The Denver Zoo is a great place to spend a nice fall day. The zoo is located right by City Park, making it a great location to spend an entire day, so make sure to pack a picnic. The feeding times for the animals are posted online at www.denverzoo.org so you can plan your trip in advance, which is a good idea considering we weren't able to see some animals due to their feedings. There is an excellent reptile building filled with fish, snakes, dragons, and much more as well as a great bird section. The pachyderm area features framed paintings created by the elephants on view as well as a hippo pool. There is a carousel that costs extra but is a great activity for children, or the young at heart. If you don't mind the crowds the zoo offers free days every year, which are also posted online. Overall the zoo is a great place to spend the day and explore the animal world.

The zoo has a homey feel. It is compact yet as you stroll through the habitats you can move from one country to the next.

The zoo has an excellent breeding program and frequently has babies to view in the nursery.

Watch the sea lions at feeding time. Take a stroll through the aviary--but look out for bird that is attracted to human hair and enjoys a good dive bombing. Check out the polar bear--and admire the new cub. If you want to be certain that you do not want to encounter a polar bear in the wild stand next to the lifesized picture and see how massive these animals are! Go eye to eye with a tiger--admire their graceful movement and their beautiful color. Each animal is beautiful to behold.

The zoo rents wagons and strollers to make it easier for the little ones and their parents to make it through the trip.

Once you have completed your journey through the zoo venture outside to the city park and burn off steam on the playground (or rest under a tree if your legs are a bit older.)

The zoo is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon in Denver.

Having spent hour after hour sitting - first in a plane, then a car, then a hotel, capped off with 8 hours of a business meeting, I simply had to get outside to enjoy the fresh air of the Mile High City and see the famed Rockies in the distance. City Park was recommended as the largest nearby park so the best for a long walk. I certianly got to stretch my legs because I got detoured around construction at the Denver Zoo and walked twice as far as I had planned! But it was worth it. The smell of the pine trees, the interesting statues and historical plaques, the beauty of the rose gardens and the many beds of different flowering plants, and most of all the sights and sound of dozens of children leaping and splashing through the giant sprinklers on this hot (for Denver) day. There were chidlren trying to stop the sprinklers in their cycle and teenagers forgetting to be sophisticated and parents watching peacefully. It was a lovely eye on Denver.

It didn't cost me anything. I got all that I needed after working and sitting for too long. And I felt that I really visited Denver this time instead of seeing the inside of an airport, a shuttle, a hotel room, an office, another shuttle, and the airport again!

The Denver Zoo is a wonderful place to spend a day strolling outdoors. Not only is it really good exercise, it also brings back a childlike sense of wonder at all the marvelous creatures that exist on this planet. And when you're tired of wandering around there are sit down activities such as the bird show to entertain you while you rest your feet.