We rose out of bed a little bit earlier today than we have been for the last six weeks. Despite the efforts of our youngest son, our family is not an early riser family. Having two teenage daughters causes a rift in your time table. But having the option of driving through the zoo interested all our kids. Since there isn’t a sense of normality taking place in any part of our lives, we decided to get out this weekend and test drive the San Antonio Zoo.
The San Antonio Zoo started offering the experience this weekend, and we experienced it on the third day on Sunday, May 3rd. It has been so popular they have extended the Drive-Thru Zoo until May 17th. Our ticket was $60 because we didn’t get our tickets fast enough at the $40 price (they sold out in 2 hours). You are allowed to show up and buy tickets, and there is a discount, you pay $32 if you are a zoo member. Remember, this is a fundraiser for the zoo since they are not allowed to be open to the public in a traditional way. They have lost a lot of revenue over the last six weeks. The roads we drove on through the zoo are there because the service trucks use them to manage the animals and their care.
As you can imagine, there was a long line that was even longer when we left. We drove to the zoo via the 281 south from the 410 and took the Hildebrand exit. We exited at Hildebrand and turned right at the light. Then we turned left onto Devlin Rd and left onto Tuleta Dr. Arriving at 10:15 am, we filed into the traditional zoo parking lot pretty quickly, and then the long slow wait began. There was a switchback that ran the length and width of the parking lot. There were six turns to exit the parking lot, and it took about an hour to get out of the parking lot. There were grass areas and walkways outside of the zoo where you could get out and stretch your legs. The new Starbucks was up and running and taking orders. A few people headed in that direction to purchase a beverage and to have an excuse to stretch their legs.
When we exited the parking lot, we headed the right and ran around the turn about in front of the zoo entrance. Amazingly we made it to this point in our cramped Honda Accord with three children with little screaming and complaining. Of course, the minute I rolled down the window, all the howling commenced. Luckily it quickly died down. We thought we were almost in the gates, but now there is a second layer of switchbacks and turning in the zoo service area.
We entered the zoo grounds through the service driveway past the zoo entrance on the right. We then wound around the edge of the service area until we came to five designated lanes. We were still in the service area of the zoo. They placed us into a lane, and an attendant came by to ask if we had our ticket. They also had vendors asking if you would like to purchase snacks. Not a lot of people were buying snacks, but I think that was due to the hesitance related to the COVID-19. There were additional vendors throughout the park offering snacks, souvenirs, and the ability to adopt an animal for $50. They would clear one whole lane at a time to enter the park, so we had to wait till it was our lane’s turn. It took another 45 minutes in this area before we entered the park. At noon we entered the park.
While we waited in line, we checked out the San Antonio Zoo audio tour. They recorded a fun facts audio tour that can be listened to through their website or the SoundCloud app. We used the app, and it was fun to learn a few new facts about the zoo. Eleven tracks are available and run about one to two minutes long with quick insights about where you are and what you will be able to see. Each track is numbered, and there is a sign in the park with a number on it to let you know when it is time to play that track. You need to observe the track because the next track will start automatically, but they did build in a reminder at the end of each track, letting you know when to pause. Before you enter the park, make sure you check which version of the recording works best for you.
They had more stands open with snacks and souvenirs than on the map. I didn’t see a lot of sales, but I know they will pick up as the week goes on, and peoples’ fears quiet down. All the workers wore facemasks and were there to answer any questions you might ask. You could tell they wanted to interact so much more than they knew would be possible at this time. There are bathrooms available inside the zoo, but they ask that you wear a facemask and not to get out of your car for any other reason.
We entered the park through the service entrance to the left of the park’s entrance. Our first visit was to the Bear Grotto that contains bears and lemurs. We were able to see a lemur and a sleeping bear. Not terribly exciting, but typical for this area around noon with the hot sun dominating most of these enclosures. The walls can be a little tall in front of these enclosures, so we stuck our heads through the sunroof of our Honda Accord. Every car had children and adults crawling through it to get the best vantage point to view the animals. We brought our smaller car because the original maximum length dimensions were 198” and our Armada is 204”. They have since changed those dimensions to 204” in length. My husband did feel better about bringing a smaller car. There were a couple of tight spots on the trail. Also, the speed limit is 4mph.
After we left the Bear Grotto, we entered the Asian Rainforest, which contains otters and monkeys. We were able to see a couple of sleeping otters that were up high on a ledge. One of the animal specialists pointed them out to us. There were also a few swinging monkeys that we saw as we passed their dwelling. To the right are the aquarium, butterfly house, and additional monkey habitats, which aren’t visually accessible from the car. Both the aquarium and butterfly house or inside enclosures. Next are the Cat Grotto and reptile house, which are also not visually accessible from the car because they are also inside enclosures. When you turn the vehicle to the left, you can get a view of a Jaguar, who is usually sleeping up high. They like to perch up high to look down on their prey.
The next adventure is past the new Africa Live area, which is also not accessible by car, but you get to climb up into the older African habitats. These habitats have some cool animals to observe, and this is definitely the highlight of this drive. There are warthogs, duikers, and red-backed hogs. As you complete your U-turn at the top of the hill and proceed down the hill on the left, you pass the Lion and Tiger enclosures. On the right are the kangaroos, emus, and lorikeets. As you come out of this area, you head to the left and pass the alligators and many birds. These birds are being raised and rehabilitated to return to their natural habitats in the wild. The San Antonio Zoo has a great mission of repopulating birds that are on the brink of extinction.
From here, you pass by the Kronkosky’s Tiny Tot Nature Spot area and other small enclosures. Your drive-thru zoo tour has come to an end, and you exit to the left behind the Tiny Tot Nature Spot. This is another service entrance that you exit through, and on the right, you get a grand tour of the Kiddie Park that was rebuilt by the zoo a couple of months ago. There were a lot of cars parked on the left as we exited. It looked like they needed a car break and needed to adjust certain features of their vehicles before they proceeded. I’m assuming a lot of children needed to get back in car seats.
It felt good to have plans this weekend and get out there. Even better was the fact that we could experience the zoo and see life starting to return closer to normal. Is it worth it is something you need to decide as a family. For us, it was worth the trip and the long wait. It is a great way to support the zoo and have a new unique experience. San Antonio is definitely on the cutting edge of this experience, and it is great to see our town be at the forefront of a great idea. Instead of a handout, the zoo is providing a service for a fee. I love getting behind a creative idea that delivers a great experience. It also gets some great San Antonio’s back to work doing something they love.
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