Lee Richardson Zoo

 Lee Richardson Zoo, located in Garden City, Kansas is a testament to the way this community thinks about its park.  The zoo was founded in 1927 by the city and the local chapter of the Izaak Walton League in Finnup Park  It all started with two skunks that were brought in by the town police chief who happened to become the zoo superintendent.  Eventually, the zoo was named after him in 1950.  Today the zoo is a department of the city.

The zoo now has over 300 native and exotic animals in large animal-enriching spaces throughout the park.  In addition to the extensive collection of animals, there are some other elements that make this zoo unique.  

First, the zoo is designed as both a walk and a drive-through zoo.  If you are walking, admissions is free.  We walked the zoo and believe that is the best way to see it, but the zoo covers a lot of ground so wear your comfortable shoes.  If you choose to drive there is a $10.00 fee for driving your car through the zoo.  Parking is provided near each of the animal exhibits so that it is just a short walk over to see the animals.

Like other large zoos, this zoo sections off its exhibits by country of origin or species types with areas for Africa, South America, Australia, Asia and you guessed it North American plains.  The habitats are large in comparison to other zooms we have visited providing the animal quite a bit of space to roam, play and eat.

The giraffe house was one of our favorite stops during our visit.  The giraffes were active and were interacting with a number of the enrichment items provided to them. Cat Canyon is another highlight for you and adults alike with ramps and bridges that make exploring this exhibit space lots of fun.

Throughout the park, there is quite a bit of shade provided by tall trees, with the exception of the walk along the North American Plains habitats.  The park-like atmosphere makes for a very enjoyable walk.  We visited early on a Sunday morning as we were driving through the area to get back home.  It was peaceful and we had much of the zoo to ourselves.

The zoo has some picnic areas and a small carousel for the kids.  I am not sure how operational the carousel is, but it would be fun to ride if it is up and running.  Near the carousel is also a river mining experience for the kids.

We have visited a lot of zoos and Lee Richardson Zoo has to be the best deal out there.  A large number of animal species puts it in the upper tier of zoos for me, much more than you would expect for a community the size of Garden City.  If you are headed through here, take time to stop and visit the animals.