Louisville Zoo 050

We love a zoo that's more organized than our home!

The Louisville Zoo not only manages to feed (and clean up after) its residents, it also operates the wet and wild Calistoga Splash Park at Glacier Run (seasonal schedule; visitors admitted free with zoo admission), and updates its daily activities/events list, Fun Things To Do on a very frequent basis.

What kind of things make that list? Visitors who plan their day right can watch Elephant Aerobics, ride the Zoo Tram, feed the lorikeets ($1 per cup of nectar), watch the model garden railroad go 'round 160 feet of track, and - oh yeah - view the animals.

The zoo's two-story high challenge course, Sky Trail High Adventure, is a fun, safe, family activity where participants navigate horizontally across activities while safely secured and tethered to an overhead tracking system - with a full-body harness and lanyard. Tickets ($7/person) can be purchased at the front gate or the Sky Trail course. Closed-toe shoes are required.

Rides on the zoo's Zip Line - which uses a patented twin safety pulley system to sail visitors from a 50-foot high launch (as high as a 5-story building), over the zoo's lake, to another tower 350 feet away (about the length of a football field) then back again - are $12 per person in addition to regular Zoo admission. The zip line is open seasonally, in good weather.

For out-of-towners who want to turn their zoo visit into a vacation, the zoo offers special overnight package rates in conjunction with the local visitors' bureau.

Camp programs for kids ages six to 12 are offered over the summer and during school vacation breaks.

Birthday party packages for kids ages three to 12 run the gamut from a 90 minute program with live animal meet-and-greets to overnight extravaganzas. Contact the zoo for more information, or to book a date.

Several family restrooms are available inside the zoo, and stroller and wheelchair rentals are available on the front plaza.