Trip Review: Cameron Park Zoo

Last Friday, I drove Turtle and Monkey to Waco to meet up with Mimi for a birthday lunch and a trip to the Cameron Park Zoo. It was the farthest I have ever driven the girls by myself, and it was kind of a test to see if I could actually manage that kind of trip. I did. The biggest hassles getting there were dealing with a finicky portable DVD player (including a stop about 20 minutes short of Waco because I couldn't handle the screams resulting from the malfunctioning player), and stopping to go to the potty three minutes after I pulled out of the gas station north of Georgetown. This happened despite my asking repeatedly during the gas stop if anyone needed to go potty. I'd forgotten to pack drinks for the trip (which didn't seem to bother anyone), so I believed them when they said they didn't need to go potty. Then as soon as I got on the highway, Turtle said, "Mommy, I have to go potty." I clenched my teeth and looked for a good place to stop and . . . surprise! There is a really awesome rest area just south of Salado! It has great parking, a playscape (unshaded), a very nice bathroom, a designated dog walking area, vending machines, and even a storm shelter. It is officially called, "Bell County Safety Rest Area," and I was glad Turtle's delayed potty request allowed me to "discover" it.

If anyone is counting, yes, that is three full stops - one for gas, one for potty, and one for DVD player troubleshooting - in the 100 miles to Waco. That doesn't count the stop at the bank on the corner as we left the house, and the trip back to the house after the bank to get my forgotten sunglasses. So a mere 2.5 hours after we left our house, we pulled into the Ninfa's parking lot for a yummy lunch.

The Cameron Park Zoo was a very short drive from the restaurant, and we arrived around 12:45PM. Right off the bat, I was surprised by how easy it was to park. There weren't many visitors, I guess since it was the middle of a rather warm weekday, and the walk from the car to the entrance was easier than dealing with my local HEB on a slow day. It was that easy to get in. There was one small family in front of us in the one line to get in, and a pleasant and competent ticket seller to assist us. At that point, I was still under the delusion that this was a rinky little operation, so while I was pleasantly surprised with the speed and ease of entry, I didn't expect much in the way of animals.

Three Galapagos Tortoises, two giraffes, three lions, two elephants, two rhinos, a few orangutans, a tiger, a Kimodo Dragon, and a visit to Lemur Island later, I declared it the best zoo I'd ever visited. It's not just because you are so close to the animals in such lovely, natural habitats. It's that it is very thoughtfully planned, with play areas for children, well-placed air-conditioned bathrooms, a simple circular path, and an apparent focus on featuring a smaller number of animals really well. We went through the entire zoo in less than 3 hours and saw the whole thing, which gave me a real sense of satisfaction - I don't think I've ever been able to see every animal in a zoo all in one day, even before I had kids, much less in three hours. I would call it a "boutique zoo" and it was really lovely.

Of course, in retrospect, and after allowing the flames of passion to cool a bit, I have to admit that other zoos I've visited (the San Diego Zoo and the National Zoo, for example), are probably objectively "better" zoos and so maybe Cameron Park isn't the best zoo on earth. But it is really excellent when you're pulling two almost-three-year-olds around in a red Radio Flyer wagon. The girls were pretty blase about the whole thing, but I'm still excited about my new favorite day trip from Austin.

Details:

Cameron Park Zoo

www.cameronparkzoo.com

1701 North 4th Street, Waco, Texas, 76707; (254) 750-8400.

Open Monday through Saturday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and the last Friday and Saturday of June.

ADMISSION FEES:

Adults(13+) – $9

Children 4-12 yrs – $6

Sr. Citizens (60+) – $8

Children 3 years old and under – free!!!

Strollers & wagons are available for rental in the gift shop. Strollers are $4 each and wagons are $6 each. (Note: we brought our own (covered) wagon and it worked just great).

There is a small, air-conditioned cafe at the entrance and one in the middle of the zoo (which was closed the day we were there). We had lemonade at the cafe, and it seemed to have a reasonable variety of decent food choices, so you could definitely eat lunch there. No outside food or drink allowed.