oklahoma City Zoo four stars. I’m still waiting for the penguins exhibit to open. Then I’ll make five stars.