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It had been over 20 years since I had been to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, North Carolina. I had been wanting to visit it again for some time, so for our 6th wedding anniversary, my husband and I decided to go! We didn’t do a ton of planning but we knew we needed to bring our two Corgis (they’re an adorable dog breed, in case you didn’t know), we only wanted to spend one day at the zoo because we only had the weekend to do this trip in, and we did not want to spend a lot of money.
We ended up finding a place to stay with our dogs, had a great time at the zoo, and didn’t spend a ton of money. Below are some tips that I’ve come up with to help you plan out your own visit to the North Carolina Zoo.
1. Don’t go on a weekend.
Seriously, if you want to take your time and take all the pictures your little heart desires, avoid weekends at the zoo. This was our first mistake but unfortunately, our only option at the time was to go on a Saturday. Instead, try going during the week, like on a Monday! I know, I know, most people only have weekends off from work, school, etc. However, if you CAN go to the zoo during the week, you’ll most likely find it much more enjoyable than fighting over a spot along the fence to catch a glimpse of the polar bear dive off the icy banks of his enclosure and into the crystal clear, blue water below or to see the gorillas lounging around, munching on some vegetation. However, if you must go on a weekend, then definitely read on.
2. Get there early.
Yes, it’s a pain to wake up early and be at the zoo before anyone else (or before it even opens if you’re like me and my husband) but believe me, even if you don’t get the whole zoo to yourself for the day, you may be the first to witness some really interesting things that not everyone gets to.
The Zoofari
First of all, The North Carolina Zoo opened an attraction called Zoofari in the spring of 2016 (Be sure to check out a bonus tip at the very end in regards to the Zoofari!) and I just HAD to try it out so that is the main reason we got to the zoo super early that morning. Zoofari tickets are an additional cost once you pay for the zoo entrance fee and run $20 per person.
We were one of the very first to get a Zoofari ticket that day, and I was so happy that we had gotten there early. They only offer a limited amount of seats available to purchase for the Zoofari each day and I wanted to have a chance to get a ticket and be able to pick my time slot so that’s one advantage of getting there early.
The Gorillas
What was also a very memorable moment early that morning and one of my favorite parts of the whole day was seeing the gorillas.
Of course getting to see real, live gorillas is an awesome experience in of itself but the way my husband and I got to witness them on our anniversary zoo trip was simply beautiful. Because we arrived at the zoo, basically before anyone, we were able to watch the zoo keeper release the gorillas from their private enclosures and into the open one where zoo guests can view them. It was so serene to watch this family of gorillas wander out into the grassy area, welcome the day, and find a bit of breakfast.
Most Memorable Moment (thanks to being early)
The zoo keeper even put out a big pile of food right in front of the glass so that my husband and I and another couple, who had the same early morning idea as us, could get an amazing view of the silverback gorilla. He was magnificent to see so up close. I will admit though, while he was a beautiful creature, his size was intimidating!
You could instantly tell that he “ruled the roost” so to speak, but even when I was right on the other side of the glass watching him and even when one of the young gorillas stole some food out of his pile from behind him, he just sat there peacefully and ate his food. Those few minutes watching those gorillas emerge from their sleeping quarters and out into the early morning light was definitely one of the highlights of the whole trip.
I’m so thankful that we got there early and was able to witness all of that but after watching the gorillas for a while, we realized there was so much more to see and do! We had a full day ahead of us and needed to carry several items with us throughout the day, which leads me to my next tip:
3. Bring a backpack
or something to put all of your stuff in and that’s easy to lug around all day. I knew that even though I carry a big purse with me most of the time, I didn’t want to carry my purse with me all day long at the zoo. Instead, my husband and I packed one backpack for both of our things. I packed my camera, obviously, along with an extra pair of shoes, probably an extra shirt, my wallet, bottled water, and snacks because let’s face it, I am frugal (or cheap) or whatever you want to call it, and I wasn’t paying to eat in the restaurants at the zoo.
We opted for a quick break at a picnic table instead and ate our snacks there instead of waiting in line and overpaying for a quick bite to eat at the zoo restaurant. Plus, this allowed us more time to see the animals! Anyways, we packed all that we needed for the day in the backpack and it wasn’t too heavy and it didn’t get in the way of us having fun at the zoo so I highly recommend bringing a backpack (this one is similar to the one we brought with us) with you when you visit the North Carolina Zoo.
Now, I can’t leave you with just those 3 simple tips, so below I’ve included some bonus tips that will help make your zoo visit, even better!
*Bonus Tips:
Go all the way to the “Africa” entrance instead of entering the park through the “North America” entrance like most do. The line wasn’t as long and once we entered the zoo, there were no crowds either.
Use the zoo shuttles unless you want to walk 40 miles around the zoo all day while baking in the North Carolina sun. Okay, so it’s probably not quite 40 miles but it’ll feel like it at the end of the day when you’re hot, tired, and remember that you parked at the OTHER zoo entrance at the OTHER end of the zoo. Just take the shuttle. The shuttles also make various stops throughout the zoo, not just from parking lot to parking lot.
*Bonus tip for the Zoofari:
if you do the Zoofari attraction, get a seat on the same side as the driver (in my case). What I mean is, get on the side that ensures you the best view of the animals. The Zoofari attraction is basically a school bus with most of its siding gone for optimal animal viewings. You ride the bus around the grasslands area of the zoo and get to experience close encounters of the grasslands animals. So you want the best seat possible.
Most of the animals lie in the center of the grasslands area and therefore you’ll want to be on the side closest to the middle. I made the mistake of getting a seat on the side of the bus that was hardest to see most of the animals and immediately regretted it. I was literally standing on the bus seats trying to get a good shot of the rhinos.
I hope that some of these tips and this bit of information will be helpful to you when you decide to start planning your trip to the North Carolina Zoo.
It really is a great zoo and something that people of all ages can enjoy! Thanks for reading and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below or email me at brianadayle@yahoo.com.
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