Reptile Discovery Center

The entrance to the Smithsonian National Zoo’s Reptile Discovery Center is stunningly grand.  The red bricked building has two turtles standing guard with large pillars rising up towards an exquisite mosaic of a stegosaurus.  Within its walls are roughly 70 species exhibited with even more at their Virginia site.  Two massive green anacondas, the world’s largest snake, were lounging in…

The House of Fur

Perched atop the Small Mammal House are a cat, wolf and bear statues.  The Smithsonian National Zoo has a wonderful assortment of statues like these, most with happy children clambering over them for a photo-op.  Statues range from otters at play, a sloth bear and her young, giant pandas and many more including a bronzed…

National Zoo’s Asia Trail

Two large bronzed lions guard the pedestrian entrance off of Connecticut Avenue to the Smithsonian National Zoo.  Entering the lush green urban park I was faced with a wide variety of people.  Free to visitors makes the zoo accessible to a multitude of people looking for different experiences, whether its a casual stroll through a park,…

Smithsonian National Zoo

The Smithsonian National Zoo was founded in 1889 by an Act of Congress for “the advancement of science and the instruction and recreation of the people.”  Located in Washington, D.C. the National Zoo, free to visitors, is set on 163 acres of Rock Creek Park and is now home to 2000 individual animals of 400…