Five of the Best Terrific Zoos for Families to Visit in WA

Five of the Best Terrific Zoos for Families to Visit in WA. Kevin Woblick on Unsplash/Canva

Washington has quite a few terrific zoos and aquariums for families to visit. There are about five zoos and several aquariums located throughout Washington state. You can see amazing exotic animals and powerful rescued animals living in a protected Washington sanctuary and we have provided below a list of five of the best terrific zoos for families to visit in Washington, including one that has a safari self-guided driving tour option!

Families have been visiting zoos in Washington since 1899, when the property of the Woodland Park Zoo was first opened to the public after the city of Seattle purchased the property from the heirs of landowner, Guy Phinney. Today, we can find many endangered animals in Washington zoos, as well as those declared "threatened or vulnerable."

We hope you and your family can find some time to go on a road trip and visit one of these five terrific zoos (and aquariums) here in Washington state. Shout out to Love Tabitha for this very helpful list of them.

Here Are the Top 5 Most Visited Zoos in Washington

5.) Cougar Mountain Zoo

19525 SE 54th St
Issaquah, WA
Hours: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Admission: Adults are $16 and Kids through age 12 are $13.

Of course, you can expect to see beautiful cougars at the Cougar Mountain Zoo in Washington but you can also anticipate seeing Bengal tigers, gray wolves, Siberian reindeer, lemurs, alpacas, wallabies, cranes, macaws, and emus!

4.) Woodland Park Zoo

5500 Phinney Ave N
Seattle, WA
Hours: Open 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day of the week.
Admission: Adults are $26.25 and Kids are $16.25.

I actually plan on taking my daughter Willow to the Woodland Park Zoo in the next week when she returns from her summer trip visiting relatives. We have already visited one of the other zoos in the list below, the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. We went there with her Girl Scouts troop back when she was a Daisy. I think she was about four or five years old at the time so she probably doesn't remember watching a pair of very large tortoises who were busy mating out in the open sun. My daughter kept yelling, "Mommy, what are they DOING?!" very loudly and all of the parents around me just giggled. I remember being mortified but hey, what can you do? Little kids always have a bunch of questions, don't they!

3.) Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

5400 N Pearl St
Tacoma
Hours: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week.
Admission: Adults are $20 and Kids are $15.

It is advisable to purchase your tickets to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium online rather than in person at the gate (you'll save $3)! There is an Asian Forest Sanctuary, Rocky Shores and Artic Tundra animals, and wildlife found in the Red Wolf Woods. This means families visiting Washington can see elephants, tigers, leopards, porcupines, otters, and primates, among other magnificent creatures from all over the globe.

2.) Northwest Trek Wildlife Park

11610 Trek Dr E
Eatonville, WA
Hours: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week.
Admission: Adults are $22 and Kids are $14.

Buy your tickets online to save a few dollars per person! If you want to take the "Wild Drive" excursion at the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, you can purchase that option online as well. If you are not a member of the wildlife park the fee is $90 per vehicle trek and the cart carries up to 8 persons.

1.) Olympic Game Farm

1423 Ward Rd
Sequim, WA
Hours: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week.
Admission: Adults are $20 and Kids are $15.

There are extended hours during the Summer on Saturdays at Olympic Game Farm (open until 6 p.m.) Families can purchase loaves of bread to feed the animals for an additional fee. If you want to see yaks, bobcats and coyotes, this is the zoo to visit! They also have a zebra, bison, elk, emus, deer, peacocks, raccoons, prairie dogs, llamas, lions, tigers, and bears (oh my)!

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Did you know that the city of Yakima, Washington, has over seventy-four (74) murals that would make for a fantastic place to get your sightseeing selfie? You've no doubt taken quite a few selfies in front of popular landmarks and selfie wallls.

Keep your eyes out for one of our unique photo-op murals to add to your collection in your social media pics, and stop and take a memorable selfie of yourself in the heart of Yakima!

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Source: Five of the Most Terrific Zoos for Families to Visit in Washington