Northern Indiana brings in travelers for many reasons. Some are camping at local campgrounds like Indiana Dunes or Potato Creek State Park. Elkhart County brings in lots of RVers for repairs or RV conventions. Notre Dame University is a big reason to visit South Bend, IN especially during football season. No matter what reason you are visiting the area, make sure to stop by Potawatomi Park Zoo.
We have been coming to this zoo since we were little kids. We remember every year our schools would go there for field trips. And during the summer months our parents would take us to let us run wild like monkeys
Once we became parents we made sure to get annual passes so we could come as much as we wanted. It pays for itself very quickly. Our kids have been to the zoo many times for school functions, birthday parties and friend outings.
This zoo has continued to grow and make improvements every year. Even though our kids are grown now, we still like to go every so often to see the changes and any new animals.
Warning: We have lots of pictures in this blog. All the animals are so adorable.
History
Potawatomi Zoo is one of Indiana’s oldest zoos founded in 1921 starting with just one deer. At the end of the Great Depression in 1940, the Works Progress Administration constructed the zoo’s Cat House, its first permanent structure. Serving as home to Amur leopards and snow leopards, and is the oldest zoo building still standing at Potawatomi Zoo.
In 1971, the St. Joseph Zoological Society, now called Potawatomi Zoological Society, was formed. In 1981, the zoo began charging admission, to provide an accurate attendance count as well as revenue.
With 23 acres and over 400 animals, this zoo is rich in history. Potawatomi also participates in over 56 Species Survival Plans.
What to see
Like most zoos you will find lions, tigers and bears (Oh, My). But you will find so many more animals here. The areas of the zoo you will find are Asia, Africa, Australia, American, Zoo Farm (petting zoo) and the Learning Center. Ever since the kids were little we always started in the Asia area and worked our way around the zoo. I’m not sure why we always go that way but I don’t think we ever deviated from that. I’m guessing it’s because the petting zoo is the closest going that direction.
You will find lots of signs along the paths to tell you which animal you are looking at, along with fun facts and important information. Some animal examples in the Asia area are Sichuan Takin, Rhino, and Okapi.
When you leave Asia, take a right to enter the Zoo Farm (petting zoo). If you have little ones, plan to spend a lot of time over here. You can pet and feed alpacas, sheep, goats and donkeys. To feed the animals head over to the token feed machines in the middle of the petting zoo. You will need to use cash to get your tokens. One token is $0.50. The Zoo Farm also has some chickens but you can’t pet or feed them. Some other things you will find in this area is a hand washing station and small playground.
As you head out of the Zoo Farm you will find yourself in Africa. Here you will find lions, African painted dogs, giraffes and more. Along the waterway in African you be able to feed fish. There are a lot of them. The fish were our kids favorited animals to feed. Every so often you will find the ducks walking on top of them to get to the food. Made us laugh every time.
The giraffe area is one of the newest additions to the zoo and very popular. The giraffes walk along a savanna with a feeding deck on the west side. There is also a giraffe barn during inclement weather where you can still see and feed them. The cost is $3 to feed the giraffe a couple pieces of lettuce.
After you visit the giraffes you will cross the train tracks to visit the River Otters. There is an upper and lower viewing area. Sometimes they will be running and playing in and out of the stream. Other times they are showing off their swimming skills in the water. You’ll want to head over to the underwater viewing area to see them up close. The kids love this section.
As you continue through the zoo you will see some buffalos, an Andean Bear, foxes, chacoan chicory, and anteater. You need to stop and watch the prairie dogs. They are very playful and like to talk to each other. You can also see some random local birds enjoying the prairie dogs lunch. The prairie dogs aregood at sharing.
While near the prairie dogs you can see some kangaroos, alligators, squirrel monkeys, and laughing kookaburra.
As you make your way to the Learning Center you will be able to see a few beautiful birds (blue and gold macaw, cockatoo, and military macaw), Galapagos tortoises, and red pandas.
Inside the Learning Center you will find a lot of the reptiles and amphibians, along with some other animals like the Fennec Fox, sloth, white-fronted marmoset, and sand cats.
The Learning Center is a great place to take cover if it starts to rain. You can spend a lot of time in here looking around.
Animal Encounters and Experiences
Add an up-close and personal experience to your zoo visit. Enjoy an animal encounter where you get to meet the animals and talk to their keepers. A few of the animal encounters you can pick from are with the flamingos, galapagos tortoise, otter, okapi and sloth.
A few other experiences are touching a rhino, feeding the bison and giraffes. If you or your children are wanting to feed animals but don’t want to spend too much money, remember you can feed the animals in the Zoo Farm and the fish in the African river and North America pond. This food only cost $0.50 for a handful of pellets.
Take a Ride
Sometimes your legs need a bit of a rest from all that walking. Hop on board the zoo train. Unfortunately the train only goes around the west side of the zoo so it’s not very long. You will be able to see animals in the American and Australian section.
You will find a hand-crafted and hand-painted endangered species carousel near the entrance of the zoo. Ride one of the 18 animals including a zebra, lion, ostrich, leopard, or giraffe.
Special events
The zoo also hosts several special events throughout the year. We always love the zoo boo at Halloween time. They also have a Brew at the Zoo event for those 21 and older. The Gift of Lights takes place at the end of November till the end of December. And of course you can have them host a birthday party there. We have been there several times for birthday parties as well as having our kids’ birthday parties here.
Make sure to check out Potawatomi Zoo’s website for more information on this wonderful zoo and how to sign up for any zoo encounters.