I used to be a member of the zoo and hope to be ag...

I used to be a member of the zoo and hope to be again in the future. For such a small zoo, it has a remarkable selection and is laid out very nicely considering all the hills the designers had to deal with, which is why this is a great place to come for a brisk walk for exercise. You'll occasionally see either escaped or temporarily released animals, such as monkeys, in the trees, and the aviary is good for burning several hundred calories. My one complaint is that some of the enclosures are pitifully small, like that of the jaguar.

The botanical gardens (between the animal enclosures throughout the zoo) are nearly as fascinating as the animals; there are many shady areas, making the hot summers more bearable, though ice cream helps, too. Better yet, if it's really hot, a number of eateries within the zoo serve beer, making these great places for moms to park dads.