As my kids and I started our list of things to do this summer including a trip to the zoo, I was feeling a bit nostalgic and thought I’d share my memories as a Kansas City kid here. And I hope any of you grown-up KC kids feel free to share your memories in the comments here too!
The Tropics exhibit opened recently in the original Kansas City Zoo building from 1909. I’m looking forward to getting back inside. No, I wasn’t around back at the turn of the 20th century but I do remember going through that building as a child. It had a tropical feel then too – trees, vines, free-flying birds, glass-fronted tanks with snakes and the absolute highlight – the hippo. Yep, they had a hippo in a pool of water inside the building. Does anyone else remember that?
I ran to my mom’s and dug out some old pics to share with you too. Back in the late ’70s, the zoo was a regular stop on our summer agenda. No zebra tram back then, but we always rode the train. Same train that’s there now with a slightly different route. My kids don’t seem to think that’s as cool as I do – though they love the train just as I did.
Africa was called the “African Veldt” and was a huge concrete pit containing elephants, giraffes, lions, gazelles and other animals I don’t recall. We walked around the outside and peered down towards the animals. This picture of me, my little sister and my dad is near the giraffe section circa 1977. Check out the awesome socks and sneakers on Dad. :)
Remember the Great Ape House? Better yet, remember how bad the Great Ape House smelled? And the island of monkeys across the sidewalk? I could never figure out how they stayed over there – were they that afraid of the narrow moat?
There also used to be a dairy barn at the zoo with a petting zoo nearby. Here’s a photo of my sister and me, feeding goats. Check out my sweet Worlds of Fun bucket hat. Looks like we were quite the local attraction aficionados that summer…
Not far from the petting zoo was this big whale – you could walk inside but I don’t remember what was in there. Anyone?
Aside from the newly remodeled 1909 building and the train, the Great Cat Walk and the sea lions are the only things that remain the same 30 years later. I strain to glimpse the old bear cages now on the walk to the new Africa. The old African Veldt is just beyond the train barn that you pass as the tram to Africa leaves the front of the zoo.
Lots of good memories at the zoo. With my parents, with my cousins. I can remember it vividly and hope my children have similar memories 30 years from now as they share an even newer and more improved Kansas City Zoo with their children.
If you have old Kansas City Zoo memories, please share them with us in the comments below! If you have old zoo pictures you’d like to share (and really? Who could possibly look sillier than I do in these?), please share them by posting them to a fan album on our Facebook Fan Page!
Next up for the Now and Then treatment? I’m thinking Worlds of Fun – I just have dig out some old Orient Express and Zambizi Zinger photos!
I am so glad you mentioned Dad’s socks and shoes in that photo because it’s all I could look at.
Also, the Zambizi Zinger was the first roller coaster I ever went on. Orient Express was number 2. I was sad to see that they’re both gone now…
My favorite thing at the zoo was the big blue whale. If I remember correctly, you just walked inside and it was kind of squishy like his tongue would feel (or maybe I’m imagining that??).
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. My boys and I love visiting the zoo and have already been there 3 times this spring. Can’t wait to go back. The new tropics exhibit is very cool! I also heard that work has begun on the new home for bears which are supposed to be returning sometime in the near future.
Riding the train and going through the tunnel and screaming as we went through….quite annoying to the adults….its gone now though. The now tiger trail used to have tigers in the first thing you come to you could sit in the cement area with window and be face to face with a orange and black tiger.
Yes! Now that I think about it – the whale’s tongue WAS squishy! And I totally remember the train tunnel and the screams too!
I remember when WOF first opened and all the relatives from everywhere just had to come stay with us so they, too, could Go Around the World in 80 days. I think we visited the zoo a few times with some of the cousins who came in. My parents were not ones to by souveniers, but I think someone got my sister the same WOF bucket hat. My dad got sick on the Flying Dutchman and all these years later, will not get back on it!
The train tunnel is still there not as big as I remember it. I have great memories there because my dad worked there was I was little. My kids are 12,3 and 1 and we love to go and got our first family pass. We have been there 4 times so far this spring! We love the ZOO!
The zoo was my favorite place, do you remember having to walk a long path to get to the cat walk and there were Wildebeest by the entrance, the whale was the entrence into the kids park they had a old lady shoe with slide and differet nursery rhyme things to play in. There was educational material in the whale but didn’t really pay attention. It had a moat around it. There was a ground hog bubble thing you climbed through to see the animals. It was where the discovery barn area was. THey also had ponie rides that was a big oval. I remember the Reptial house with all those snakes and it was dark. It is funny how things were bigger as a child. They tunnel is still there but it a lot smaller (most likely the same size, you can see it if you ride the tram back from africa. It is sad to see the ape house and animal valley were the bears were and monkey isle are in such a state of disrepair.
It would be nice to see that either torn down and cleaned up or fixed.
But what a great childhood memory, My son 4 year old loves the zoo, we had our new pass for 2 weeks now and have gone 5 times. He has made friends with some keepers over the years and knows some of the animals names and tricks to get them to interact with him. I think he will have great childhood memories, I know I will remember his childhood zoo memories if he doesn’t. Also do you remember when they had the haunted zoo train rides? WOF now and then would be a great discussion, lots of things have changed there too. Can’t wait to read that. Kudos on the memory lane trip.
Love the post, Kate! Readers–click the special offer for a printable coupon for a free child’s admission to the zoo with a paid adult. This comes courtesy of http://www.visitkc.com, the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association. They have great 2-For-1 coupons for many Kansas City area attractions; check this site out!!!
http://www.visitkc.com/special-offers/special-offer-detail/index.aspx?id=46
I remember feeding the giraffes marshmallows – their tongues were so sticky the marshmallows stayed right on. We even have video of it. I also remember the shoe – had a slide on the back? I think there were fish tanks and maybe some frogs inside the whale. There was also a barn where they demonstrated milking cows. Good times.
This is hilarious! I had forgotten about some of these things but the ape house stench is something I can never forget. I remember the gibbon island as my favorite attraction. Love the photos
I just found this site after doing a search for the whale and shoe.
There was a piece of whale bone inside a glass display, and maybe a section of baleen, as well as poster-sized displays with information about whales on them. I can’t remember what they said, though. The long train tunnel is still there, as well as a short concrete one that goes under a bridge.