Our middle child, Zack, loves the zoo. He’s always asking if we can go and see the animals! We are so lucky that we were gifted a membership to the zoo! When we have a free day we love to go. Since we have a membership we know that we don’t have to rush through the zoo and remind the boys that we’ll be back another day! I always ask the boys what are the animals they want to see during this trip and we’ll focus on that area of the zoo
Print out a map before you go
My kids love maps! They no longer pass out maps there so I also make sure to print out a map out from the website for each of them before we go. This way we’re able to make sure we see the animals they’ve designated as their must-sees for the visit! I’m planning on laminating them in the future so we
Look at the zoo website
If you look under plan your visit on the zoo’s website they have a bunch of fun resources such as coloring pages and games, which is a fun way to tie in a little more educational activities with your visit and will get them excited about it! You can also find when they’ll have
Go early
Parking fills up quickly and it isn’t as hot so we like to be there when it opens at 9am.
Parking:
You have to pay for parking at a kiosk, in order to do so you must know your license plate number. I take a picture of mine since by the time I get to the kiosk I’ve already forgotten it which keeps me from having to make multiple trips back to my car.
Kama’aina/US military:
Be sure to bring your ID you for a special rate!
Bring water and snacks:
Although it’s not as big as other zoos my kids always get hungry and thirsty and it’s hot! I tend to bring small easy to eat snacks that they can walk around with such as fruit snacks.
Pack a Lunch
The food at the zoo can get expensive so we like to bring lunch. They have some tables that you can sit on or you can always have a picnic! There are large grassy areas that are perfect for that!
Stop by the Playground and Keiki Zoo
This is one of the kids’ favorite places and our last stops. They can spend a ton of time here so we try to avoid it in the beginning or we’d never see the rest of the zoo. The Keiki zoo is a lot of fun and the best part (as a mom) is that they can wash their hands when they’re done! They have a sink with soap at the exit, which also makes it a nice place to go before lunch since they’ll be washed up!
Check out the Twilight Tours
These tours happen on Friday and Saturday evenings. You’re able to see animals that normally aren’t out in the day! Be sure to register for it on their website! We haven’t tried this out yet, I’m hoping we will soon though!