Mommy FTW

It seems like spring is around the corner, so hopefully there won’t be too many cold days left on the horizon, but I am sure there will be plenty of “spring showers” to keep the little ones stuck indoors.  Never fear – besides Amazonia at the National Zoo, there’s also lots of fun to be had at the Bird House – which is where Cameron and I ended up earlier this week.

Besides the regular bird exhibits, the Bird House has something going on each weekday morning which the kiddos will really enjoy:

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings you can Meet a Kiwi up close and personal at 11am.

On Tuesday morning at 10:30am there is a story time in the bird resource center.

I haven’t been to these things so I can’t really speak to them.  But they sound fun!

On Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 11am they do a feeding.  We watched this and it was really cool!  All the birds come up close to the zoo worker and you can get a really good look at them.  Cameron thought it was totally awesome.

Also, in the Bird Resource Center (which is in the back of the Bird House) there are lots of cool feathers that the kids can touch and other things.  Cameron had a blast checking everything out.  Of course, all of this is free.  And remember, if you are a FONZ member you can park for free too.

To get to the Bird House we usually park in Lot B and then walk past the Asia Trail (Panda Area) and over the bridge (and the Elephants).  Also, if the weather is good check out all the outdoor bird exhibits.  There’s lots of cool things to see in this section of the National Zoo.

Sunday morning my husband, Cameron, and I headed over to the National Zoo (part of the Smithsonian in Washington DC – and FREE) in search of something to do. Cameron and I go to the Zoo lots – and I knew there were indoor exhibits we could check out, and mostly avoid the freezing cold weather.

We parked in Parking Lot D (at the bottom of the hill,) and headed to check out Amazonia, which is about a 5 minute walk from the lot. The exhibit is made of two levels – the bottom level which you enter on has aquariums with HUGE (as big as me – no joke) fish and turtles, as well as sting rays. It’s really amazing to look at – Cameron was enthralled. By the way, at 11am they do the feedings, which are pretty fun to watch. Workers at the Zoo hang out by the aquariums to show and tell the kids examples of what the fish are eating and answer questions.

At the end of the hallway on the aquarium level is a set of stairs and elevator which take you up to the forest floor level. Here you see all the trees of the rain forest, and you can look down into the pools which make up the aquariums which you just saw below. None of the kids that were in the exhibit found this to be nearly as cool as the aquarium level, but it’s still neat to check out. Cameron loved the big trees, the flowers, and the birds that were there. You can also see monkeys if you look closely. Watch out, it occasionally rains a little!

As you exit the other side of the forest level you can take the elevator back down and there is a section that has some frogs and other creatures in aquariums. There is also a bathroom and water fountain. And then, you’ve made a loop and are back to the beginning.

Overall, it was an amazing exhibit for kids and adults alike, it kept Cameron perfectly occupied for nearly 2 hours, and it was nice and toasty warm. So, if you are looking for a FREE indoor winter activity in Washington DC, check out the Amazonia exhibit at the National Zoo!

By the way, if you live in Washington DC I highly recommend becoming a FONZ (Friends of the National Zoo) member.  Being a member has lots of benefits which you can read about on the Zoo website – but the one that was most important to me is that it allows you to park for free at the Zoo.  This means you can easily come and go and stay for as long as you want.  The FONZ membership pays for itself after just a few visits.

During our little heat wave a few moms and myself took our toddlers to the Prospect Park Zoo.  While not exactly the most impressive zoo on the planet – it’s a good size for little kids.    Hopefully this post is to give you an idea of what to expect in terms of getting there, parking, and a little extra information to make your trip as easy as possible while still toting your little one(s).

How to get there and Parking:

My route, parking location, B,Q Station, and Entrance point to the Park and Zoo are marked.

Coming from Fort Greene, I found the easiest way to drive there was straight down Washington Ave – though the Prospect Park Zoo website recommends driving down Flatbush.  There is no parking lot – so if you drive you will need to find street parking.  I had thought this would be challenging, but going at 3pm on a weekday, I didn’t have any issues.  I parked on Washington Ave near where it intersects with Sullivan Place (Pink).  It turns out this was a decent spot, as there are actually two entrances to the zoo – one further in the park down Flatbush, and one near the carousel closer to the Flatbush Ave and Empire Blvd intersection (Green).  I think in the future, I might give parking on Flatbush a try just to see if I can get a little closer.  But my walk was certainly less than 10 minutes from the zoo entrance.  This entrance near the Carousel was also the closest to the B,Q,S Prospect Park Station (Purple).

The Entrance point I used, Vending Machine Room, Barn area, Baboons, and Stairs are marked - click to enlarge.

A few other things of note (Food, Stairs, What’s Cool):

There is no real food to speak of sold at the zoo.  There is a room with vending machines (Purple) – some sell drinks, some ice cream, and one hot dogs I think – or maybe pretzels?  I didn’t really investigate it.  Hot dogs from a vending machine?  Yikes.  Anyways, definitely bring some snacks or even pack a whole lunch.  At the Flatbush entrance to the zoo there’s a huge set of stairs to navigate (Red) which isn’t so great if you’re bringing a stroller.  There’s none at the other entrance I used.  Also, if you are going to check out the sea lion feeding, you might want to stand on the south side of the Sea Lion area (Light Blue).  Most of the action faces this direction, and you will get the best view.  Sea Lion Feeds are at 11:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m., & 4:00 p.m.  The most favorite part for all the kids was the Barn with the domestic animals (Pink)  which is basically a petting zoo type thing.  I think it was exciting for the kids to see and touch a cow – even hear the cow let out a hearty MOO!  In order to get out of the sun for a bit, we went to check out the Baboons (Blue).  I think Cameron personally had more fun just exploring the building than looking at the animals – whatever floats your boat!