Dallas Zoo

Written by Julie Greiner

Greeting visitors of the Dallas Zoo is the tallest statue in Texas, a giraffe standing 67.5 feet tall and was created by award-winning St. Louis artist Bob Cassilly and erected in January 1997. The Zoo completed a five-year, $24 million renovation in September 2000 with the opening of the Lacerte Family Children's Zoo. In addition to the Children's Zoo, the Dallas Zoo's key exhibits include the Wilds of Africa, the ExxonMobil Endangered Tiger Habitat, and the Bird and Reptile Building. The 95-acre Zoo was founded in 1888.

Lacerte Family Children's Zoo in Dallas

The two-acre Children's Zoo is located in ZooNorth and offers educational, interactive exhibits for toddlers to preteenage children. The Farm exhibit enables children to pet goats, guinea pigs and rabbits and practice "riding" a wooden play horse

Lacerte Family Children's Zoo of Dallas, Texas

Photo by Robert Cabello, Dallas Zoological Society

as they experience life on a farm. The Nature Exchange is a unique "store" where children can trade items found in nature. The JC Penney Discovery House shows how seen and unseen wild creatures can adapt to live in and around a house. And "The Underzone" features animals that live just below the earth's surface. The naked mole-rats are a must see!

Wilds of Africa at the Dallas Zoo

The 25-acre Wilds of Africa features six major African habits: bush, desert, forest, woodland,mountain and river. The Monorail Safari takes visitors on a one-mile tour through the six habitats. There's also a 1,500-foot Nature Trail that winds through a wooded area and allows visitors to get close to the wildlife.

ExxonMobil Endangered Tiger Habitat at the Dallas Zoo

The Dallas Zoo is a breeding facility for Sumatran and Indochinese tigers.

Sumatran Tiger in ExxonMobil at Dallas Zoo

Photo by Cathy Burkey, Dallas Zoological Society

The one-acre ExxonMobil Endangered Tiger habitat was built to resemble a rainforest that has recently been logged and is in the process of re-growth. The habitat is designed to illustrate how the tiger's forests are declining. Visitors can come face to face with tigers through a large glass viewing area or observe them from an elevated view area. Between 400-450 Sumartran tigers exist in the wild and an estimated 250 live in zoos around the world. Visit these beautifully striped cats at the Dallas Zoo, which is open from every day except Christmas. Regular hours are 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; winter hours are 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Bird and Reptile Building at the Dallas Zoo

The Dallas Zoo's Reptile Department currently maintains one of the largest collections of venomous snakes in the Untied States. Visitors can view this impressive collection as well as walk through the Rainforest Aviary with free-flying birds.

Location and Hours of Operation of the Dallas Zoo

The Dallas Zoo, located three miles south of downtown Dallas on I-35E at the Marsalis Avenue exit, is open daily except Christmas.Winter hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and regular hours are 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults (11-64), $4 for seniors (65+) and $5 for children (3-11). Children under 3 and Dallas Zoological Society members are free. The Monorail Safari is $2 per-person, 3 and up. Pre-registered school groups get discounted rates. For more information, call (214) 670-5656.