Had a great time at the zoo. We were here during Thanksgiving weekend, which was also the baby pandas' 2nd birthday. So the zoo was looking pretty festive, there were pumpkin and Thanksgiving decorations everywhere, plus face painting for the pandas' bday. The zoo is beautiful, very clean and well-maintained. With lots of parking and space for picnics inside the park. We had interactions with a couple of staff members. There was a lady that maintains the snow leopard exhibit. The animals were sleeping but immediately woke up when they heard her walk by. They seemed to really love her.
The 2nd was a lady that worked the panda exhibit. She was at the snow leopard exhibit as well checking out the cubs. We got to talking and also had to ask her for directions to the pandas. She gladly walked us to the exhibit and even escorted us to the indoor showroom where the pandas were just getting herded in - the day had become very warm and they needed to get out of the sun. So we got to see them front row without the wait :) They were adorable! All they did the whole time we were there was eat LOL. Too bad they are leaving in March :(
All in all the staff and friendly and helpful. The zoo also has a lot of exhibits and information towards conservation, preservation and how we can do our part to help the animals. Admission is a bit pricey at $30 each due to underfunding and low attendance. There were some nice additions from since the last time I visited, such as the carousel and treetop climbing, both require extra fees, of course. I would definitely come back during the warmer weather so that my daughter can visit the splash park.