the maryland zoo
We are already making headway on our summer bucket list. First stop, the Maryland Zoo.
about the zoo
The Maryland Zoo is the 3rd oldest zoo in the US, founded in 1876 and is located about 10 minutes from downtown Baltimore in the Druid Hill neighborhood. We love zoos that focus on conservation and education. But since we lived so close to the National Zoo in DC for years, we hadn’t spent any time at the Maryland Zoo (until now!)
our visit
We headed to the Zoo mid-day on a Saturday. This is way later than I would recommend getting there but we had sports and were meeting friends. I was surprised that we were able to find parking in the very close overflow (Turtle) lot.
We walked down to the main entrance, where you see the prairie dogs right away.
It’s a short walk (or trolley ride) down to the rest of the exhibits.
We started at the penguins, which was our fav exhibit. I happen to be buddies with one of the penguin keepers and she taught us that the Maryland zoo is home to a massive colony of over 100 penguins and supports one of the largest and most successful penguin breeding programs in North America. We got to see a lot of the newly hatched penguin chicks and learn about their fun names, like Potato.
Next, we said goodbye to the penguins and headed to the Northern passage, where we will see a sleepy grizzly bear and a beautiful bald eagle. There’s also a fun air conditioned bus where you can take a quick break and see more of the bears. We learned from our zookeeper friend that the eagle has been released and brought back several times. She just loves the zoo too much and we don’t blame her.
Next we entered a shaded loop by the aviary. Here we got to see baby deer, birds, the famous Maryland hellbender salamander, otters and my favorite, the turtles. The baby deer were such a highlight.
We ended at the barnyard to see goats, llamas and mini donkeys before grabbing some lunch. While we waited for our lunch, we hopped on the free carousel. My kids always love a carousel.
After lunch, we were out of steam and needed to head home. If you know us, you know we “get going while the getting is good” when it comes to toddlers and day trips. We didn’t want to push it with an hour drive home. We waited in line for the trolley and checked out the Naturalist lodge while we waited.
next time
On our next visit, I’ll start with the African Safari since we had to skip it this time. The Maryland Zoo is a GREAT day trip. I loved the walkability, the animals, and it didn’t feel crowded at all. Our lunch was also super tasty. I can’t wait to go back!