Santa Barbara Zoo - Tourist Attractions

Dog Training for Inquisitive Canines

Advertise on Edhat

more articles like this

Santa Barbara Zoo
updated: Nov 20, 2010, 9:30 AM

By the dedicated staff

Families with small children won't want to miss the Santa Barbara Zoo during a trip here.

The nearly 50-year-old zoo, which will celebrate its mid-century birthday in 2012, is a favorite of kids and those who enjoy seeing unusual animals. It includes a rare display of California condors - juvenile birds that are part of that population's recovery from near-extinction. Fun fact: American alligator Mary Lou is the oldest animal on display at the zoo, and will also celebrate her 50th birthday in 2012.

Easy accessible to strollers and wheelchairs, the waterfront zoo is small enough to see in an hour, or large enough to spend a half day if you want to linger. Current admission charges are $12 for adults and $10 for children. (Discounted for Zoo members.)

Here are some of the highlights from a recent visit.

They've got technology. The zoo has linked in some of its exhibits to a smart phone app called QR Code. Scan a barcode with your phone at certain animal exhibits and you'll be linked to videos of the zoo animals doing things you might not get to see them do during your trip. Chadwick the African lion's clip shows him seeking out a special treat - a giant bone. You can also check out some of the videos on the zoo's website, found here

Lion photo by Louis Ramirez

Events like the Snow Leopard Festival. Once a year, the zoo trucks in 75 tons of snow for the delight of its young human guests, who get to sled down the hill in the center of the property. The snow is also distributed to the enclosures of animals that will enjoy it. The gorillas get some, as do the snow leopards. Last year Sujatha, one of the zoo's two resident elephants, enjoyed rolling up the snow in her trunk and tossing it at the barn in her exhibit. This year's Snow Leopard Day is scheduled for Sunday, December 5. Other popular annual events include Boo at the Zoo, an annual Halloween celebration spread over several days, the annual Zoofari Ball, and many more. For a full calendar, visit link. The Santa Barbara Zoo is open every day except Christmas, and this Thanksgiving they will be open from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

To ride the train. The pint-size zoo train takes you on a circle of the zoo property, and you'll be able to see some of the animals in the outer display area, including the giraffes and gibbons. It runs every half hour. It also passes by the Andre Clark Bird Refuge, a scenic home for waterfowl on the zoo's southern boundary. For parents ready to get off their feet for a little while, the train is a welcome refuge itself. There is an additional charge of $4 for adults (Zoo members get a discount) and $3.50 for kids. Another paid activity once you're in the gate that's a lot of fun is feeding one of the zoo's giraffes. The famous crooked neck-giraffe has now passed away but the Zoo has two new female Masai giraffes, and will be adding a male to the family in 2011. Sharing a piece of lettuce with one of these elegant creatures is one of the closest experiences you can have with a zoo animal.

Send this picture as a postcard

# # # #

Send this picture as a postcard

# # # #

To see the condors. The zoo is one of just four facilities in the country to have condors on display. These magnificent birds, with wingspans that stretch up to 12 feet across, are making a comeback from the brink of extinction. They don't become mature for reproduction until they are 7 years old, so meanwhile four of them, two males and two females, are on display as the highlight of the Zoo's California Trails exhibit. The exhibit includes hand-finished concrete faux rock that was color-matched to the condors' natural habitat in the Sespe wilderness. The fifth condor is a female adult (distinguishable by the red-colored skin on her head) who was released at the Grand Canyon but had become too attached to humans to make it back in the wild. She's now a mentor bird to the four youngsters. If you spend some time watching the condors, you might get to hear the amazing sound they make when they flap their wings. You'll also hear a mournful authentic Chumash tune coming from the concrete cave, created by tribal musicians.

Send this picture as a postcard

# # # #

Send this picture as a postcard

# # # #

Condor photos by Sheri Horiszny

The baby Asian small-clawed otters. Just three months old and weighing about two pounds apiece as of this writing, these adorable otters made national news when they showed their silver-gray heads to the public for the first time in November 2010. There are five babies who tail mom and dad constantly, whether they are collecting straw in their exhibit to better decorate their behind-the-scenes den or crawling up the gate of their enclosure to get a better look at a visitor. Just across from the otter display, which will be on your right as you enter the zoo through the café area, is the capybara display. The juvenile capybaras are among the world's largest rodents.