A nice day trip when staying at a Timeshare in Hot Springs is to drive up to Little Rock Arkansas and visit the zoo there. The drive is an easy 1 hour drive each way on 4 Lane Divided Hwy and Interstate.
A very nicely maintained, small zoo. Inspite of its small size, its exhibits are modern and well maintained for the comfort of the animals.
One of our favorite areas in this zoo is a cloverleaf arranged set of 4 exhibit areas which house Lowland Gorillas in 2 of the areas, Chimpanzees in 1 and Orangatangs in the fourth. These ape groups have lots of area to roam around in and yet are very easily observed by the zoo visitor.
They also have a very neat Giraffe display where you feel like the Giraffes could just walk out and leave but due to valuable study of the Giraffe's habits, the Giraffes are effectively penned in and the view is excellent.
For people who are members of their local zoo's Friends of the Zoo Organization, this zoo is recipricol with most other zoos making the admission free. Parking is also free for everyone.