Last week my family and I had a blast at the Philadelphia Zoo. On the hunt to find the best social distance fun, we knew the Zoo would be big enough to accommodate. So how did they test against my personal meter of social distancing?
Safety Protocols
Tickets are sold online and for a certain time. Meaning we purchased our tickets for 11am and during that time we were expecting to show up. There are many channels we had to go through before we even arrived. For one, they ask you about COVID-19 symptoms at the time of the tickets. You have to acknowledge that you are aware of using social distancing as well as the use of mask while inside the Zoo. On the day of your arrival you get a text and email to confirm once again that you or anyone in your party doesn’t have COVID-19 symptoms as well. Parking was paid at the time of ordering the tickets if you choose to park inside of the parking deck.
Social Distancing
When you arrive they do have security that will check your bags for weapons etc. That’s normal protocol. You notice right off the bat there’s no long lines of people congregating. With times tickets it spaces families in. Once in and your bags are checked you will also have to social distance yourself to scan your tickets. Scanning can be done with the barcode on your phone or with the printed ticket. Throughout the entire Zoo is lion prints to remind you to socially distance. All of the indoor exhibits are currently closed at this time. This makes perfect sense to allow everyone to be outside and safe.
Every exhibit has a hand sanitizer station
Cleaner Environments
Food is more to go. You can order food and get a notification to pick up your order. The kids also wanted Dippin Dots aka the little circle ice-cream, I was able to pay that with my ApplePay. They do encourage the use of your card for food. You can also bring your own food into the Zoo as well. The bathrooms are touch less. From the toilets, soap, and paper towels you can get in and get out without touching too many surfaces. Staff is visibly seen cleaning and disinfecting as well. Staff are more visible to enforce social distancing as well. That gave me a lot of comfort!
Animal Fun
Although things are different it doesn’t take away from the fun. The kids and I enjoyed the animals too. FYI for parents like my husband who dread going to the Zoo and do it for the kids, with some of the exhibits gone it makes it a little faster to get through. We were there for about an hour and a half with a snack break in between. That should give you an ideal how quickly you can get through it. Trust me parents love their children but not all parents love walking in the heat. Wearing our mask was fine and we went during the heat wave.
Suggestions
Here are my personal suggestions based on what I observed at the Zoo:
Parents be a little kind. The Zoo is set up to keep you as safe as possible but we are all in this together. Let’s work together to make sure all of the kids can see the animals they want!
Continue to social distance and wear your mask. Don’t make it hard on the staff to constantly remind you. It’s hard especially in the heat but if we want to get out more we all need to do our part.
Like driving give courtesy walks while in the Zoo. Pick or switch to a side when other families are walking by. The Zoo is really big enough to accommodate a nice flow. Do not walk directly behind another family so we can keep social distancing.
New Family Member Alert
There’s a new chick in town! That’s right a Caribbean Flamingo chick to be exact. The chick hasn’t even been named yet.
He/she looks all white now but overtime he/she will grow. With that growth he/she will change to the color pink we all love.
The zoo keepers haven’t even handled him/her yet. This is a delicate time for him/her. They will determine his/her sex when it’s safe. Now that we have a new chick, what will be her/his name? Well you get to decide. What? Yup. You can help name the new chick. Click on the link, cast your vote. You have until August 9th. The name with the most votes wins!
The names up for grabs:
Rosado: means pink
Alto: means tall
Flaco: means slim or thin
Why these names well, simply put flamingos are from to the Caribbean and Central and South America.
So new protocols, safety at the all time high, fun hasn’t stopped, and a new Caribbean Flamingo chick on the scene…what are you waiting for? Get your tickets online and get ready to experience the fun that we all have grown to love!
