Tips for Making the Most of Your Summer Visit to the Zoo

Summers in Washington, D.C. can be hot... really hot. 

When heat indexes soar over 100 degrees, D.C., staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute work hard to make sure both visitors and animals are healthy and safe on hot summer days.  

Tips for making the most of your summer trip to the Zoo 

• Try to arrive early, before the heat of the day when animals will be more active. 

• Animals often hang out shaded areas of their exhibit, which can make them a bit harder to spot. 

• When it is very hot outdoors, daily animal demos can be hard on the guests, animals, and staff.  For everyone’s safety, when there is an excessive heat advisory in effect, animal demos may be canceled or relocated to indoor spaces.  Please be sure to look for signage so you don’t wait in the sun for an animal demo that has been canceled. 

Want to beat the heat? The Zoo also provides lots of opportunities for visitors to cool off on hot days!  

• Take a quick dip in one of the water misting stations placed throughout the park. 
• Kids can play in the beach-themed Squirt Zone splash area, located on American Trail next to the California sea lion exhibit. 
• Grab a cold drink or a frozen treat from one of the Zoo’s snack stands or dining areas.  
• See some animals! Indoor exhibits like the Bird House, Reptile Discovery Center, and Small Mammal House are temperature-controlled throughout the year.  

How we keep our animals cool in the heat 

Animal care teams keep a close eye on the Zoo’s residents every day of the year. All exhibit areas have temperature-controlled indoor holding areas and hiding spaces that the animals can choose to enter whenever they want.  

For the animals who stay outdoors, Zoo staff provide plenty of ways to stay comfortable, including: 

• Large carnivores, such as Andean bears and tigers, receive ice cakes filled with frozen chunks of meat. These enrichment items keep the animals cool while also offering a fun challenge to overcome. 
• Herbivores like the Western lowland gorillas and Asian elephants receive fruitsicles, which are ice cakes filled with frozen fruit and diluted fruit juice.  
• Animals from temperate regions, like the Bird House’s turkeys and sandhill cranes, have freshwater pools in their outdoor habitats. The animals take frequent dips, using the evaporating water to draw heat from their bodies. 
• Animals from warmer regions, like the Africa Trail’s cheetahs, addaxes and Hartmann’s mountain zebra, are acclimated to the heat. Often, all they need to do to stay cool is lay down in a shady spot. 

Home to more than 2,100 animals, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is leader in animal care, science, education and sustainability. Plan your visit today. Admission is free!