The Akron Zoo

The Akron Zoo, located just off I-77 in downtown Akron, is a great place to take your kids for a fun day out. It's quite a bit smaller than the Cleveland Zoo, but there are still lots of animals and it won't take all day to see everything. You could easily get through the whole zoo in around four hours and not miss anything. Families with smaller children will like the fact that there is not a lot of walking and because the exhibits are smaller, it's much easier to spot the animals than it is at a larger zoo.

The Akron Zoo has been updated several times in the last eight years with several new exhibits, a beautiful garden area and an inviting welcome center with an expanded gift shop. Even the parking lot has been expanded. Overall, the zoo is very clean and nicely laid out. You really don't even need a zoo map because if you follow the paths, you'll pass each exhibit. If you want to go a little faster, the exhibits are set up in loops and you can just skip a loop by staying on the main path.

Even though the zoo doesn't have some of the more popular animals - there are no zebras, giraffes, or elephants - kids and adults will enjoy hundreds of animals including lions, tigers, flamingos, lemurs, penguins, jaguars, snow leopards and, my favorite, the new jellyfish that were just added this summer. In fact, to me, the jellyfish exhibit alone is worth the cost of admission. It's just mesmerizing - I never knew there were so many different kinds of jellies. Kids will enjoy the new "touch" experience where they get to touch starfish and sea urchins. There's even a rock wall for kids to climb that looks like an underwater ocean scene.

The recently added Komodo Kingdom Café has tasty food and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Families can also pack a lunch and eat in a sheltered picnic area. There's also a fun playground area, a cute train - suitable for kids under 10, and "Frontier Town." Kids love Frontier Town and a great new feature is that kids can mine gems! For $5, kids can purchase a bag of gem mix and sift through them at the gem mine's flume. Hidden in the mix are real gems (garnet, amethyst, emerald, tiger eye, etc), shark teeth, and arrowheads. It's a unique and fun experience and your kids will even get to bring their treasures home with them. Also new this year is the live animal show. The show takes visitors on a trip around the world and showcases 12 animals. Cost is a dollar and is well worth it.

The Akron Zoo offers a zoo membership that has many benefits. The greatest benefit is that parking and admission are always free to zoo members. You can also get into the Cleveland Zoo and many other zoos around the country for free or half price. Included with the membership are discounts on special events at the zoo - like Boo at the Zoo or Pancakes with the Penguins. If you live close by, I definitely recommend a zoo membership because anytime you need some fresh air or a break in your normal daily routine, you can spend the morning or afternoon at the zoo. And since admission is free, you won't feel obligated to spend the whole day there. Also, if you're feeling generous, you can get a discount on any souvenirs you purchase for your kids in the gift shop when you show your membership card.

The only complaint I've heard about the zoo is that families with older children who've visited more than once in a season find that the kids get bored. This has not been the case with my children, but they are still very young. And of course, kids who are expecting to see animals that they would find in a larger zoo will be disappointed - it might be a good idea to visit the zoo's website (www.akronzoo.org) to show them what animals they can expect to see.

Despite its small size - and maybe even because of it - the Akron Zoo is fun place to visit with your family. If you're visiting the Akron-Canton area with your family, plan to visit this fun zoo and all its unique exhibits. It's a great experience for young and old alike.