The National Zoo covers 163 acres and it takes several hours to see all of our animals and exhibits. To make your walk around the Zoo more enjoyable, wear comfortable shoes and clothing, as the Zoo is set on hilly terrain and some paths are steep. Plan ahead and your visit will be a memorable one.
Review the Zoo Map
Explore the Zoo map and plot your route through the Zoo so you don’t miss anything. Choose a meeting place in case someone gets separated from the group. Print a 
guide for visitors with young children.
Check the Calendar
See what programs are going on the day of your visit. Be sure to stay for one of the keeper talks, animal feedings, or other educational activities. Also check out our upcoming special events and celebrations, and find out if your visit coincides with an early closing.
Dress for the Weather and Terrain
While many of our animals are in indoor exhibits, many others, including giant pandas, sloth bears, great cats, seals, and sea lions, are usually outdoors. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing. Wheelchairs and strollers are available.
Meet Our Animals
We hope you will have time to see all of our animals, but if you are short on time, be sure to visit some of our most popular:
- Watch our giant pandas in the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat. Download a free
audio tour of Asia Trail from Fujifilm. - Meet our baby gorilla in the Great Ape House.
- See our Asian elephants and learn more about the Elephant Trails campaign and our commitment to save Asian elephants.
- Delight in the antics of our orangutans as they cross the famous O Line.
- Step into the Bird House's Indoor Flight Room and watch as parrots, tanagers, and many other bird species fly freely.
- View our fabulous African lions and Sumatran tigers at Great Cats.
- Encounter our very own Navy seals in the seals and sea lions exhibit.
- Discover a whole new world of fascinating creatures, like the giant Pacific octopus, in our Invertebrate Exhibit.
- Walk through the rainforest in Amazonia as monkeys leap and birds fly around you.
- Unearth the secret life of naked mole-rats in the Small Mammal House.
Bring your used cell phone to the Zoo's Visitor Center and drop it in the collection box at the front desk. Thanks to a partnership with ECO-Cell, your phone will help FONZ support the National Zoo's mission. You can also recycle your used batteries and printer cartridges here.
Activity Sheets: Print and Bring to the Zoo
- Home Sweet Habitat Scavenger Hunt
- Creature Features Scavenger Hunt
- Use Your Senses, Test Your Skills
- Zoo-per Bingo
- Artful Animals Activity Guide — Artful Animals, a new exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art, showcases
125 artworks that feature African animals.
Find out more.
