HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THE LAIR?
If you have not yet visited the new LAIR exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens you and the kids are in for a treat! LAIR stands for Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles and is the zoo’s newest exhibit. There are over 60 species from all over the world including some of the rarest species among North American zoo’s.
We had a chance to visit during opening week and the kids loved it. I tried to remember what the exhibit looked like before the redesign and all I can recall are childhood memories of walking through a narrow path with lots of dark viewing cases full of slithery things. Now, you walk into the exhibit and feel like you have been transported to a different place! It is bright and spacious and so alive. The walls are covered in murals which were hand-painted by different artists to represent the natural habitats of the LAIR’s species; including mountainous regions of China, Central America and Mexico; lush forests of Africa, South America, and the Philippines; river banks of New Zealand, Australia and Louisiana; deserts of Southern California, Arizona and Mexico. Talk about global exposure!
In the principle building, or Damp Forest, you are surrounded by a lush tropical scene and loads of forest friends, like the poison dart frog that runs free in the jungles of my home country Costa Rica (so cute! but so not cool to touch). There is also the Care and Conservation Room, which gives visitors a sneak peak into the work that the Zoo is doing to help conserve rare and endangered species. The second building houses the Desert LAIR, representing the semi-arid desert climate of Mexico, Arizona, and our own backyard – Southern California.
It is definitely worth making a special trip to the zoo to see this cool new space.
Check out the video promo with Betty White and Slash:
ADDRESS: Los Angeles Zoo, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90027
ADMISSION: Adults (ages 13 – up): $16; Seniors (age 62 and up): $13; Children (ages 2 to 12): $11; Children (under 2): FREE
PARKING: FREE
HOURS: Monday – Sunday: 10am – 5pm
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