Fort Worth Zoo – An Award Winning Top Attraction

The Fort Worth Zoo consistently ranks among the top ten zoos in America, occasionally taking first place. Zagat Surveys even named it 19th out of the 50 Overall Top-rated Attractions in the entire USA!

The zoo has come a long way since it first opened in 1909. Back then, it only had a handful of exotic species. These days, the zoo is teeming with animals. It is easy to spend an entire day here, and still not make it to every exhibit. In summer, you’ll find lots of shade, which is a plus here in Texas. Below is a brief description of all the different sections to this tremendous zoo:

Museum of Living Art (MOLA)

This one-of-a-kind herpetarium is billed by the Fort Worth Zoo as, “a museum where the artworks looks back at you.” It’s a fairly new exhibit, having opened in 2010, and features reptiles from all over the world.

Unlike other museums, you can even get a chance to touch some of the “artwork,” since zookeepers occasionally allow guests to handle certain creatures – the friendly ones!

African Savannah

Here you will find rhinos, giraffes, zebras, warthogs, cheetahs and more. An elevated boardwalk offers good photos ops and viewing from above.

World of Primates

This 2.5 acre section has both indoor and outdoor areas chock full of chimps, gorillas, orangutans and other primates. The interior of the exhibit emulates a tropical rain forest habitat, while a boardwalk leads through the outside.

Flamingo Bay

Although the flock only numbers 75 or so, the Fort Worth zoo staff uses mirrors to trick the birds into thinking they are part of a much larger group! This clever deception is one of many reasons the zoo has such a successful flamingo breeding program here. On one visit, I got to see zoo staff hand feeding some young birds.

Parrot Paradise

This is one of my favorite sections of the Fort Worth Zoo. Colorful parakeets, cockatiels and other birds fly freely throughout this outdoor aviary. The best part is that you can buy feeding sticks, then coax them into perching on your hand for a snack.

Texas Wild!

This section focuses on the tremendous variety of habitats, plants and animals that are part of Texas. Here you will find foxes, bobcats, alligators, bears, pelicans, prairie dogs and, of course, rattlesnakes.

Australian Outback

This section features everything from a mock up of the Great Barrier Reef to kangaroos and wallabies.

Raptor Canyon

This outdoor aviary features a wide variety of birds of prey: condors, eagles, owls, vultures and more.

Meerkat Mounds

Meerkats are just as cute up close and in person as they are in cartoons. This cleverly designed exhibit allows you to watch these highly social creatures through a plexiglass wall, as well as an overlooking boardwalk.

Penguins

Home to a flock of African black-footed penguins, this exhibit often smells a little fishy – but who cares? Frolicking penguins are fun to watch, especially at feeding time.

Asian Falls

Tigers (both striped and white ones!), sun bears, Asian elephants, tufted deer, rhinos and many other species native to Asia are features in this section, which winds its way through the hillside.

Restaurants at the Fort Worth Zoo

You will find snack stands throughout the entire zoo. No matter which exhibit you are visiting when hunger strikes, possibilities abound.

My favorite place to grab a bite at the zoo is in the Crocodile Cafe, which is right next to the MOLA reptile house. What I love about this place is the big plexiglass wall on one side where you can watch creatures swim by as you eat your lunch.

Hours, Admission, Parking & Address

Summer Hours: Open daily from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., with extended hours on weekends.

Winter Hours: Open daily from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., with shorter hours on holidays.

Admission Prices:
Adults (age 13-64) $12.00
Children (age 3-12) $9.00
Children under 3 years of age are free
Seniors (age 65 and older)$9.00

Insider Tip for Fort Worth Zoo admission: Half-price admission on Wednesdays!

Address:
1989 Colonial Parkway
Fort Worth, TX 76110

Parking: Parking at the zoo costs $5.00 per vehicle.

Please note: While all the above information is accurate as of this writing, hours, prices and so forth are subject to change. C’est la vie, baby!

More A to Z blog posts

Phew! I made it all the way to Z of the 2013 A to Z blogging challenge. I’ve had so much fun researching and writing these posts. I’ve also really enjoyed mixing and mingling with other A to Z bloggers both here, on their blogs and on Twitter. So much fun thanks to a great idea from Arlee Bird.

To see what other people posted during the challenge, click on this link: A to Z blogging challenge. There are so many great blogs out there to read and enjoy!