The National Zoo

I have now visited the National Zoo twice - once with my parents and the other time with my borther and his girlfriend - and I must admit that it's one of my favorite DC attractions. Not only is the zoo metro accessible, but like many other DC tourist spots, it's also free! I must warn, however, that the zoo is very spread out and there's only one exit point, so wear comfortable shoes and prepare for a nice and long uphill walk as you leave the zoo. Nonetheless, the zoo's grounds are kept up nicely and there are a number of awesome exhibits to check out. My favorite was the Africa Trail which winds around and displays animals native to the African continent. On my second visit, the animals were particularly active. The elephant, for example, was being directed to bow down and lift its back leg up - a sight that drew great attention and awe from the crowd. The apes, as always, were also fun to watch -one of the apes was using a tree branch to dig food out of a PVC pipe. The picture below is from the ape exhibit.

-Corey