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| Visiting The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore |
"The zoo is an amazing place to be."
What to Pack for Your Visit to The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
If you're like me, I always pack a backpack for my kiddos whenever we ever travel regardless of how short or how long the day might be. At the Maryland Zoo you are welcome to bring in your own food and drinks so we take advantage of that convenience to pack water and a snack. I don't like to pack a big lunch and have to carry a cooler around so if we're visiting over a meal, I typically plan to grab food there though. Don't forget to pack LOTS of water in the summer. It gets hot out there as you're walking around all day. We also bring sunscreen to reapply during our visit. Lastly, you may want to consider bringing a stroller, even if your child doesn't alway use one anymore. My youngest is 5 and can handle hikes and such without it, but The Maryland Zoo features a good bit of walking and some decent sized hills. On a hot day, and particularly on this visit where he had a broken collarbone, the stroller was a lifesaver.
Our Favorite Animal Exhibits at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
There's a lot to see and love at The Maryland Zoo, but below are our top 5 animal exhibits that you won't want to miss. We spent roughly 3 hours at the zoo and had a chance to pretty much see everything that was open right now.
- Giraffes - The viewing for them is almost 360 as you walk the path on the African Journey so don't worry if they're not in a great spot for you when you first approach their area. I bet you'll get a good look as you walk around!
- Penguins - These were our FAVORITES! They are so cute waddling around and there always seems to be zoo staff hanging around to answer questions so we got to know a lot about them. They also do feedings twice a day where you can hear a more formal presentation from zoo staff. Don't forget to go inside their exhibit where you can get some pretty cool underwater viewing!
- Polar Bear - I think we were so happy to watch him playing because it was such a hot day and we were jealous of his swim time in his polar bear pool! He looked so chill and like he was having such a great time.
- Chimpanzee Forest - I've always enjoyed monkey exhibits at zoos, but this particular visit was even more special as their were two babies in the exhibit. Watching them play was totally adorable. And I really felt like I related to the parents who looked exhausted and like they were just trying to take a rest but the little ones kept pulling on their hands, arms, and feet. Mom life, am I right???
- Elephants - There is nothing quite as majestic as an elephant! These guys are huge and they have a huge area to roam at the zoo meaning you have a number of places to view them. One of our favorite things is to grab an ICEE at the Oasis and watch the elephants below!
Health and Safety at The Maryland Zoo during Coronavirus
Our summer fun plans look very different this summer due to coronavirus and many travel destinations are working hard to adjust their protocols to safely reopen. As we are making choices about where to go and what to do, outside venues are really important to us which makes the zoo a perfect place to visit. Here's a quick summary of some of the safety protocols in place at The Maryland Zoo. For the most up-to-date information, please visit their website at http://www.marylandzoo.org.
Staying in a hotel this summer? Check out what it's like to stay in a hotel during coronavirus.
- Timed Entry - All guests, whether members or not, need to reserve a timed entry to the zoo. Plan to arrive at your assigned time. If you're early, they have a place outside of the main gates where you can wait while social distancing. This system worked well. Our entry time was 1:00 and we arrived at 12:59 so we were able to go right in. It did what it was designed to do as there was no wait at the ticket booth to enter and crowds were light for a summer day. All tickets also need to be either printed at home or displayed on your smartphone for easy, no contact scanning.
- Masks - Masks are not required everywhere in the zoo. When you are exploring outdoors and social distancing can be maintained, you don't have to wear a mask. "Mask Zones" are clearly marked and include tight spaces, indoor areas, bathrooms, and places that a line form. In those zones, all guests 9 and over are required to wear masks. We opted to wear ours even at some of the outdoor exhibits that didn't require them if their were other families nearby and, even though it wasn't required, we opted to bring them for both of our children as did most families we saw. To help with social distancing, the zoo has instituted a one-way traffic flow. There were employees helping to point guests in the right direction and answer questions along the way.
- Increased Cleaning / Sanitation - You'll be happy to know that zoo staff is EVERYWHERE cleaning. I was really impressed by the friendliness and hard work of the whole staff during our visit. High touch surfaces in particular were wiped down frequently. There is also hand sanitizer throughout the entire zoo with easy-to-locate signs.
- Temporary Closures - There are some activities at the zoo that are not currently available including the carousel, train, climbing features, playground, certain programming, and some food locations. While my kids asked about a few of these that they remembered from our previous visits, these closures didn't dampen our fun. Not everything is cancelled though! We were really excited to catch the penguin feeding which happens twice a day. One of the biggest closures to note is that the shuttle is not running from the entrance to Zoo Central. Getting to the zoo won't be a problem, but you will have a big hill to climb to the exit.
Overall, throughout our visit we had a great time and felt safe exploring The Maryland Zoo. I would definitely recommend heading outside, seeing some animals, and having fun with some furry friends!
Thank you to The Maryland Zoo for hosting my visit so I could share these updates!
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