North Carolina Zoo
As much as I love to travel and meet people with experiences to share, I am always pleased when I visit a place and there are no crowds. You can imagine how delighted I was when my family took a trip to the North Carolina Zoo just before Christmas and we saw only a dozen other visitors during our entire exploration of the grounds. No need to strain our necks to get a chance to see the sea lions zipping past the underwater observation window or wait our turn to watch the black bears playfully chasing each other over the rocks down to the water we had the place completely to ourselves.
If you haven’t been to the zoo, it is tucked in the woods outside of Asheboro and is nicely walkable once you’re inside the gates. They do offer a tram service within the zoo grounds as well, but during the winter months, I was told it tends to run only every half hour. I recommend walking if you can since the distance isn’t long and the Sonora Desert exhibit (complete with bats, ocelots, and roadrunners) offers a warm retreat on the way from the red wolves to the gorillas.
Of course, going when the crowds are down does require extra planning: a number of the concession and gift shops are closed, so you’ll want to plan ahead for where to stop for hot chocolate. On the upside, though, the fare is reduced and you really do have remarkable access to really studying the exhibits. There really is nothing to compare with getting up close and personal with lions, red river hogs, and chimpanzees!
AHHH i LOVE the zoo! I saw this giraffe too! wasn’t it breathtaking?!