East African Crowned Crane at the San Francisco Zoo

Mountain Man, Imagineer, Bam-Bam and I spent the latter half of today at the San Francisco Zoo.

This zoo is my favorite zoo, amongst all of the zoos I’ve visited with the little ones over the past decade.  The ocean breezes have a lot to do with it as well as the Lion House and the super cute train ride.

The Zoo is located about 12 miles south of downtown San Francisco and is located across the street from the ocean.

You know that zoo smell that just kind of lingers in the air that you usually experience at most zoos…..well, not so at this one.  The ocean breezes are constantly blowing through the zoo, and it gives you the feeling that you’re on vacation at the beach.

There was one point where we were walking through the lemur exhibit, which includes a stairway where you can walk to a balcony to view the top of the cage.

On this balcony, the view from the lemur exhibit showcased the Africa exhibit with the giraffes, and zebras, and just beyond Africa was a very clear view of the Pacific ocean waves.  So lovely.  I cannot recall exclaiming about such a beautiful view at any other zoo I’ve visited.

Photos of the Precious Animals we Visited Today

Below are some snapshots from today’s adventures.  I really LOVED the Eurasian Eagle Owl.  I think he was my favorite of the day.  So cool and calm.

Eurasian Eagle Owl

Eurasian Eagle Owl at the San Francisco Zoo

Africa Exhibit

We loved watching this gorilla sit in his tub and play with the branches.  Very sweet.

Gorilla in tub

Harris Hawk

I always have to take a picture of the welcoming flamingos.

Flamingos at the San Francisco Zoo

Snow Leopard

San Francisco Zoo Railroad

The train ride is so much fun, and you get to ride the loop twice.  🙂

Volunteering at the Zoo

At the children’s zoo, there are young volunteers stationed at different exhibits to share stories about the animals with the visitors.  I am always very impressed with their poise, knowledge and communication skills.  It is clear these kids love animals and I know they are gaining so much with this valuable experience.

Imagineer mentioned that she would like to volunteer with the animals.  It never occurred to me to look into this for her, but I am definitely going to check in with the zoo to see what the minimum age is for volunteers.  Even if its for once a month, what a great activity for her!  🙂  I’ll let you know how that goes.

Definitely recommend putting your local zoo on your summer to do list.  The kids love it and its so fun to see their faces light up and also to be inspired to work with animals one day as a vet or at the zoo.  🙂

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