Woodland Zoo Pt. I

Woodland Park Zoo
5500 Phinney Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
The last time I went to the zoo was when I was a toddler. If that was not the last time I went to a zoo, then the last time I went to the zoo was not a memorable event. I could not contain my happiness when I found out that the zoo was only a mere few miles from the hotel that I was staying at. Because the trip to the zoo was a last minute idea, I did not get a reservation in on time to use the complimentary shuttle that the hotel provides to the zoo. As a secondary option, I used Uber which was a fast and conveniently affordable for me to use throughout our stay in Seattle (Use promo code G1KBY for $20 off your first ride)!

Because I saw so many animals, I had to split this blog post into three sections.
Here's a little bit of history on the Woodland Park Zoo before I go on about the animals:

For more than 110 years, Woodland Park Zoo has served as an urban oasis, gathering generations of people together to enjoy the natural world. In the late 1880s, Guy Phinney, a wealthy sawmill owner, purchased a large tract of forest land about six miles north of downtown Seattle. On December 28, 1899, several years after Phinney’s death, the City of Seattle purchased the estate for $100,000.

The zoo spans 92 acres, 65 of which are developed as exhibits and public spaces. The remainder is devoted to administrative offices, a buffer zone and a neighborhood park.

In 2002, the City of Seattle transferred management and financial responsibility of Woodland Park Zoo to the Woodland Park Zoological Society. Founded in 1965, the nonprofit Society initially served as the zoo’s fundraising partner, but over the years has taken on an increasing number of responsibilities, such as marketing and membership. A 47-person, volunteer Board of Directors governs the Zoo Society with eight Board committees providing forums for information sharing between the Board and staff for various areas of zoo administration. The President and CEO reports to the Board and supervises all zoo staff. The City of Seattle continues to own the zoo grounds and exhibits.

Through funding provided by the zoo’s Partners for Wildlife, Living Northwest, and Wildlife Survival Fund programs, and the contributions of zoo members and donors, the zoo is supporting conservation of wildlife, preserving fragile habitats, and increasing public awareness for wildlife and environmental issues. The zoo currently collaborates with 35 field conservation projects taking place in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. These include some of the smallest life forms – the endangered Oregon silverspot butterfly – to the largest mammals on land – the African elephant.

Information has been provided by The Woodland Zoo website.

Given that I got to see so many animals including the ones photographed above such as zebras, ostrich, variety of birds, hippopotamus, kangaroos, and wallabies the price to enter the zoo was really shocking. For one person, I paid about $13. If you compare that to The San Diego Zoo (which is the only memory I have of the last time I went to a zoo), that is a $66 difference! Yes, I know that The San Diego Zoo is much larger in size, but if you do not want the heat, strollers, crowded exhibits/shows, then The Woodland Park is an amazing alternative.

Check out part 2 and part 3 of this post for more animals!

*Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. I was not told to write about The Woodland Zoo by any of the aforementioned companies. I just simply want to share my experience at this zoo.* 

To see more posts from my trip to Seattle, check out this tag here.