A day at the Sacramento Zoo

Lions, tigers, and bears oh my! I have been dying to take the kids to the zoo for awhile but with Matt’s work schedule it’s hard sometimes. Let me just say, the wait was well worth it. We packed up the car with our travel necessities and drove to the Sacramento zoo. With over 500 animals and 120 species spread out over 14 acres, it was sure to be a fun day with the family.

The Sacramento Zoo opened its doors on June 2nd 1927 in William Land Park, Sacramento California. They began with 40 animals ranging from monkeys, deer, raccoons, and more occupying 4 acres. In the fall of 1949, after a year long effort to raise money to buy an elephant, SUE(Sacramento Union Elephant named by two local teens at the time) became the newest attraction for the zoo. In the early 1960’s, the zoo expanded to over 14 acres and began building their zoo family to grizzlies, reptiles, and more.

Fast forward to 2019, the Sacramento Zoo will be welcoming Okapis to their family soon!

The zoo is about an hour drive for us through Stockton and up north to Sacramento. It is easy to locate and one of my favorite parts of the Sacramento Zoo is easy, free parking giving no hassle access from your car to the zoo entrance. Once we arrived, we waited in a short line to do to tickets and they gave the kids tokens to put in the “wishing well” for good luck which go to good causes. Macyn thought it was so cool and was a great start to our day.

From there, we visited the flamingos and stopped for a quick bathroom break. One thing that stood out to me was that the zoo had a Mother’s room for a private space to breastfeed or changing if you choose. As a mother who exclusively pumped, this is an option I think all public places should have for mothers.

The zoo is home to Meerkats, Lions, Giraffes, Snow Leopards, Monkeys, Zebras, Wild Hogs, Reptiles, and so many more! So we let Macyn choose where we went. We walked through the safari to see the giraffes which happened to be feeding time! One of my favorite joys was watching Macyn’s face as he got to feed the giraffe. We went on to see the zebras and stumbled across snow leopards.

5 Tips when planning your zoo adventure!

1. If you are looking for a less crowded time, I recommend trying for weekdays and avoiding holidays. We went on a Thursday morning and it was quiet with little to no crowd and the animals were out which was great for viewing nearly all of them!
2. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. You will be doing a lot of walking so make sure to stay comfy.
3. Remember parking is free on the street all around the park
4. If you are local, hit the regional transit bus #6 for easy transportation to and from the zoo!
5. If you get hungry, stop by the Kampala Cafe or Savannah Snacks for a bite to eat. They offer something for everyone ranging from hamburgers to veggie burgers, fries, desserts, and much more!

The Sacramento Zoo is open all week long 9am-4pm and has various fun events through out the year such as boo at the zoo. They also offer camps and classes such as their summer camp for kids and pre-k classes.

Before you leave, make sure to stop at the Zoofari Market Gift Store locates at the entrance of the zoo. Forget sunscreen or batteries? Maybe need a stroller rental? They got you covered! Make the most of your day at the zoo by riding the Zoo train or the Serengeti Cyclone.

No matter where the day may take you and your family, it will surely be a day to remember at the Sacramento Zoo!

Learn more about the Sacramento Zoo here

Our tickets were gifted but all opinions are our own.

What is your favorite zoo animal?

XoXo

Christian