Lily and I love the Hogle Zoo! This year we decided to get a
year long zoo pass
so we can go whenever we want. Two of my friends and I got a
Booster Deluxe
pass with me. We get 3 named adults (myself and my three friends) and our kids in for free. (Children under 2 are free anyway.) We each get a card so we can go together or seperate. We also get in 2 free guests (that’s 2 free guests between all of us per day) each time we go! Then to top it off we get unlimited free rides on the train and carousel as well as a handful of other perks.
A Booster Deluxe pass is just $179, so split 3 ways is just $59.66. I can go up and take my husband as one of the guests, or take my sister or friend if my husband is busy. We have been 3 times in the last 2 weeks so our pass has already paid off itself in what we would have paid in admission and train/carousel tickets.
I love this zoo because it is easy to keep Lily in her stroller. There are few exhibits that can’t be seen from Lily’s stroller, so for the most part I don’t have to get her in and out which is easier on both of us.
Lily loves the big animals like the elephants. She thinks everything is a “cat” “dog” “duck” or “fish” – probably because those are the only animal words she knows how to say.
I love having a zoo pass because we can go and only stay a couple of hours and I don’t leave feeling guilty for not getting my money’s worth.
Parts of the zoo are under construction (they are planning a huge sea otter/polar bear exhibit set to open next year sometime) but there are still plenty of animals to see.
Lily is a little young for the carousel so she got bored about 1/2 way through and wanted off. (above) The next time we went we chose a bench to sit on while we went around and she did a lot better that way. (below)
They have a new dinosaur exhibit which was pretty cool. They have a bunch of huge dinosaurs set up all around the park with facts about them to read if you are interested. They each do something – either move or make a noise or spray you. This huge T-Rex moves – even his eyes move which is really cool. They also have a building dedicated to dinosaurs right now. Everywhere we went the kids were obsessing over all of the dinosaurs.
Things to remember about the zoo:
May has proven to be a busy month, filled with tons of people having field trips. The earlier in the morning we have gone the more students we have seen. Last week we stopped by around 4:30 (the gate closes at 5 but the park doesn’t close until 6:30. There was almost no one there which was awesome.
The food is expensive. If you are planning on being there during lunch time I suggest considering bringing your own lunch. There are plenty of tables and pavillions to eat at whether you buy your food there or bring it from home.
If your kid isn’t used to walking a lot, bring a stroller. There are a lot of hills and you have to walk to see all of the animals. For a toddler who gets distracted or walks slowly it may turn into a long trip.
Take note of show times for the day when you arrive so you plan your schedule accordingly. The elephant show and the bird show are both worth seeing at least once.
Don’t want to buy a whole year’s membership? (Although I don’t know why you wouldn’t.) Get a discount by looking
here Hogle Zoo
2600 E Sunnyside Ave.
SLC, UT 84108
http://hoglezoo.org/
Hours from March 1 – October 31
Gate open 9am – 5pm
Grounds close at 6:30pm
Hours from November 1 – February 28
Gate open 9am – 4pm
Grounds close at 5:30 pm
Admission prices:
Seniors (65+) $7.00
Children 3-12 $7.00
Children 2 and under FREE
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