🇨🇳 Visiting the Giant Pandas in Washington DC Guide 🐼

🏠 Smithsonian’s National Zoo Zoo admission is free, but you need to reserve timed tickets online! 🚇 Transportation • Metro: Take the Red Line to Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan or Cleveland Park station • Rideshare/Taxi: Use the address 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC • Driving: Parking is $30 per car—reserve your parking spot when booking tickets 🅿️ Parking Tips The zoo is on a hillside, and the panda habitat is at the top! 🏞️ • For pandas, try to park in Lot A or B (closest to the panda exhibit)—though during busy times, you might not have a choice • Families with strollers or young kids: park in Lot D or E—it’s downhill on the way back, saving energy! 👶🛴 🐼 Panda Habitat We got lucky and saw Bao Li munching on sweet potatoes 🍠, while Qing Bao was napping on a platform nearby! Before leaving, we swung by again—Qing Bao had woken up and was happily eating right in front of everyone! 🎉 The panda area has both indoor and outdoor spaces. In winter and summer, pandas are usually inside; in spring and fall, you might catch them outdoors. They spend most of their time eating or sleeping—if they’re napping, check out other exhibits and come back later! 😴➡️🐾 💡 Recommended Route Through the Zoo: • Asian Trail: Giant pandas, red pandas, fishing cats 🐱 • African Trail: Temporarily closed for renovations 😭 • Bird House: Indoor and outdoor aviaries—three sections in total (can get warm in summer) 🦜 • Elephant Outpost: Elephant habitat 🐘 • Przewalski’s Horse: Wild horses 🐎 • Small Mammal House: Sand cats, monkeys, sloths 🐒🦥 • Great Ape House: Gorillas (indoor—can be a bit smelly) 🦍 • Think Tank: Exhibit with brain specimens—lots of seating indoors! 🧠 • Reptile Discovery Center: Turtles, snakes, lizards 🐍 • Great Cats: Lions and tigers (only saw sleeping lions 🦁😴) • Kids Farm: Alpacas, cows, farm animals 🐄 • American Trail: Beavers, otters, eagles, seals 🦦 • Amazonia: Rainforest birds and fish (indoor but humid) 🌿🐠 🎁 Gift Shops • Panda merch: Stalls near the entrance and a larger shop across from the habitat—you can find Bao Li & Qing Bao magnets and pins! 🧷🐼 • Other small shops are located throughout the zoo Have you visited the National Zoo? Did you get to see the pandas active or napping? Share your experience below! 👇💬 #5HourEscape #MyOctoberEscapeDiary #TravelNorthAmerica #WashingtonDCZoo #GiantPanda #BaoLiQingBao #PandaWatching #FreeAttraction #FamilyFun #ZooLovers #DCTravel #WildlifeEncounters #AnimalAdventures #KidFriendlyDC #PandaFans #NatureEscape #WeekendVibes #ExploreDC #ZooLife #MustSeeDC