Elephant Trails — Attraction in Washington

The elephant exhibit was truly one of the highlights of my visit. The space was thoughtfully designed to reflect both the grandeur and the emotional intelligence of these magnificent creatures. You could really feel the effort put into making the environment spacious and natural, with plenty of shade, water, and enrichment activities to keep the elephants engaged.

What moved me the most was the educational aspect—they didn’t just display the animals, but also told the stories behind them. I learned about the history of each elephant, their background, and the conservation efforts being made to protect them. There were also interactive elements like audio stations and short videos showing how elephants communicate, grieve, and form deep bonds with their herd.

One touching detail: they had a display about elephant memory and how they recognize old friends even after years apart. It reminded me just how emotional and intelligent these animals are.

If you’re visiting with kids, or just love elephants (like me!), this is definitely a must-see. The only small downside was that it could get crowded at times, so I’d recommend going early in the day for the...

The more recent bird house "renovation" was worse, but what was done to the elephant house was similar. Animals and plants were replaced with dirt, empty space, posters, and games apparently geared to low IQ attention deficit children. I have been to the zoo many times and have NEVER seen an elephant on the so-called "trail." But that "trail" eliminated a number of exhibits and a shady and less crowded walking path through the zoo. This change funnels the significantly increasing Summer crowds through a very hot choke point with no shade in front of the Elephant house. I think a better idea would have been to to not make this change at the small DC zoo and instead create an area where additional elephants could live at the facility in Front Royal. Closing the exhibit behind the reptile house and significantly decreasing the capacity of the restrooms near Lion and Tiger Hill were also ridiculous decisions. But there are more stores...

It's the zoo! The National Zoo, is the best! It's well laid out, it has bathrooms EVERYWHERE (big deal, right? Until you need it) the food vendors are all tasty and plenty of drinks for hydration. Did I mention the animals? It's the National Zoo! There are elephants, bison, wolves, bats, giraffes, hippopotamuses, everything! You need to reserve parking right now, and it's $30. But, it is so worth it. Get out go to the zoo before they lock us...