Bronx Zoo Minus the Hassle

My two children and I met up with my friend and her one-year-old at the Bronx Zoo this morning. To my great relief, the trip was a success. We arrived in 37 minutes, a world record from our location. The children never bothered me to go potty when we didn't have one in sight. The lines weren't horrible. Despite the eighty-something temperatures, the shade provided by the trees made it comfortable. The heat of summer didn't magnify the zoo smells either. Even the animals cooperated. We never had seen lemurs that close, nor so many before. The sea lions were friendly. None of the animals in the Children's Zoo nipped or intimidated the kids. It makes me wonder if there's more fact in Madagascar than fiction.

Part of the trip's success was luck. We had nice weather. The kids were in a good mood. But the majority of the success I credit to good planning. What can be done to ensure hassle-free fun at the zoo? I'm glad you asked... (drum roll please)

10 tips that will greatly reduce the hassle-factor of a half day trip to the zoo with children:

1. Pick the right day. My friend did a great job of choosing the right day. Apparently, Wednesday is free admission day and it's really, really crowded. Next week is Play Week, which looks like fun, but would greatly increase the hassle factor.

2. Arrive early. We arrived at about 9:45 am, parked in a great space, and didn't have to wait in line for longer than 5 minutes. (The Bronx Zoo opens at 10.) Plus, there's a nifty eco-friendly bathroom you can use before the zoo opens. The kids enjoyed watching the foam suds fill the toilet basins.

3. There's lots of walking, so plan accordingly. Wear sunscreen. Don comfortable shoes, bring strollers for young 'un's, and don't overload the bag you're carrying.

4. Per #3, don't lug around lunch if you don't have to bring a stroller. Buy it at the zoo, it's surprisingly good. Hit the lunch area at around 11:30 am. We just beat the crowd, and the food was fresh. I had a chicken Caesar salad with no crutons and it was crispy and flavorful.

5. If you plan on going to any of the special exhibits or attractions, try to do those first. We didn't get to Congo Gorilla Forest until after lunch and it was slammed with people. My favorites were the Butterfly Garden, and the Bug Carousel.

6. If you have children who walk, consider dressing them in matching t-shirts, preferably loud ones that you can pick out of a crowd. I like the WanderWear products. There were a few moments when I couldn't see my kids behind all of the people watching an exhibit, and I didn't like it.

7. To speed up your trip, ask zoo staff for directions. Taking out the map and studying it wastes time and is really difficult to do while keeping an eye on roaming children.

8. Move on from each exhibit within a reasonable amount of time. This isn't as much a tip as a request/rant/whine. There were some really annoying people at the zoo who stood blocking the best scenes for what seemed like hours. Enjoy the exhibit, and if it is busy, move on in a few minutes to make room for the rest of us.

9. Leave at the right time. Don't understimate how tired children will get walking around for half a day. To avoid melt-down's, set expectatins as to when you'll leave and stick to them. I must admit that I probably stretched the limits here. Both my kids were dragging their feet when we returned to our cars at around 2 pm.

10. Don't forget to have fun. Seeing things through a child's eyes is a gift, and I often have to remind myself to slow down enough to enjoy it.