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| - First let's get the big negative out of the way- this place is FAR away from East and Central valley so be prepared to spend an hour (or longer) in the car getting here. Also, it's like $30 per person to gain entrance BUT this place is awesome. It's much more intimate than the Phoenix Zoo. It's very easy to get right up in front of the animals, whether it be the white tiger, rhino, or giraffes. The feeding station for giraffes is really great. Bring plenty of quarters so you can use the gumball type machines to get some feeding pellets and let the giraffe lick them off your hand. A great experience, our 2 year old loved it. There are other "ride" including a skyride that takes you over the length of the park, for $5 per adult rider. I also saw a carousel but it's older and spins around really fast (almost lost my lunch!), but hey... the kids love it right? There's a log ride, a petting zoo, a train, and a HUGE aquarium. You'll see all kinds of aquatic life - you can touch rays, see piranha, and watch an albino alligator get fed. Very cool stuff, but don't forget to wash and sanitize your hands when you leave!! There's a BBQ restaurant on site, which we thought was a little strange to serve BBQ in a zoo! The prices are pretty high for standard ho-hum fare. Our server was very slow, and sort of rude- maybe it was the end of her shift or something. I would suggest packing a lunch, or eating before/after your visit to the zoo. But overall, this place is great and I would say any Arizonan should visit at least once. Remember, the $30 entrance fee goes right back into making the park bigger and better. Wear comfortable shoes as you'll be walking a lot!
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