Riverbanks Zoo and Garden

WHO: Absolutely everyone!

WHAT:  A traditional zoo paired with an extensive botanical garden.

WHEN:  Open 9am-5pm (extended weekend hours until 6pm from March 29th to Sept. 29th).

WHERE:  500 Wildlife Parkway, Columbia, SC 29210: super-easy to get to from Augusta taking I-20 East to I-126 East (exit at Greystone Blvd.).  Botanical garden entrance is at 1300 Botanical Parkway, West Columbia, SC 29169 (just off SC Highway 378 at I-20 and I-26), across the river from the zoo.  It takes about an hour to get there (without traffic).

WHY WE LIKE IT:  Who doesn’t love a great zoo?!  This zoo is extremely family-friendly. The exhibits are spacious, but the animals are close enough to give even the smallest kids a really good view of them.  There are programs scheduled throughout the day, so it is easy to catch a feeding or presentation without having to plan it in advance. There are very nice cafes located around the park; we ate at Kenya Cafe and the food was really tasty and reasonably priced (my husband and I got the chicken fingers and fries, which was surprisingly good, and the boys had hotdogs); however, we realized after we got there that you are allowed to bring in coolers with food and drinks, so we will probably bring a lunch sometimes.  I also loved the set-up: tons of shade (in my opinion, a necessity for any zoo on a hot summer day) and benches absolutely everywhere, which made it very easy to stop and nurse my fourth-month-old in peace while the boys enjoyed the exhibits.  An addition bonus is a small train that runs through the farm animal exhibit… my boys are train-crazy, so that was a big win.  (Be aware that tickets to the train cost $2.)

HOW: Tickets are $11.75/adult and $9.25/child (under 3 free).  You can buy then ahead of time online and skip the ticket line when you get there (we went on a holiday weekend, so that line was looong).  You can also skip the lines and go right in if you have a membership.  At $79 for a basic family membership (includes entry for all family members for a year, a number of free guest passes, entry to members-only nights at the park and eventss, and a subscription to the zoo’s magazine), a family of four will save money by getting a membership even if they only go to the zoo twice… great deal!  To buy tickets online, go here: http://www.riverbanks.org/etickets/

For more info on memberships, go here:  http://www.riverbanks.org/membership/

And for the zoo’s main website, go here: http://www.riverbanks.org/membership/