LOCALE: Austin Zoo

[velvetmermaid]

I wasn't as disappointed as I was expecting, given that the zoo is mostly an animal refuge, but for the money, the San Antonio Zoo is a better value, but it wasn't all bad.

The tigers were pretty cool.



Yesterday's Pics are Here.

[livinthalife]

GREAT tiger shot! Sadly it's not that great of a zoo... :( Love to see more from another zoo though!

[velvetmermaid]

Originally Posted by livinthalife

GREAT tiger shot! Sadly it's not that great of a zoo... :( Love to see more from another zoo though!

Yeah, I was kind of underwhelmed, but not as disappointed as I was expecting (I was actually kind of surprised to see so many cars there - apparently, it's quite the spot for children's Birthday Parties.

I did venture to the San Antonio Zoo last year (pics in my photo stream), but didn't have my spiffy 70-300mm lens at the time; I plan to make that trip in a couple weeks when I'm on vacation :D

[dmcantrell]

Yeah, the term "zoo" is somewhat of an overstatement for the location. It is run by donation money and is really a refuge (like you said) for exotic "pets" that outgrew their owners.

[velvetmermaid]

Originally Posted by dmcantrell

Yeah, the term "zoo" is somewhat of an overstatement for the location. It is run by donation money and is really a refuge (like you said) for exotic "pets" that outgrew their owners.

Which is rather frightening when you consider the lions, tigers, and bears - oh my.

[Mongo]

Ive been to most of the big zoo's in central Texas and by far the best one is the Ft Worth Zoo. San Antonio and Waco arent bad for their size. I was actually disappointed in the Dallas zoo. I havent made it to Houstons yet but would like to at some point but Ive heard its not as good as Ft Worth. Also, not far from the zoo is the Ft Worth Botanical Gardens which are amazing this time of year.

Heres a couple of my faves from the FTW Zoo..







And this is the Japanese Gardens at the Botanical Gardens (this was in Feb I think, so not in full bloom)..

[velvetmermaid]

It makes me wish FTW wasn't 3 hours away :( I can't fathom driving all that time, walking around the zoo (esp. this time of year), then driving another 3 hrs back :(; that said, I have a friend I think is in the FTW area, so I might be able to work something out ;)

[livinthalife]

Just go to SA. It's still really nice, just half the distance! :)

[Mongo]

Originally Posted by velvetmermaid

It makes me wish FTW wasn't 3 hours away :( I can't fathom driving all that time, walking around the zoo (esp. this time of year), then driving another 3 hrs back :(; that said, I have a friend I think is in the FTW area, so I might be able to work something out ;)

If you love zoo's, its definately worth the trip. Best thing to do is get there as soon as they open. A lot of the animals are more active in the morning, not to mention its cooler for you. Ive made the day trip up to DFW many times for different reasons and its really not that bad.

[darkone]

The Austin zoo, while not that great of a 'zoo', still provides plenty of opportunities.