The OC Zoo is one of my favorite places in Orange County. I bring out-of-town guests there ALL the time. Why?
- It's inside Irvine Regional Park which offers FOUR playgrounds, a lake, a nature center, beautiful hikes and walks, open space, blue skies and the Irvine Park Railroad.
- They have a new resident: a five month old beaver named Buckley. It's very hard to tell if a beaver is a he or a she, so Buckley fits for both. He/she likes to play up at the front of his exhibit and swim in the pond.
- You can see the raccoons better now! Raccoons like to bite little fingers. Little fingers like to reach inside the cage. Not a problem with the new barrier.
- The zoo's mountain lion, Amanda, had a medical emergency back in July 2011. Her hind legs weren't working and she couldn't walk. She's a big cat and already a senior at 14. They found she had a herniated disc which ruptured a blood vessel. She was just put back on exhibit in October and her recovery is amazing.
- If you or your kids are "afraid" of the wild, the OC Zoo is a great place to learn more about our local wildlife. You can see what a coyote looks like up close, compare a mountain lion to a bobcat, and identify the differences between turkey vultures, hawks, and eagles.
Take my OC ZOO QUIZ to learn more about this local outing! You can start at the zoo, bring a picnic, and spend the whole day exploring the park.
The affordable part? The OC Zoo admission is only $2/person for ages 3 and over. Kids 2 and under are free. So a family of four can go to everything in #1 - except the Railroad (see above) for $5 parking fee + $2 x 4 = $13. The price goes up when you include the Railroad, but it's fun for special occasions. [OC Zoo official website]
