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The Denver Zoo, open every day of the year, is home to nearly 4,000 animals representing 700 species. It has evolved into an 80-acre wonderland in Denver’s City Park. Courtesy photo.

Zoos

- Denver Zoo
- 2300 Steele St., Denver, at 23rd Avenue between Colorado Boulevard and York Street
- Phone: 303-376-4800
- Web: www.denverzoo.org
- Cost: April through September: $11, ages 12-64; $9 ages 65-plus; $7 ages 3-11; free ages 2 and younger. October through March: $9 ages 12-64; $7 ages 65-plus; $5 ages 3-11; free ages 2 and younger.

The Denver Zoo, open every day of the year, is home to nearly 4,000 animals representing 700 species including the incredibly rare okapi, red-bellied lemur, Amur leopard, black rhino and Siberian tiger. In 1896, a small, orphaned black bear named Billy Bryan became the first resident of Denver Zoo.

A gift to the mayor of Denver, Billy’s adventurous and sometimes mischievous spirit helped mold the Zoo into what it is today. Through the help of generous donors and support from the six county Denver metro area’s cultural tax, Denver Zoo has evolved into an impressive 80-acre wonderland in Denver’s beautiful City Park. The zoo is open 365 days a year. From Oct.1 to March 31, the zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission gates close at 4 p.m. April 1 through Sept. 30, the zoo operates from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with admission gates closing at 5 p.m.

- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
- 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road, Colorado Springs, on the side of Cheyenne Mountain
- Phone: 719-633-9925
- Web: www.cmzoo.org
- Cost: $12 for adults; $10 for senior citizens; $6 for children; free for ages 2 and younger

On 146 acres at an elevation of 6,800 feet, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the only mountain zoo in the United States.

The zoo is home to more than 750 animals representing some 142 species from around the world, more than 32 of which are classified as endangered or threatened. The zoo is open 365 days a year from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all other times of the year. Last admission at the gate is always 4 p.m.