Austin Zoo

On September 18, Nathan and I piled into the Suburban with three kids and Grammy (my mom) to head to the Austin Zoo. We had never been, so we were excited to check it out after hearing some good things from others. I was trying to keep my zoo bias in check after spending so much time in San Antonio, because I know that Austin can't begin to compete with that...yet.
 

Rather than really being a "zoo," the Austin Zoo is really an animal sanctuary, as the animals have been rescued from many unfavorable situations. Some of them were pets that ended up being abandoned or unwanted, and others were saved from a life in the circus. Apparently, the staff has to turn away lots of animals on a regular basis because they simply don't have the space or the financial means to care for so many. It's kind of sad!

Prairie dogs

Yeah, we were really close to the lions.

Can't do that in San Antonio.

Oh, my!

 There are lots of goats, sheep, pigs, etc. that you can hand-feed.

The kids really enjoyed it.

Jaguar.

The boys' favorite.

Ethan enjoyed dragging Zoe everywhere.

Zoe just enjoyed walking around outside.

 I think he wanted to eat us.

 Llama face!

 The Reptile House.

Feeding more goats.

All in all, I would say that the Austin Zoo is a great place to visit. There are some definite pros: nice variety of animals, clean exhibits, the ability to see all the creatures up (really) close, super nice scenery, and a really friendly staff. It's also really easy to get to (not to mention pretty close to home).

The downside? Well, it's a little pricey for what you're getting, but I know that the zoo has to have money to operate, so that's not a huge issue to me. I felt more inclined to donate money to this zoo than to the more commercialized zoos I've visited, so I suppose that's good. The only other thing that really bothered me was the whole "natural landscaping" thing they have going on. I think it's great, but there isn't a single sidewalk in the entire place, and my kids spent several hours tripping on huge tree roots in the middle of the paths and throwing mud. It makes it a little harder (and messier) to navigate around the park. The land isn't very level and the paths are not smooth, so it would be hard for a handicapped person to visit the zoo. That's a very small gripe in the grand scheme, I suppose.

I would absolutely recommend the zoo, especially to people with kiddos. It's small enough to make a nice day trip without completely wearing the kids (or the parents) out. There are also lots of shaded picnic tables, so be sure to bring some munchies (or buy them - they have a snack shack!). Go check it out now that the weather is much cooler!