NC Zoo Review

This past weekend we visited the NC Zoo in Asheboro.  One word sums up our visit: disappointment.

Yes, we saw cute animals and I give the zoo credit for making the exhibits very animal friendly.  However, the zoo was not very kid friendly.  Half of the exhibits and the playground were closed for renovations.  Shouldn't they have advertised this or, at least, discounted our entry price because of this?

Another disappointment was all of the walking involved.  I knew the park was large and I was prepared for a lot of walking, but the walking got exhausting when we came upon closed exhibit after closed exhibit.  They had a handful of 'resting spaces' where children could play for a bit, but those spaces were small and crowded with older kids (not a space for toddlers).

Maybe I was spoiled by the Birmingham Zoo (which is INCREDIBLE!) or maybe I had high expectations because of our own little Museum of Life and Science here in Durham.  Regardless, the NC Zoo was just a big disappointment.  There were no zookeepers around to answer questions from inquisitive kids or training programs to help teach kids (and adults) the importance of preserving animal habitats and saving these great animals.

Needless to say, we will probably not be taking a trip back to the NC Zoo.  We'll stick to the museum in Durham and I think it might even be worth it to fly back to Birmingham just for a visit to the zoo.