Jenah Kastelic
Woodward News
Woodward, Okla. — Spring break starts Monday and gives hundreds of Woodward school children a break from the rigors of academic study.
If you are thinking of taking the kids somewhere, look no further than the Oklahoma City Zoo. After months of anticipation, the Oklahoma City Zoo’s latest addition, the Children’s Zoo, opened its gates on Friday.
Zoo spokesperson Tara Henson said the exhibit is a fantastic place for kids and adults alike to explore and play. She recently took her 3-year-old son, Riley, for a family day and said he immensely enjoyed the visit.
“It’s a great big open space on 2.5-acres which gives kids plenty of room to run around and explore in a safe, fun environment,” she said, also noting that Riley’s favorite part was the monkey play area.
“We haven’t had a monkey exhibit in quite a while, and these new spider and squirrel monkeys are amazing to watch swing from vine to vine,” Henson said. “Outside the monkey habitats are structures exactly like the ones inside, so kids can mimic the behavior of the monkeys as they climb and swing.”
From climbing like monkeys to splashing in a stream bed, to crawling like creepy crawlies and interacting with rare animals, the Children’s Zoo has something for everyone.
Other features of the Children’s Zoo include areas such as the “Barnyard,” “Explorikeet Adventure,” and “My Secret Forest,” a shady, overgrown forest where kids can visit a hollow log home, dig in the sandbox or play in an old safari vehicle.
Kids can also travel into “The Underground,” to get a worm’s eye view of life down under. In this non-scary area, aquariums are filled with a variety of invertebrates, ranging from scorpions to spiders.
At the end of your whirlwind visit, there’s no better place to relax than at the “Grandma’s Porch” area. Complete with rocking chairs, it’s a perfect place for parents to kick back while the kids run and play in the “Gathering Meadow” or touch and smell plants selected for their texture and fragrance in the “Sensed Garden.”
Henson said the zoo is hoping to see a great crowd over the weekend and through Spring Break, but that’s not the only time people can visit. She said, “this is a permanent exhibit and it’s going to be a great feature all spring and summer.”
The Oklahoma City Zoo also has a number of other upcoming events and activities, including the opportunity to participate in some Spring Break Day Camps next week or witness feeding times of some of the zoo's "scaled, feathered and furry friends" beginning this Saturday. For more information about upcoming events at the zoo, visit www.okczoo.com/events/.
The Oklahoma City Zoo is located at the crossroads of Interstates 35 and 44 in the heart of Oklahoma City’s Adventure District. The zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
