Visit the St. Louis Zoological Gardens

Visitors can get really, really close to animals at the St. Louis Zoo. The proof will be in the photographs taken.

It is difficult to believe that general admission to the St. Louis Zoological Garden is free. There is plenty of free parking in Forest Park too, as long as you don't mind a short walk. One can always choose to pay to park in the lot adjacent to the zoo.

What makes a trip to the St. Louis Zoo most memorable is how close one can get to the animals.

The St. Louis zoo staff is friendly, ready to answer questions about the animals in their care.

At the River's Edge the only thing between a visitor and the hippos is a sheet of plexiglass. A sign reminds everyone that swimming is not allowed (Pic #1). There is the feel of walking through the African savannah with cheetahs stalking and spotted hyenas barking.

In The Wild there are penguins in the Arctic and grizzly bears sleeping on the rocks (Pic #2). This is also where our simian cousins walk, swing and play. Puffins jump into frigid waters and swim right by.

On Historic Hill the 1920s era buildings house reptiles, birds and bugs. A visitor can get nose-to-nose with a Vietnamese Horn Nosed Snake (Pic #3) and a hundred other reptiles. It is one of the few places one can be an inch away from a Gabon Viper and not be in any danger.

A statue of Charlie Hoessle stands outside the reptile house. Mr. Hoessle was the zoo's executive director from 1982 to 2002 and it was his tireless devotion to the animals that brought about the natural enclosures seen throughout the zoo.

A walk through Red Rocks brings one to Big Cat Country where lions, tigers and leopards roam spacious enclosures. There are playful Anpur Tigers (Pic #4) and sleek Anpur Leopards (Pic #5) that will come eye-to-eye with visitors.

See more of the St. Louis Zoo animals in this slideshow.

Inside the 1904 World's Fair Flight Cage there is a Cypress Swamp. Birds of many species fly and walk freely around visitors. Built for the 1904 World's Fair it was purchased from the government and was the inspiration for the zoo in Forest Park.

Admission to the Children's Zoo is a bargain at $4.00 per person, children under two are free. Kids can pet friendly animals and see the world famous Naked Mole Rats. They can take a slide down a clear plexiglass tube that shoots them through where seals swim by. The Children's Zoo is divided into four bio-themed areas: desert, forest, water and backyard.

A trip on the Zooline Railroad is a must. It was Marlin Perkins of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom fame that had the railroad built when he was the Executive Director of the zoo.

Two sights greet visitors to the St. Louis Zoo. One is the huge sculpture at the Hampton Road entrance. It is "Animals Always". Sculpted from one hundred tons of steel it is a fantastic representation of the creatures that inhabit this planet with us. Outside the north entrance is a white rock with a pool of clear water at its base. Look closely and find detailed bronzes of many kinds of animals. A tortoise makes a meal of an earthworm. Dangling a foot toward the pool is an opossum. Horned beetles, toads and more surprises can be found.

In 2004 a national Zagat Survey ranked the St. Louis Zoo #1 in the nation. It is a ranking rightly deserved. The zoo is also recognized as a world class research institution. The Wildcare Institute works with bugs, birds, cats, salamanders, penguins and other animals.

Visit the St. Louis Zoo 363 days a year (closed on Christmas and New Years). For more information go the their website.