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Reid Park Zoo

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BurliBear
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4 out of 5
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Reid Park Zoo

  • June 16, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by kwasiak from Tucson, Arizona
Reid Park Zoo

The Reid Park Zoo is open daily 9am to 4pm. It is closed on December 25 and closes at noon on Thanksgiving Day. Admission is $6 for adults ages 15-61, $4 for seniors, age 62 and older, $2 for kids ages 2 to 14, and children under 2 are free. The zoo's website is www.tucsonzoo.org and great for using to find out about special events and classes at the zoo.

The Reid Park Zoo is not a very large zoo, but it is still worth a visit. The whole zoo can be seen rather easily within two to three hours, but you could spend longer if you have kids with you, especially if they play in the water play area. The zoo has four main areas.

The first area to your left as you enter the zoo animal exhibits is the Asian animals. In this area you can see animals that have their origins in Asia including gibbons and a tiger.

Past the Asian animals you will enter into the area with African animals. African animals on display at the Reid Park Zoo include giraffes, elephants, and white rhinos. Near the otters in this area there is a water play area for kids to enjoy. This is especially a great place for the kids on a hot day. If you are going with kids, I recommend bringing a swimsuit or a spare pair of clothes for them.

In the back corner of the zoo past the African animals is the Adaptation Zone. This is where the zoo's highlight is located. The highlight of the zoo is the polar bears. I know almost everyone thinks it is crazy that a zoo located in a hot, dry desert climate would not be able to have polar bears, especially since it is an outdoor enclosure. In fact though it does not take much to make it possible for the polar bears to live rather comfortably here. They were also the most active animals we saw on the day of our visit with one walking around and two swimming. Besides the polar bears there is also a nice aviary in this area and a few other animals exhibits.

The last area is the South American area, which is located back at the front of the zoo to the right as you enter the zoo. This area recreates a South American habitat and has enclosures displaying several animals from the South American continent. A few of the animals here include jaguar, anteater, llama, and rhea. This area also has an aviary with some colorful macaws.

The zoo also has two restaurants. When we left at noon, only the one near the entrance appeared to be opened and even that one seemed to be just beginning to open. The one in the South America area showed no sign of preparation to open when we left at noon.

From journal Nature Sites In and Around Tucson - Part One

Reid Park Zoo

  • April 17, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by mh75 from Harrisonburg, Virginia
Reid Park Zoo

The Tucson Reid Park Zoo is a nice zoo for the size. It is a little small, but you can see the whole thing in matter of two hours as opposed to leaving after seeing only half of it like some big zoos.

It has a fair number of animals with good sized habitats and it is broken up into regions. The zoo itself is very easy to get around in and also to self-tour. They do however offer guided tours that are more in depth and will take you behind the scenes. The best part about the Tucson Zoo is that the majority of it can be navigated and you can remain in the shade as there are lots of trees. The giraffe paddock is very spacey and they have three giraffes inside that you can feed, which is neat. They also have two elephants, an Asian and an African as well as two lions and tigers and various other animals. There is also a polar bear area with two bears. That is very interesting to see, a bear in the desert. Overall, it is a very nice experience.

The prices are very reasonable with adult tickets at $6, kids $2, and seniors $4. Concessions are a little pricey, but that is kind of the norm at most zoos that I have seen before. They also have a secondary concession stand in the back that is a good stop during the walk.

It is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it to anyone in Tucson who wants a refreshing afternoon, but be aware, the zoo closes at 4pm. Parking is not usually an issue and if you head back north when you leave the zoo, there is a mall, Target and several eating establishments in close proximity.

From journal Old home Arizona

Reid Park Zoo

The Reid Park Zoo is a great place to take the kids to unwind, and possibly learn something new. First off, they have stroller rentals, an extensive gift shop, and 2 snack bars. Past the main entrance, you can follow several paths for a self guided tour. Roaming these paths you will see peacocks, squirrels, ducks, squirrels, and all the other little critters. Kids loved this, it gave them an up close and personal view of the animals. There were several stations set up along the paths, with zoo helpers and exhibits. Several of them were "touch" exhibits, hands on things for children to do. Also, you can purchase a "key" to unlock special information at the animal exhibits. Before you start on your journey, make sure you have a map, sunscreen, and take note of where the restrooms are (they are spread fairly far apart). Overall, I would plan to spend about 2 hours if you are not having lunch, 3-4 if you want an in depth experience or plan to have lunch. Oh, and as a nice way to start (or relaxing way to end) your visit, be sure to take the train ride. It's on Lakeshore Dr., right next to the zoo. It was $2 per person, but it was a fun ride for the kids, and gave us a good look at the park.

From journal Weekend in Tucson

Reid Park Zoo

  • November 27, 2002
  • Rated 3 of 5 by BurliBear from Overland Park, Kansas
Reid Park Zoo

A small but very nice museum in the middle of a nicely maintained park.

We spent about an hour and a half at this zoo. The animals were nicely displayed and appeared to be well cared for. Easy to walk through as the total acreage is small.

This zoo is reciprocal to members of many zoos Friends of the Zoo Organizations, which makes it very economical for them.

From journal Tucson - Day Trip from Phoenix

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