Smithsonian National Zoological Park

The National Zoo, is located in Rock Creek Park in Washington DC and is one of the world's foremost zoos.

Admission to the zoo is free and the zoo is metro accessible.

Some of the most interesting features at the zoo include:
1) The Asia Trail which was opened in 2006 and is home to six Asian species including the giant pandas, red pandas and sloth bears.

2) Three Asian Elephants call the National Zoo home in 2001 the zoo celebrated the birth of male elephant as result of artificial insemination, was such a triumph and in 2008 the construction of the Elephant Trails was initiated in order to support the development as a breeding herd of these endangered animals.

3) The Bird House which houses most of the zoos birds features an indoor flight room and an out door flight cage.  The zoo is home to over one hundred species of birds.

4) The Small Mammal House is home to a variety of rodents, insectivores, bats, and primates.  A refuge on a rainy day, this exhibit has proven to be incredibly popular with toddlers and elementary students since it provides access to a large variety of animals that would normally not be easily observed in wild.
5) The Reptile Discovery Center exhibits about 70 species of reptiles and amphibians.
6) The Great Ape House is home to seven gorillas including a one year old female (Jan 10, 2010) named Kibibi ("little lady" in Swahili) by a public vote.

7) The Great Cat exhibit is home to African Lions and Sumatran Tigers and are a thrill to watch.

8) The Amazonia Habitat was opened in 1992 and it includes a 5,000-square-foot rain forest habitat of the exhibit with a cascading tropical river and a 55,000-gallon aquarium for the display of Amazon River fish.  Dozens of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and amphibians can be observed moving through out the exhibit.

There are several other notable exhibits through out the zoo including the seals, children's farm, prairie dogs and the bald eagles.

The zoo is a great place to visit through out the year, don't plan on doing it all in one day, because you cannot.  There is a lot to see and learn.  Its situated in 163 acres of beautifully landscaped property so it is quite a hike.  Plan have fun and plan to be tired.