Back to Our Happy Place

It's been 87 days since the Cincinnati Zoo closed due to the threat of coronavirus. Our last trip was 99 days ago. This was the longest we have gone between visits since becoming members of the zoo.

When the press release came out that the zoo was able to open on June 10th, I had several friends text me the news. It was no secret that the zoo was our favorite place in the city to visit. I was able to score some last-minute tickets and off we went.

Some of the changes for the zoo include parking in the parking lot along Vine St next to the VA Hospital and using the new entrance. None of the indoor exhibits are open nor are the indoor food services or the gift shop. There are markings on the ground of Fiona's footprint helping visitors stay 6 feet (or a zebra length) apart and signage around the zoo reminding visitors to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer and keep their distance from anyone outside of their pack. All the employees wore masks and about 25% of the visitors had masks on. We personally did not wear masks.

We had a 9-9:30 AM entry. So we arrived prior to 9 AM and were second in line. We made our way to the giraffes and continued on our normal counterclockwise path around the zoo. The crowds were very light. We only had a few encounters where we needed to wait for our turn to see the animals. I compared the crowds to a weekday morning when there is a chance or rain or a winter weekday morning when school is in session. All the animals were active and we saw most of what was open in just under two hours.

It was great to be back in a place that we love. We felt totally safe. We will be back as soon as we can get more tickets. And I think on our next visit we will stay long enough to eat lunch.

Will you be visiting the zoo soon?