Earlier this week, Drew and I were in the New Orleans area meeting with a potential client. On Wednesday, we had the opportunity to visit the Audubon Zoo. It is one of the best in the country. We visited in the morning and it was swarming with people. It has often been on the leading edge of trying new things. Here are a few we really enjoyed.

Themed Gift Shops

The gift shop near the Zoo’s entry has some of the best sales in the industry. This is attributed to its immersive, themed environment. The gift shop near the swamp even has baby alligators in it.

Cool Zoo

A recent addition to the zoo is a water play area. It has increased attendance and paid for itself in one year. It has a monumental alligator with a giant pail in its mouth that pours water on visitors. There are several slides in the alligator too. There are themed water guns in the shape of animal heads. And other fun things for the youngest of park goers. These include a spinny interactive that is an animal match game and water sprayer. In the toddler area, the water doesn’t spray out powerfully; it is more of a mist. This is great for toddlers. This area was designed as a place for whole families to gather. Many families have wide age ranges from toddlers to teenagers. In the cool zoo there are fun things for all so the family can stay together. There are also cabana like tables and a food area. They know their audience.

Animal Interactions

Most enclosures are very open. You feel very near and connected to the animals. During our visit, a giraffe reached over for a leaf near a viewing area within five feet of visitors. It was a very personal encounter. A big wow! The gorillas seemed to be staring right into our eyes. A parrot on a branch in the open had his own speaker and was dancing to music. In the future, you will be able to compare hand sizes with an orangutan and wade next to elephants!

Animal Enrichment

Many enclosures house several different animals. The South American area had llamas, capybaras, emus and other animals all together. Many animals were munching on food. The sun bear’s food is hidden throughout his enclosure – in logs or in his stream. He spends the day searching for goodies just like he would in the wild. Several areas had toys for the animals. The Orangutan had a rope hammock that I want for my farm.  It was to die for! The giraffes had branches hung way up high they were playing with. These somewhat simple elements are great for visitors and animals alike.

Theming

Each zone of the park had scenic elements that replicated a piece of the geographic region the animals were from. I especially liked the Mayan ruins and walking through a bamboo forest. All the graphic panels utilized a design that was distinctly cultural. There are many play areas throughout where you could stop and climb and have fun. I especially liked the swamp play area where there was a kid trap. This rope tunnel mimicked a crab trap.

What do you do to please your visitors or customers?