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TR: Columbus Zoo (5/26/2012)
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GodsOnSafari
May 29, 2012, 11:38:29 AM5/29/12
to
Last year, my wife and I made our first ever collective visits to the
Columbus Zoo to partake in what is considered one of the nation's best
Zoos. We were so enamored with it, we made the decision to make it a
yearly trip as part of our ever busy schedule. In this instance, we
merged it with another need (visiting my mom and her fiancé Jim) and
made a two nighter out of it. Our decision to extend the trip included
combining with it more animals in a visit to the now Columbus Zoo
related facility known as The Wilds, outside of Zanesville, OH. We't
try to throw in some more stuff depending on our collective energy
levels, but that would all be taken care of on the fly.
The Saturday of the trip featured a roughly 4 hour drive down to
northern Columbus. With some stops for breakfast at McDonalds and for
gas, we were able to delay our arrival till slightly after 11:00AM,
which was the planned meetup time. Getting to the hotel parking lot,
we were informed via cell phone that they were to be about a half hour
to 45 minutes away. That's a lot. Rather than sit and wait, we chose
instead to head to the zoo ahead of them and get the tickets, and we'd
meet them when they arrived. Full price tickets at the Columbus Zoo
are a mere $15 - while this doesn't include the rides, they're
generally about a dollar apiece within the zoo. Outside at Jungle
Jack's Landing, a wristband costs a whopping $8. The zoo itself is
easily an elite facility, and to pay less to get in per person than it
costs to park a car at Six Flags Great America is pretty amazing.
We paid for tickets and spent some time inside, grabbing a sandwich
over at the cafe near the main entrance, touring the gift shop, and
walking around the main entry way, taking mental notes of various
things. There's a fountain at the entrance that has different
programs; you can pick which one you want to see by putting in a
dollar bill and hitting a button. Much like was the case in our 2011
visit, it was over 90 degrees outside, and that made Jungle Jack's
Landing look mighty unappealing. There's the ACE classic Sea Dragon
wood coaster over there, but it isn't a necessity to ride, certainly
not in insanely hot temperatures like on this day. The log flume and
pirate ship were both down for the day. We've yet to see their pirate
ship run in either visit. When my mother and Jim arrived, we met them
outside, gave them tickets, traded hugs, and went in.
My plan was to head right to the back and began our loops around
various areas. We went for the Aquarium first, assuming that anything
indoor would be cooler than the outside by virtue of air conditioning.
Instead, the high temps of the outside were possibly more comfortable
than the cramped spaces inside, where masses of teeming bodies had
conspired against my brilliance to turn pretty much every building
we'd walk in that was fully enclosed into a hot, stuffy, and fairly
uncomfortable climactic experience. The fish were very nice to look
at, though we felt waiting in a 30 minute queue to touch them seemed a
bit absurd, and chose against that. The manatees were also something
impressive to stare at as well.
Following our attempts at finding comfort inside, we headed back out
and into the Australia and Pacific Islands sections. Among other
things are a large selection of primates to stare at - mostly small
ones were out. The orangutans apparently thought it stupid to hang out
in the sun and were probably sleeping inside where it wasn't blazing
hot. The kangaroos were similarly affected by the sun and chose to all
sleep in close proximity under the shade of a tree. The only happy
animals seemed to be the tortoises and Komodo dragons under these
conditions. Well, we were happy too, and I suppose we're animals. The
displays are grand and amazingly well themed. We also chipped in for
the OD Hopkins boat flume around the loosely themed Indonesia area
where the Pacific rim primates are. Its a quality ride featuring
theming at least as good as anything you'll see at Sea World, though
there are zero thrills.
Nothing is as indicative of the infrastructure's health of a facility
as eating there, I've learned. We thusly headed for a snack in the
main food court. Some brief drama involving severely obese women and
one of our table's chairs aside, we were able to get a space to eat
indoors where it was at least not deathly hot. The food from the
mexican food stand in the food court was very good and not severely
overpriced as one might anticipate. My wife and I remarked that we had
similar feelings about the quality of the food last time at the park.
Next, we'd wander through the African and Asia Quest sections to peer
at some of their big drawing cards (gorillas, bonobos, elephants,
rhinos, tigers). We chose to skip over the repitle house given my
mom's phobia of all things scaly, and instead kept on a constant
mission to stay hydrated and not over-extend ourselves. Meredith and I
both remembered being dead tired the last time we went and sweating
through our clothes; we hoped to actually enjoy some of the North
America exhibits (as well as the polar exhibit) instead this time. It
worked well - we all managed to not be dead by the time we made it to
that end this time and enjoyed it heartily, even managing a train ride
around as well.
Our day concluded, we took the long walk back to the car, and didn't
have a ton of difficulty finding it. Interestingly. the ticket given
to me for parking, made of receipt paper, had turned black inside our
car. We must have come back just before it was going to reach the
point of combustion or something. Never seen that before. The people
we intended to be entertained were very, very pleased. It really is a
remarkable, world class facility.
The downside of such an active day in bright sun and serious heat is
that we were all really, really tired. After checking in at the
Sheraton Suites Columbus, we took an hour for all of us to change
clothes and get freshened up. My wife and I personally had to struggle
not to fall asleep and miss dinner; hey, it was a long day.
Ultimately, the collective decision to eat downstairs in the hotel's
restaurant was made, and we all ate well enough to not complain. This
wasn't a trip about trying to trying to scratch at learning Central
Ohio's cultural underbelly and discover a new love for the state's
agriculture. It was about spending time with people and trying to
relax.
Columbus Zoo to partake in what is considered one of the nation's best
Zoos. We were so enamored with it, we made the decision to make it a
yearly trip as part of our ever busy schedule. In this instance, we
merged it with another need (visiting my mom and her fiancé Jim) and
made a two nighter out of it. Our decision to extend the trip included
combining with it more animals in a visit to the now Columbus Zoo
related facility known as The Wilds, outside of Zanesville, OH. We't
try to throw in some more stuff depending on our collective energy
levels, but that would all be taken care of on the fly.
The Saturday of the trip featured a roughly 4 hour drive down to
northern Columbus. With some stops for breakfast at McDonalds and for
gas, we were able to delay our arrival till slightly after 11:00AM,
which was the planned meetup time. Getting to the hotel parking lot,
we were informed via cell phone that they were to be about a half hour
to 45 minutes away. That's a lot. Rather than sit and wait, we chose
instead to head to the zoo ahead of them and get the tickets, and we'd
meet them when they arrived. Full price tickets at the Columbus Zoo
are a mere $15 - while this doesn't include the rides, they're
generally about a dollar apiece within the zoo. Outside at Jungle
Jack's Landing, a wristband costs a whopping $8. The zoo itself is
easily an elite facility, and to pay less to get in per person than it
costs to park a car at Six Flags Great America is pretty amazing.
We paid for tickets and spent some time inside, grabbing a sandwich
over at the cafe near the main entrance, touring the gift shop, and
walking around the main entry way, taking mental notes of various
things. There's a fountain at the entrance that has different
programs; you can pick which one you want to see by putting in a
dollar bill and hitting a button. Much like was the case in our 2011
visit, it was over 90 degrees outside, and that made Jungle Jack's
Landing look mighty unappealing. There's the ACE classic Sea Dragon
wood coaster over there, but it isn't a necessity to ride, certainly
not in insanely hot temperatures like on this day. The log flume and
pirate ship were both down for the day. We've yet to see their pirate
ship run in either visit. When my mother and Jim arrived, we met them
outside, gave them tickets, traded hugs, and went in.
My plan was to head right to the back and began our loops around
various areas. We went for the Aquarium first, assuming that anything
indoor would be cooler than the outside by virtue of air conditioning.
Instead, the high temps of the outside were possibly more comfortable
than the cramped spaces inside, where masses of teeming bodies had
conspired against my brilliance to turn pretty much every building
we'd walk in that was fully enclosed into a hot, stuffy, and fairly
uncomfortable climactic experience. The fish were very nice to look
at, though we felt waiting in a 30 minute queue to touch them seemed a
bit absurd, and chose against that. The manatees were also something
impressive to stare at as well.
Following our attempts at finding comfort inside, we headed back out
and into the Australia and Pacific Islands sections. Among other
things are a large selection of primates to stare at - mostly small
ones were out. The orangutans apparently thought it stupid to hang out
in the sun and were probably sleeping inside where it wasn't blazing
hot. The kangaroos were similarly affected by the sun and chose to all
sleep in close proximity under the shade of a tree. The only happy
animals seemed to be the tortoises and Komodo dragons under these
conditions. Well, we were happy too, and I suppose we're animals. The
displays are grand and amazingly well themed. We also chipped in for
the OD Hopkins boat flume around the loosely themed Indonesia area
where the Pacific rim primates are. Its a quality ride featuring
theming at least as good as anything you'll see at Sea World, though
there are zero thrills.
Nothing is as indicative of the infrastructure's health of a facility
as eating there, I've learned. We thusly headed for a snack in the
main food court. Some brief drama involving severely obese women and
one of our table's chairs aside, we were able to get a space to eat
indoors where it was at least not deathly hot. The food from the
mexican food stand in the food court was very good and not severely
overpriced as one might anticipate. My wife and I remarked that we had
similar feelings about the quality of the food last time at the park.
Next, we'd wander through the African and Asia Quest sections to peer
at some of their big drawing cards (gorillas, bonobos, elephants,
rhinos, tigers). We chose to skip over the repitle house given my
mom's phobia of all things scaly, and instead kept on a constant
mission to stay hydrated and not over-extend ourselves. Meredith and I
both remembered being dead tired the last time we went and sweating
through our clothes; we hoped to actually enjoy some of the North
America exhibits (as well as the polar exhibit) instead this time. It
worked well - we all managed to not be dead by the time we made it to
that end this time and enjoyed it heartily, even managing a train ride
around as well.
Our day concluded, we took the long walk back to the car, and didn't
have a ton of difficulty finding it. Interestingly. the ticket given
to me for parking, made of receipt paper, had turned black inside our
car. We must have come back just before it was going to reach the
point of combustion or something. Never seen that before. The people
we intended to be entertained were very, very pleased. It really is a
remarkable, world class facility.
The downside of such an active day in bright sun and serious heat is
that we were all really, really tired. After checking in at the
Sheraton Suites Columbus, we took an hour for all of us to change
clothes and get freshened up. My wife and I personally had to struggle
not to fall asleep and miss dinner; hey, it was a long day.
Ultimately, the collective decision to eat downstairs in the hotel's
restaurant was made, and we all ate well enough to not complain. This
wasn't a trip about trying to trying to scratch at learning Central
Ohio's cultural underbelly and discover a new love for the state's
agriculture. It was about spending time with people and trying to
relax.
Surf Dance Chris
May 29, 2012, 7:20:55 PM5/29/12
to
back, but it was when the Sea Dragon was closed, so it was eliminated
from the itinerary. The next time I'm in the area, I'll check it out
though. Thanks for the report.
David Sandborg
May 29, 2012, 7:55:58 PM5/29/12
to
In article
<1d27e245-3e39-4488...@f14g2000yqe.googlegroups.com>,
We also visited, only to find the Sea Dragon not running (little else
was running either) so we skipped it. Had it not been the middle of a
long drive we probably would have stopped in the zoo anyway, but we just
didn't have the patience. Someday we will get back there so I can get
my credit, as well as see the zoo, which I'd be interested in in its own
right.
--
Dave Sandborg
Remove Spam-away to respond via e-mail.
<1d27e245-3e39-4488...@f14g2000yqe.googlegroups.com>,
was running either) so we skipped it. Had it not been the middle of a
long drive we probably would have stopped in the zoo anyway, but we just
didn't have the patience. Someday we will get back there so I can get
my credit, as well as see the zoo, which I'd be interested in in its own
right.
--
Dave Sandborg
Remove Spam-away to respond via e-mail.
Message has been deleted
Mark Rosenzweig
May 30, 2012, 10:17:35 AM5/30/12
to
On May 29, 7:55 pm, David Sandborg <sandd...@Spam-away.ix.netcom.com>
wrote:
> In article
> <1d27e245-3e39-4488-a8d9-527aa0b9a...@f14g2000yqe.googlegroups.com>,
I think Alan nailed the "world class" nail on the head. Columbus Zoo
is the "other" San Diego Zoo. Whereas San Diego Zoo can't help but
look beautiful (shit, it's in San Diego), Columbus is
a flat, suburbasprawl that is less than aesthetically pleasing. The
job the folks at the Zoo have done to create a true oasis from its
surroundings is nothing short of spectacular. The new waterpark
(while small) was also well designed and visually appealing. The dry
ride area unfortunately needs about another 20 years for the trees to
mature and will (until that time) just serve as a themed rides asphalt
midway.
wrote:
> In article
> <1d27e245-3e39-4488-a8d9-527aa0b9a...@f14g2000yqe.googlegroups.com>,
is the "other" San Diego Zoo. Whereas San Diego Zoo can't help but
look beautiful (shit, it's in San Diego), Columbus is
a flat, suburbasprawl that is less than aesthetically pleasing. The
job the folks at the Zoo have done to create a true oasis from its
surroundings is nothing short of spectacular. The new waterpark
(while small) was also well designed and visually appealing. The dry
ride area unfortunately needs about another 20 years for the trees to
mature and will (until that time) just serve as a themed rides asphalt
midway.
Dave Althoff Jr.
May 30, 2012, 10:47:15 PM5/30/12
to
GodsOnSafari <godson...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Last year, my wife and I made our first ever collective visits to the
> Columbus Zoo to partake in what is considered one of the nation's best
> Zoos. We were so enamored with it, we made the decision to make it a
> yearly trip as part of our ever busy schedule.
I'm not a big zoo fan, but the closure of Wyandot Lake has prompted me
> Last year, my wife and I made our first ever collective visits to the
> Columbus Zoo to partake in what is considered one of the nation's best
> Zoos. We were so enamored with it, we made the decision to make it a
> yearly trip as part of our ever busy schedule.
to visit a couple of times per season. The Columbus Zoo is indeed a
very nice zoo. One of the few reasons to actually *visit* Columbus,
actually, and a nice perk to living here.
> ... Full price tickets at the Columbus Zoo
> are a mere $15 - while this doesn't include the rides, they're
> generally about a dollar apiece within the zoo. Outside at Jungle
> Jack's Landing, a wristband costs a whopping $8. The zoo itself is
> easily an elite facility, and to pay less to get in per person than it
> costs to park a car at Six Flags Great America is pretty amazing.
Also the Jungle Jack's Landing wristband is good for the carousel, boat
> generally about a dollar apiece within the zoo. Outside at Jungle
> Jack's Landing, a wristband costs a whopping $8. The zoo itself is
> easily an elite facility, and to pay less to get in per person than it
> costs to park a car at Six Flags Great America is pretty amazing.
ride and train in the main zoo. It only gets expensive if you want to go to
the Zoombezi Bay waterpark, which was built waaaaaay too small.
> We paid for tickets and spent some time inside, grabbing a sandwich
> over at the cafe near the main entrance, touring the gift shop, and
> walking around the main entry way, taking mental notes of various
> things. There's a fountain at the entrance that has different
> programs; you can pick which one you want to see by putting in a
> dollar bill and hitting a button. Much like was the case in our 2011
> visit, it was over 90 degrees outside, and that made Jungle Jack's
> Landing look mighty unappealing. There's the ACE classic Sea Dragon
> wood coaster over there, but it isn't a necessity to ride, certainly
> not in insanely hot temperatures like on this day. The log flume and
> pirate ship were both down for the day. We've yet to see their pirate
> ship run in either visit. When my mother and Jim arrived, we met them
> outside, gave them tickets, traded hugs, and went in.
isn't a bad ride, ranking somewhere between a Sea Ray and a Pirat. The
flume is unusual and not especially remarkable apart from its
energy-saving, space saving design where the channels run through the
middle of the reservoir. The flume seems to have an unreal amount of
downtime for a nearly-new ride, though.
Did you happen to notice if the coaster was running? I know that the
train got rehabbed by PTC for probably the very first time since 1957,
so I am expecting unusually great things from this junior coaster this
year.
> My plan was to head right to the back and began our loops around
> various areas. We went for the Aquarium first, assuming that anything
> indoor would be cooler than the outside by virtue of air conditioning.
> Instead, the high temps of the outside were possibly more comfortable
> than the cramped spaces inside, where masses of teeming bodies had
> conspired against my brilliance to turn pretty much every building
> we'd walk in that was fully enclosed into a hot, stuffy, and fairly
> uncomfortable climactic experience. The fish were very nice to look
> at, though we felt waiting in a 30 minute queue to touch them seemed a
> bit absurd, and chose against that. The manatees were also something
> impressive to stare at as well.
Notice the lack of a roof on that section? 8-)
> Following our attempts at finding comfort inside, we headed back out
> and into the Australia and Pacific Islands sections. Among other
> things are a large selection of primates to stare at - mostly small
> ones were out. The orangutans apparently thought it stupid to hang out
> in the sun and were probably sleeping inside where it wasn't blazing
> hot. The kangaroos were similarly affected by the sun and chose to all
> sleep in close proximity under the shade of a tree. The only happy
> animals seemed to be the tortoises and Komodo dragons under these
> conditions. Well, we were happy too, and I suppose we're animals. The
> displays are grand and amazingly well themed. We also chipped in for
> the OD Hopkins boat flume around the loosely themed Indonesia area
> where the Pacific rim primates are. Its a quality ride featuring
> theming at least as good as anything you'll see at Sea World, though
> there are zero thrills.
kind of "story". For that reason I'd classify it as "decoration" rather
than "theme". That said, it does give you some interesting views of the
critters in that section, and standing on the boardwalk across from the
dock you can get a kind of mind-bending view of the Scioto River as it
*disappears* over the unremarkable O'Shaughnessy Dam.
> Nothing is as indicative of the infrastructure's health of a facility
> as eating there, I've learned.
thought most of the food offerings at the Zoo were, in fact,
concessions.
> We thusly headed for a snack in the
> main food court. Some brief drama involving severely obese women and
> one of our table's chairs aside, we were able to get a space to eat
> indoors where it was at least not deathly hot.
I've had enough of those things fold up under me that I refuse to sit in
them anymore...and while I could stand to lose a little weight, I don't
consider myself to be "severely obese". Heck, I can even ride
Millennium Force without serious effort. 8-)
> The food from the
> mexican food stand in the food court was very good and not severely
> overpriced as one might anticipate. My wife and I remarked that we had
> similar feelings about the quality of the food last time at the park.
>
> Next, we'd wander through the African and Asia Quest sections to peer
> at some of their big drawing cards (gorillas, bonobos, elephants,
> rhinos, tigers). We chose to skip over the repitle house given my
> mom's phobia of all things scaly, and instead kept on a constant
> mission to stay hydrated and not over-extend ourselves. Meredith and I
> both remembered being dead tired the last time we went and sweating
> through our clothes; we hoped to actually enjoy some of the North
> America exhibits (as well as the polar exhibit) instead this time. It
> worked well - we all managed to not be dead by the time we made it to
> that end this time and enjoyed it heartily, even managing a train ride
> around as well.
and watch the polar bear(s) frolicking in the water and inviting a few
fish to dinner. It's interesting that the Zoo is slowly being converted
from a classical genus-based organization to a regionally organized
system. There are a few areas where it doesn't quite work, since for
practical reasons it makes sense to house the African and Asian
elephants together. But from the standpoint of advancing the Zoo's
educational mission, I think it makes good sense. I wonder what they're
planning to do next; perhaps the reptiles will be sent to their
respective regions...
> Our day concluded, we took the long walk back to the car, and didn't
> have a ton of difficulty finding it. Interestingly. the ticket given
> to me for parking, made of receipt paper, had turned black inside our
> car. We must have come back just before it was going to reach the
> point of combustion or something. Never seen that before. The people
> we intended to be entertained were very, very pleased. It really is a
> remarkable, world class facility.
are these days. Word to the wise: if you are keeping a receipt for a
warranty or something like that, make a photocopy. Thermal printed
documents will either fade over time, or turn all dark when exposed to
heat!
> The downside of such an active day in bright sun and serious heat is
> that we were all really, really tired. After checking in at the
> Sheraton Suites Columbus, we took an hour for all of us to change
> clothes and get freshened up. My wife and I personally had to struggle
> not to fall asleep and miss dinner; hey, it was a long day.
> Ultimately, the collective decision to eat downstairs in the hotel's
> restaurant was made, and we all ate well enough to not complain. This
> wasn't a trip about trying to trying to scratch at learning Central
> Ohio's cultural underbelly and discover a new love for the state's
> agriculture. It was about spending time with people and trying to
> relax.
saying that Columbus is a great place to live, but I don't think I'd
want to visit here. Particularly if you're up in the far Northwest area
up around Dublin, while there is plenty of good food to be had, you
honestly probably didn't miss much. 8-)
-- Dave Althoff, Jr.
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GodsOnSafari
May 31, 2012, 8:26:06 AM5/31/12
to
> Also the Jungle Jack's Landing wristband is good for the carousel, boat
> ride and train in the main zoo. It only gets expensive if you want to go to
> the Zoombezi Bay waterpark, which was built waaaaaay too small.
Yeah, I can't judge the water park, though it seems to have some cool
> ride and train in the main zoo. It only gets expensive if you want to go to
> the Zoombezi Bay waterpark, which was built waaaaaay too small.
modern slides (funnel, master blaster, half pipe). I think for a 2 day
ticket for Zoo and water park its something like $32, which is still
cheap when you consider that a small aquatic facility with nothing
that substantial like Monsoon Lagoon charges $15.
> I have actually ridden both the flume and the swinging ship. The ship
> isn't a bad ride, ranking somewhere between a Sea Ray and a Pirat. The
> flume is unusual and not especially remarkable apart from its
> energy-saving, space saving design where the channels run through the
> middle of the reservoir. The flume seems to have an unreal amount of
> downtime for a nearly-new ride, though.
rode it last year and we thought at the very least it seemed better
engineered than Shoot The Rapids, given that ride's propensity to sink
itself.
> Did you happen to notice if the coaster was running? I know that the
> train got rehabbed by PTC for probably the very first time since 1957,
> so I am expecting unusually great things from this junior coaster this
> year.
junior coaster that I've already been on.
> ...Of course their part of the Aquarium building isn't air conditioned.
> Notice the lack of a roof on that section? 8-)
and what not? Hot inside. Also a lot of bodies.
> > Nothing is as indicative of the infrastructure's health of a facility
> > as eating there, I've learned.
>
> An interesting observation. Particularly interesting given that I
> thought most of the food offerings at the Zoo were, in fact,
> concessions.
offerings at most parks.
> These were not, perchance, those silly resin stacking chairs were they?
> I've had enough of those things fold up under me that I refuse to sit in
> them anymore...and while I could stand to lose a little weight, I don't
> consider myself to be "severely obese". Heck, I can even ride
> Millennium Force without serious effort. 8-)
apparently took my mom's decision to get up and go get napkins as
being a chance to take her chair and was less than enthused about
giving it back.
> There is a nice air conditioned spot in the Polar area where you can sit
> and watch the polar bear(s) frolicking in the water and inviting a few
> fish to dinner. It's interesting that the Zoo is slowly being converted
> from a classical genus-based organization to a regionally organized
> system. There are a few areas where it doesn't quite work, since for
> practical reasons it makes sense to house the African and Asian
> elephants together. But from the standpoint of advancing the Zoo's
> educational mission, I think it makes good sense. I wonder what they're
> planning to do next; perhaps the reptiles will be sent to their
> respective regions...
they intend to build a larger "savannah" area utilizing some of the
animals from The Wilds. It'll probably look something similar to what
Toledo has done, if you're familiar with that.
> And that's probably a pretty wise choice. There is some truth to the
> saying that Columbus is a great place to live, but I don't think I'd
> want to visit here. Particularly if you're up in the far Northwest area
> up around Dublin, while there is plenty of good food to be had, you
> honestly probably didn't miss much. 8-)
Chris', but honestly I didn't bother bringing anything nicer than polo
shirts and cargo shorts for the trip. Nor, honestly, did I have any
intention once we were back in the hotel of venturing out into the
heat again.
Thanks for reading!
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