North Carolina Zoo

On a recent vacation this month my family and I went to Asheboro, North Carolina to visit the zoo there. This zoo is the third largest zoo in the country and we couldn't wait to get there. Now, before i get into the zoo i just want to mention that if you plan on staying at a hotel like we did, you may want to consider staying in another town like Burlington or Greensboro which is only about 30 minutes away from the zoo. The town of Asheboro is a small one with not many choices on where to eat. All of the attractions close at 5pm and you find yourself sitting in hotel for the night with nothing to do on your vacation. not fun. Also, for anyone who is interested, the county that Asheboro is in, is a dry county. Meaning no alcohol is served or sold. This wasn't a big deal to me, but my husband on the other hand was not happy that he couldn't have a beer with his steak. lol. But Greensboro and Burlington are much bigger towns with lots more to do (including outlets at Burlington) on your down time and much more choices on where to eat. Now, on to the zoo. This zoo is fantastic!! I've never seen anything like it. The zoo is divided into two sections, North America and South Africa i believe it was. Now with this being in two sections this should tell you that it is quite large. You walk up and down a lot of hills and it can be hard on your feet so wear comfortable shoes. They also have a train service that runs in the zoo but i think it only runs during certain parts of the year so you may want to check on that ebfore you go. They have every animal you can think of too. Elephants, zebras, giraffes, monkey's, everything. And what is great is that the animals are not kept in cement areas with small patches of grass and dirt like i've seen at other zoo's. All of the bigger animals are kept in large hilly fields of grass and trees. It was amazing to see these animals roaming around like you are on a safari. And they are still so close to you. I got some amazing pictures that i will be adding to my page soon. You can really tell that these animals are well kept for. They all looked so fantastic. They also had really great set ups for the monkey's, ape's, and gorilla's. They had a giant dome that you walk into and at first i thought we were walking into a greenhouse or something, but then i saw all the monkey's. it was great. This is a must see for anyone who loves going to the zoo. Oh, and they also have great gift shops on both sides of the zoo. And in the center of the zoo is another gift shop, places to eat, and a giant carousel that was quite beautiful. my son loved it (ok, so did i!). more

and were your good hiking shoes. You will be putting on a lot of miles! This zoo is so nice to visit, especially in the spring and fall. Don't go when it is too hot or you will be worn out way too soon! The zoo is easy to find your way around, and I love the open areas for the animals. Giraffes have plenty of room to roam--they are in very nice, natural areas. They have a lot of animals, places to eat, shop and picnic! more

The North Carolina Zoo in Ashboro is a lot of fun! Make sure you pack a few drinks and put on comfortable shoes, because you will do a lot of walking. A warm day is the best -- if it is too hot outside, you would be miserable. more

The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, NC is North Carolina's big zoo. It has exhibits of Polar bears, sea lions, wolves, giraffes and a broad selection of normal zoo fare. Be prepared for quite a bit of walking. The zoo is basically located on two sides of a hill- you enter at either the North American entrance, or the African entrance, walk UP a hill, then back down the other side of a hill, and exit the opposite entrance. Then you take a bus back to where your car is parked. Expect to spend a full day walking to see everything. The chimpanzees, the aviaries, and all of the exhibits are well done. more