Want a “Sunday Outing” and an opportunity to commune with nature?  Bring the whole family and join us for a day at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.  The National Zoological Park is a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution whose mission is to “celebrate, study and protect wild animals and their habitats.”  The 163-acre zoological park is set amid Rock Creek National Park, in the heart of Washington, D.C., and houses more than 2,700 individual animals of 435 different species in both indoor and outdoor exhibits.

Meet the best known residents of the zoo, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang – the giant pandas acquired on a ten-year loan from the China Wildlife Conservation Association.  See Kandula . . . the Zoo’s young Asian elephant who now stands at about six and a half feet tall at the shoulder and weighs about 4,250 pounds.  Watch the orangutans commute between the Great Ape House and the Think Tank via the Orangutan Transportation System.  Visit the Think Tank and perhaps observe scientists testing the apes’ ability to use and understand word symbols!  In addition, see the Great Cats, the Great Apes, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, birds and an invertebrate (animal without a backbone) display.

THIS TRIP REQUIRES MUCH WALKING!!

Coach will leave the zoo at 4:00 P.M. Anticipated arrival time in York is 7:00 P.M. and Hanover at 7:45 P.M.

There is no food stop en route to the zoo. There is a fast-food stop (on your own) on the way home.