2023 Family Trip to Washington DC - National Zoo - Day 04 - 2023/05/01

It's our fourth day in Washington DC and today we've got something really special planned. We're headed to the National Zoo! 

Without a car, we're navigating the trains of the city to get to where we need to be. 

10:45am and well after rush hour, thankfully. 

They're excited for the visit today. Probably more excited than any of the other things we've seen. What's Alli doing on the phone?  

Trying to learn the ins and outs of the train system. Looking at route maps, where we're going and where we are. Figuring out what color lines will get us to our destination. Good skills to have! 

We've made it to the zoo! It's free entry, but you do need a reservation to get in. 

Hmm, where should we start? 

Actually there's one place that is on the very top of both of their lists. Alli was really into pigs before (we stayed at a pig rescue farm in Nevada), but pigs have been replaced by another animal. And it's one that's not in very many zoos here in the United States, so this trip was something special. 

It's the Giant Panda! All the YouTube videos they've seen show these giant cuddly bears to be playful and fluffy. They really want to see them in person. 

And there's one right there! 

He's outside sitting down and looks to be chewing on something. 

Ian - How do we get down there? 

We found a path that led to a viewing area in front of the enclosure and the kids were enamoured. 

Yes, we just stood there for 10 minutes watching whatever the panda would do. 

There's three pandas here today. Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, and their panda cub Xiao Qi Ji. There's some cute pictures of Xiao Qi Ji who was born here at this zoo in 2020. 

Panda souvenirs? Yes, I'm pretty sure we're coming home with a few of those. 

Pressed pennies of course. 

And Panda medallions? Sure. Those will easily fit in the RV. 

Of course they've got to get all the Panda designs. 

Xiao Qi Ji looks like such a cute and fluffy little bear cub. 

Alli, those look like the kind of treats that you might enjoy. 

As you walk behind the grassy panda paddock, there is indoor viewing of the panda enclosures. Keepers are busy working in a couple of them, so we can't see all three right now, but we can see Tian Tian taking a nap. 

Volunteers and researchers keeping an eye on everyone. 

Well, that's the pandas! Good to go see some other animals? 

Kids - No! We want to see more of the pandas! 

How about a visit to the gift shop for now instead. 

Oh boy. All the panda stuffies needed a hug. 

2022 marked the 50th year of the Pandas coming from China to be at the National Zoo. All giant pandas are on loan from China and only a few zoos in the United States have them. 

I think Alli has found her favorite. 

Let's go eat some lunch. 

Walking by the American Bison enclosure. I remember seeing hundreds and hundreds when we visited Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Custer State Park. 

Time to eat a quick bite before exploring more of the zoo. We opted for the $5 slices of Sbarro's pizza. 

Instead of the $16 BBQ sandwiches (no sides). Yikes! 

Time to explore more of the zoo? 

Absolutely not! Back to the pandas! 

I think this might be Tian Tian outside wandering around. 

Pandas are actually solitary creatures and don't spend much time hanging around other pandas in the wild. So all the pandas here have their own enclosures where they don't interact with each other. 

Mom Mei Xiang just relaxing inside and sleeping on a rock. 

So sleepy. 

(This picture is Alli's background on her iPad even now in 2026)

It's Xiao Qi Ji! Oh my! He's so fluffy! 

We have a prime viewing spot right by the rail. 

I think he's asking if it's his birthday yet. He wanted another fruitsicle cake! 

We're here on a not-so-busy Monday, so the walkways by the panda enclosure were not very crowded. That's great for us because on busy days they have volunteers to keep the crowds moving. But today we're able to spend as much time as we want watching the pandas. The volunteers are very knowledgeable about pandas and would spend as much time as the kids wanted chatting. Occasionally some of the keepers would wander out and we could ask them questions too. 

Sitting on a bed and eating lots of bamboo. 

Looks like Xiao Qi Ji did end up getting some treats afterall. The keeper said that this was enrichment, hiding treats in the red ring and having them play with it to get it out. 

Yummy panda treats. 

And when you're done with that, it's back to the bamboo. 

Mom Mei Xiang showing us how powerful a panda's jaws are. She is crunching those stalks with ease and stripping away the tough outside skin to eat the soft middle. 

They're pretty deft with their paws as they manipulate the long stalks and only eat the pieces they want. 

Looking at my photo timestamps, we finished lunch around 1pm. It's now 3pm and we've spent 2 hours looking at the pandas. The kids have loved it all. 

Let's go see some other animals. Like Maharini, an Asian Elephant. 

They had some elephant teeth on display and we learned that in the wild, many elephants don't die of old age, but because their teeth have worn out and they can't chew food anymore. 

Here at the National Zoo, they keep a close eye on her teeth, and her trainer showed us how they do that. 

Showing us some of her skills in return for treats. 

We fit right in. 

The nocturnal Moholi bushbabies are pretty cute too. 

The sizing looks just a little off with this one. 

Near one of the restrooms, Ian was super thrilled to find a free money glitch! He had to read it a few times to make sure it was what he thought it was. 

We've got to try this ourselves. 

Put in one dollar, receive 4 quarters and two pennies!

That's pretty wild buddy!  

Well, we've only seen a few animals at the zoo so far. Ready to explore more? 

No! More pandas! 

Yep! Back to the pandas to watch them eat treats and bamboo. 

So fluffy and adorable. The keepers said that they could see us through the glass. 

Ian taking a break and sitting by one of the back walls of the panda enclosure. Still watching pandas, just letting other people get closer. 

It seems his stuffie has found a treat to nibble on too. 

Both stuffies have found the stick to eat. 

We've seen a whole lot of volunteer Alonzo today. And he's been really great, answering so many questions that the kids have come up with, especially Ian. 

Ian really monopolized his time today, but Alonzo was always happy to chat. He said that he loved Ian's curiosity and that he might have a career as a naturalist. He encouraged him to start a log book with all the animals and plants that he's seen. 

It's after 5pm and it's time for us to head back to the hotel. We've spent so much of our time today with Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and cute Xiao Qi Ji. The kids have loved it so much. 

We took a few videos of the pandas, so I figured I'd put them all into one longer video with the cute moments.

Tomorrow we're back to the National Mall to look at some other fun things!