As a longtime member of the Indianapolis Zoo, I’ve certainly seen my share of lions and tigers and bears over the years (yes, all three are well represented there). But no matter how often I visit, I never grow tired of the facility, which is located in downtown Indianapolis’ White River State Park.

The Indianapolis Zoo, which initially opened in 1964 on East 30th Street in Indianapolis but moved to its current location in 1988, was the first attraction to be triple accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the American Association of Museums as a zoo, an aquarium and a botanic garden. While many animals are housed comfortably in the zoo’s biomes—living habitats that replicate a natural habitat as much as possible—visitors also have seasonal access to White River Gardens, a 3.3-acre botanical attraction, right there on site.

When the Seiter family visits the zoo, we generally begin (weather permitting) with an outdoor observation of the California sea lions, harbor seals and gray seals and then proceed indoors for the “Oceans” exhibit where a wide variety of fish, moray eels and invertebrates can be seen. The penguin exhibit is fun for all ages and a floor-to-ceiling window provides great polar bear observation opportunities but the highlight of the “Oceans” exhibit can be found in the Firestone Gallery’s shark touch pool where visitors can safely stroke a passing shark’s back, provided that the shark swims close enough to the surface, of course.

Nearby, guests can check out the zoo’s walrus exhibit before proceeding to the world’s only underwater dolphin viewing dome, which also allows for special overnight excursions. Having experienced this intriguing sleep-on-the-floor opportunity first-hand a few years ago, I strongly encourage those interested to bring an air mattress. However, stiff back aside, the experience is a lot of fun!

Next up, at least for us when we visit the zoo, is the desert exhibit, where turtles, iguanas and snakes run amuck. Okay, that’s not exactly true. Turtles don’t run and the many snakes that are present are safely kept in clear storage containers. Anyway, there’s much to see and experience in the Deserts Biome but the most popular attraction has to be the meerkats.

In the Plains Biome, guests see just about everything from grazing kudu and zebras to vultures, giraffes, elephants, lions, rhinos, wild dogs, baboons and cheetahs. By the way, if you’ve never fed a giraffe before, I strongly recommend doing so at the Indianapolis Zoo. Feeding times vary and the experience is short but truly a memorable one.

Circling back toward the main entrance of the grounds, we like to pay a visit to the farm area where horses, rabbits, pigs and even goats can be found. Inside the building there, many unusual critters can be seen and if you’re lucky, you may actually be able to pet a large hissing cockroach. Even though we’ve been told the roaches are actually pretty clean, I often find myself repeatedly washing my hands after an up-close encounter with one for some reason.
Our final stop is almost always the Forests Biome, where red pandas, tigers and Alaskan brown bears can be observed. Sorry but petting these animals is strongly discouraged!

This may sound like a paid advertisement but in total honesty, the Indianapolis Zoo has something for everyone. The facilities are clean and easy to navigate. The exhibits are both informative and entertaining and perhaps best of all (well, not really, but this is important), restrooms are plentiful.

Generally speaking, the zoo is open daily, except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve/Day and New Year’s Eve/Day. Specific information about operating hours, exhibits, special events and ticket prices can be found at http://www.indyzoo.com.  

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