The Louisville Zoo: Wild things to make your heart sing
There’s a wondrous world of wildlife packed within the 134 rolling acres of The Louisville Zoo. Visitors can find more than 1,400 exotic animals in the beautiful botanical garden founded in 1969.
You’ll experience some of the greatest of the great apes “in the round” at the award-winning Gorilla Forest. At Lorikeet Landing, you can get up close and personal with colorful Australian parrots in an open walk-through aviary.
The Islands, an exhibit that presents the ecological treasures of the planet’s diverse island habitats, is home to orangutans, baby siamangs, tapirs, Sumatran tigers, babirusa and an array of rare island birds.
Louie, a rare white alligator, offers a unique look at an animal that would never survive in the wild. There are lions and tigers and bears -- and so much more to see in areas such as African Veldt, Asian Plains, North and South American Panorama, Aquatics, Glacier Run and the Australian Outback. Special presentations include “Elephant Aerobics,” with Scotty, the zoo’s first baby African elephant, and training sessions with Amur tigers at Tiger Tundra.
You can go face to face with wallaroos and wallabies at Wallaroo Walkabout, or escape the heat at the Calistoga Splash Park at Glacier Run. Tired? Give your feet a rest with a ride on the zoo’s miniature train or tram, or take a spin on its antique carousel.
The zoo is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. From September through February, entry hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (exit by 5 p.m.) From March through Labor Day, entry hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (exit by 6 p.m.)
- by Bill Wolfe, Louisville Reporter for HelloMetro
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Bill WolfeBill Wolfe is an experienced journalist with a broad background in writing, editing and photography. He has worked as staff writer at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., and the Atlanta Journal & Constitution in Atlanta, Ga., covering beats ranging from consumer news to religion and business.
