Folsom Zoo

Specs
Type:	Animals, Zoos
Distance:	Short Drive
Area:	Folsom
Ages:	All Ages
Cost:	$
Information:	www.folsom.ca.us/depts/parks_n_recreation/zoo/

The Folsom Zoo is one of those hidden gems that you don't find out about until you've lived here a couple of years. It's a little bit overshadowed by its more popular cousin, The Sacramento Zoo, but it has a few extra things going for it.

The Sacramento Zoo has a lot of exotic animals--the sort of thing you would expect to find in any metropolitan area zoo. The Folsom Zoo, on the other hand, focuses on North American wildlife. There is a very large black bear exhibit featuring a half-dozen or so different animals, and there are also foxes, mountain lions, bobcats and wolves as well many different North American birds such as hawks, owls and crows.

Photo Credit: alison.toon

The Folsom Zoo also has a few exotics, including a pair of tigers, some tropical parrots and several monkeys. Most of the exotics at the Folsom Zoo are rescues, former pets or the descendents of laboratory animals.

The Folsom Zoo is small but worth the drive, especially if you want your kids to learn about local wildlife (the mountain lions were a great lesson in safety and awareness for my kids, since we have them in our neighborhood). There's also a little train ride just around the corner, in case you feel like you need to do a little something extra while you're in the Folsom area.