Totally Texas -- Mingle with the animals

Dallas Zoo

650 South R.L. Thornton Freeway (I-35 South)

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It’s easier than ever for people to get a close view of the Dallas Zoo’s animals -- and for the animals to get a closer look at each other. This spring’s experiment in mingling animals in the Giants of the Savannah exhibit has giraffes, zebras, impalas, ostriches and guinea fowl grazing side by side daily. The zoo’s elephant herd is being accustomed more gradually to the other animals, with selected groups of elephants typically joining either giraffes or zebras on Fridays and Sundays, weather permitting.

Neither group of grazers seems to mind the guinea fowl, who pick their way among all the big animals as if they rule the roost.

Also new this spring -- live encounters with animals and their keepers every half hour, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ndebele Plaza in the Wilds of Africa area. On my visit this week, lively African penguin Sid delighted in leaping off a stump and scampering around the stage area.

On the other side of the zoo, the free-flight bird show in the ZooNorth amphitheater takes off Wednesday and Thursday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Friday through Sunday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (Birds take time off Mondays - Tuesday.)

Other regular encounters are scheduled with lions, cheetahs, elephants and koalas on weekdays, and a wide variety of animals on weekends, at their respective enclosures.

My family enjoys the zoo even on rainy days, with the indoor reptile exhibits and the gloriously creepy exhibit of insects, spiders and other invertebrates at Bug U!, both in ZooNorth.

If the weather’s hot, we can cool off in the air-conditioned Gorilla Research Center and base camp viewing center in the Giants of the Savannah exhibit. Or enjoy the mist machines near the wart hog enclosure and the meandering stream through the Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo in ZooNorth.

The zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Shortened hours apply in winter, and the zoo is closed on Christmas Day.) Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for children (ages 3-11), parking $8 per car. And yes, we usually succumb to the boys’ pleas to ride the endangered species carousel ($2). If you come by DART (there’s a stop outside the entrance), show your DART pass for a $2 discount.

For more discount information and special events, see
www.dallaszoo.com/.

Totally Texas -- Soar and eat with the beasts

Dallas Zoo

650 South R.L. Thornton Freeway (I-35 East)

(or take DART Red Line to Dallas Zoo station)

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It was our first time viewing the Dallas Zoo’s Festival of Flight, with its free-flying, running, swimming birds, and the boys were nervous about getting too close to the perch the show’s photogenic young hosts set up. Or about participating. Those beaks and claws looked plenty sharp.

Before the end of the show, they were waving their hands to interact. The dozens of species of birds behaved so charmingly, even their rare bloopers drew smiles. A parrot responded to the “pretty women” in the audience with a simple “hello” instead of the wolf whistle his trainer hinted for.

The show began with a fly-over by a young eagle owl, the largest owl species, and still learning to remain calm around crowds of people. Creatures in the show ranged from domestic chickens and white doves to cranes, hornbills, hawks, pied crows and penguins -- and an American alligator named Lunchbox. An African collared raven ended by graciously accepting donations from viewers for the cause of bird conservation.

Show times are 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday. On Mondays and Tuesdays, the birds rest.

After visiting other animal favorites, we took a lunch break at the zoo’s Serengeti Grill in the Giants of the Savannah exhibit. As usual, lions lounged against the floor to ceiling window separating the restaurant from the predators’ exhibit, ignoring the oohs and aahs of human paparazzi on the other side.

The zoo also hosts dozens of chances to view animals close up. It’s not possible to cram all of them into a single visit, so check www.dallaszoo.com for schedules of those you like best. The giraffes, also into savannah exhibit, encourage you to buy lettuce to hand feed them when they’re not browsing the trees and grass in their paddock.

By mid-afternoon, the temperature was warming up, so we set out for the Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo and The Stream -- a water feature looking like a shallow creek running through boulders. My daughter brought the boys’ swim suits -- not mandatory, but kids won’t be able to resist the urge to splash in the cool water of the partially-shaded playground area.

The zoo is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Tickets for nonmembers are $12 for adults (ages 12-64), $9 for children ages 3-11. Parking is $7 per vehicle. See the website for discounts and special events. There’s a lot of ground to cover at the zoo’s ninety-five landscaped acres, and it’s summertime. Bring sun screen, comfortable shoes and water. (Although there are lots of drinking fountains and drink vending machines.) Stroller and wheelchair rentals are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Zoofari Market just inside the front gate.

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There’s a lot of fun stuff in North Texas this weekend, but if you haven’t had your children’s eyes tested professionally, please make that your top priority. The Essilor Vision Foundation will provide free eye exams and glasses this Saturday, June 9, during the BooksmART Festival at the Dallas Museum of Art.  For details, see
www.dallasmuseumofart.org/.