North Carolina Zoo Tips for Parents

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.nczoo.org/

ADMISSION: We got in for free since we purchased an annual membership to our local zoo.  Since our zoo is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, we were able to get in for free with their reciprocity program.  We do this also with our local children’s museum which is part of the Association of Technology and Science Centers reciprocity program as well.

PARKING: There are 2 main parking lots at the top (North America Lot) and the bottom (Africa Lot).  There was a shuttle between the 2 lots, so we parked at the North America lot first and then immediately took the shuttle to the Africa lot.  Our plan was to basically walk back through the zoo and then end up at our car.  The last time we went we didn’t do that and we had whiny kids that were ready to leave but we still had to wait for the shuttle.  Lesson learned!

ROUTE: Personally, I think starting at the Africa side and then ending at the North America side is a much better route if you have kids.  First, the kids are much more fascinated by seeing the giraffes, elephants, and rhinos first and it gets them engaged quickly while they have energy.  We spent the morning on the Africa side, at lunch at the Junction Plaza, and then continued on to the North America side afterwards.  The North America side also has a great playground near the entrance so its a great place to let the kids get out all of their energy before heading home.

Pro Tip: Make sure you save time for the playground and bring an extra set of clothes with you!  There is a cool “stream” that the kids can play in at the playground.  If you park in the North America lot, you can just leave a change of clothes in the car.  

BIRDS OF FLIGHT SHOW: We also did the Birds of Flight show, which was an extra $3 per person.  Since we got in for free, we went ahead and paid for the show.  It was really good!  The kids also got to have some of the birds eat out of their hands, so that was pretty cool!  I’d recommend it.

STROLLER TIP: The Zoo is VERY large, so definitely consider bringing as stroller if you need it.  I’m happy to report that we were able to make it through the entire zoo without a stroller!  My 5 year old walked the entire time and my 3 year old did pretty well too.  I also used it as an opportunity to “train” them into walking more.  Since we didn’t have the stroller they were forced to keep walking.  We also took a lot of breaks anyways to watch the animals, so it wasn’t too bad.

Overall, everyone had a great time and we will definitely go back!  The kids were completely exhausted, so I consider that a success!

 You’ll want to visit the museum website before you go to plan out which exhibits are the high priority ones.  As you know, we are all about 5 minutes away from a meltdown, so make sure you prioritize which exhibits you want to see first.  In general, there may be one or two featured attractions and then a lot of smaller exhibits on different topics.  I also like to see what is unique at the museum and do those exhibits first.

Tip #2: Plan around nap times

If your kids still nap like mine, we definitely plan around nap times so we don’t have a major breakdown at the museum.  I can always tell towards the end of the visit when they are about to go crazy, so we will usually finish up quickly after that.

What’s worked really well for our family is to wake up and have breakfast, then go to the first museum in the morning, then we usually have a late lunch and we’ll drive to the next city or museum while they nap in the car.   They usually wake up in the car and we are off to the next museum in the afternoon!

Tip #3: Do the Exhibits with Water, Bubbles (or Anything Messy) Last

The first time we went to a children’s museum that had a water exhibit, we were so excited that we immediately tried it out.  It’s MESSY and even if your kids wear the waterproof smocks they give, they will get wet.  I didn’t bring a change of clothes with me inside the museum (it was in our diaper bag in the parking lot), so the kids had wet clothes the rest of the time.  This applies to water exhibits, bubble exhibits, and painting!

Tip #4: Bring Snacks

Make sure to pack snacks and water!  The kids will get tired and snacks and water are always a good idea to get them re-charged.  We have our to-go bag that has small water bottles for each kid and a whole bunch of snacks.  Our current favorite snacks are Annie’s Fruit Snacks and Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies.

Tip #5: Visit Right When It Opens

Most children’s museums will open between 9-10am, so we always go right when it opens.  There are less people there and the kids can enjoy the exhibits more.  Since our kids always got up really early, if we were done with breakfast before the museum opens, we would just go to a local playground near the museum before it opens.  As a bonus, they get to burn of some more energy too!

Do you have any other tips to add to this list?  Let me know!

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The Basics

Address: 0 Children’s Way, Allegheny Square, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Website: https://pittsburghkids.org/

My Kid’s Favorite Things at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

Art Room

Alex and Emily love the art room, which is directly on the left after the admissions desk.  Their permanent activity there is screen printing, which we do every time.  I would do that first since you can leave your artwork to dry and come back at the end to pick it up.  They usually have other art activities there as well.

Other

Alex also loves their huge climbing wall, which winds up to the second floor.

Ball Drop

One of Emily’s favorite exhibits is the ball drop!