by Nisa Sharma – Published in Parent:Wise Austin – June 2009 – copyright

Nestled in the heart of Waco, a trip to the Cameron Park Zoo makes a great day-trip for any family. The zoo is easy to find, easy to park, and not too expensive. And as I discovered, it is easy to get through in just a few hours with little ones, or spend more time observing and learning with the older ones.

This medium-sized, super tidy zoo is set up in a circle, so you can follow the path and miss nothing. Our six-year-old quickly grabbed the map and took the lead. Along the way, we found several stops designed to engage the young – the “treehouse” playground, the dinosaur dig, the life-sized teepees, the see-through tube slide in the otter pool – which demonstrated this zoo has a thoughtful and fun approach for getting children to connect with the animals and their habitats. 

The otter habitat was a particular favorite of my kiddo. And the fleet of rocking chairs was a welcome stop for me and the other parents to watch their kids slide alongside the otters. When we were there, one otter was particularly playful and the kids were thrilled. As they went through the slide, the otter swam around it, making the children feel as though they were actually playing together. Once the silly otter decided to rest, the kids kept ottering through the slide. I thought it was a great way for them to interact with the animals.

One shining feature of the zoo is the Brazos River Country exhibit. Here we find animals native to our area of Texas – up close, and under glass – so we can see a rattlesnake, a catfish, lots of spiders and alligators without being in peril. But our family found the most delight in the Nocturnal barn. Inside, the lighting is kept violet, so the animals within believe that day is night and night is day. Within this amazing space, we found owls, raccoons, opossums, armadillos, and most intriguing, bats – flying and scurrying within. This rare look at night life in the middle of the day was well worth the trip alone to us.

After seeing Galapagos tortoises, lots of monkeys and birds (including a bald eagle), sloths, snakes, spiders, frogs, and fish, we moved on to the big show: the outer habitats with big African animals. Again, the zoo delivered. We were excited to check out the rhinos, elephants, giraffes, meerkats, lions and tigers! The lemurs and gibbons even put on a show for us as we relaxed by the “river” running through the park and prepared to leave.

Once we left, we were only an ice cream cone away from heading back home. It was a beautiful day, and a great park. But don’t take my word for it – go check it out yourself!

Nisa Sharma is the Art Director for Parent:Wise Austin. Her unique interactive nocturnal habitat is in Cedar Park, which she shares with all her zoo-mates: one husband, two kids, and three cats.