Colorado Springs Zoo is a Great Family Outing

Zoo Life

Whether you are visiting Colorado Springs or live here, the Colorado Springs Zoo (really named the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo) is a great place to visit. 

Built on the side of a mountain, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo offers a variety of activities for any family trip. 

You can start with the giraffes.  The giraffe exhibit at Colorado Springs Zoo is like none you have visited before.  If you want, you can buy special giraffe crackers and you can hand fee the giraffes.  The kids love it.  This is a picture of my son feeding the giraffe.

Did you know that giraffes have giant tongues?

Here is the live giraffe cam.  A picture is taken each minute so just hit refresh on your web browser to see what is happening in the giraffe area.

Another highlight for kids is the meerkat exhibit.  (Ok, I admit it.  I love watching those little things.)  You can watch the meerkats as they go in and out of the burrows.  It is really fun to watch them. I got this picture when I was there recently.  I thought it was so neat the way they work together.

Here is the meerkat cam.

 

 

Another great destination is the monkey habitat.  There are low land gorillas and orangutans.  Often there are babies which the kids just love. 

One of the great aspects of the Colorado Springs Zoo is the view of the city.  Because the zoo is built on the side of Cheyenne Mountain the view is exceptional. 

Read what other travelers have to say about the Colorado Springs Zoo at TripAdvisor.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (Colorado Springs Zoo) Fun Facts

• Situated on 146-acres, 70 of which are developed, at an elevation of 6,800 feet, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the only mountain zoo in the United States.

• The zoo also runs the world's most prolific giraffe-breeding program, with over 178 births since 1954.

• The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is home to more than 750 animals representing some 142 species from around the world, over 32 of which are classified as endangered or threatened.

• The Zoo was voted “Best Place for Family Fun” and "Best Outdoor Attraction" by local newspapers over the past seven years, and is now in The Gazette "Hall Of Fame."

• Admission to the Zoo is $12.00 for adults, $10.00 for senior citizens, and $6.00 for kids. Ages 2 and under are free. Scheduled school groups of 15 people or more receive a discounted admission. The Zoo is open 365 days a year.

Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun

Zoo admission includes a trip to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun which is a little further drive up the mountain.  This tribute to Will Rogers is worth the drive for the view.  It is hear that you can really see the city.  It is beautiful.

Here is the Shrine from the zoo.

Here is what it looks like from a little closer. 

You can climb to the top and get a great view of the city.

The sun was going down on our visit to the Colorado Springs zoo.  Here is the final shot I took of the Will Rogers Shrine to the Sun.  It seemed appropriate to the name.

Learn more about the Colorado Springs Zoo at TripAdvisor.

Directions

Visit this Google map to get directions to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.