Ohio

Toledo Zoo, Toledo, OH

One of the many things I want to cover on The MS Traveler blog site is reviewing various venues and activities and how accessible they are to those with limited mobility.  Due to our busy schedules and some health issue, my husband and I haven’t been able to review as many venues or activities as I had hoped this summer.  But, we finally made the one hour journey from Western Wayne County, Michigan to the Toledo Zoo in Ohio in mid-September. Here’s what I thought of it:

The Toledo Zoo is a wonderful place for the disabled and those with mobility issues to visit.  When you enter through the North Side main entrance, wheelchair, scooter and stroller rentals are to the right in Volunteer Services. The restrooms are located about 100 ft away from Volunteer Services.   I usually use a cane, but  my husband and I  felt that walking would be too much for me, so we rented a wheelchair.  We paid for our tickets and we were off on our long overdue adventure at the Toledo Zoo.

I had never been to the Toledo Zoo.  My husband took me there when we were dating 11 years ago. He loved the zoo and I fell in love with it too.  Not just because it’s a very cool place, but that’s where I fell in love with him.  (That’s another story!)    What I love about this zoo is that it is small and intimate. There is plenty to see and do. It isn’t spread out over a large area, so you’re not exhausted at the end of your visit because the zoo is so huge. There are all types of animals from different parts of the world. Most of the exhibits you can be up close and personal. At the orangutan exhibit, the baby orangutan relieved himself on some visitors (a little too personal for me).  That’s how close you can get to some of the animals.

The zoo has several interactive exhibits.  At the aquarium, you can pet the stingrays, which I got to do from my wheelchair. It was an awesome experience. I’ve always wanted to swim with stingrays in the Cayman Islands.  This was the next best thing.  Also you can feed various animals during feeding time.  It’s all very cool.

In terms of accessible, you can rent wheelchairs and scooters at the North Entrance or the Broadway Entrance.  All the exhibits and restaurants are handicap accessible. There are plenty of restrooms.  My only complaint is that many of the buildings do not have handicap doors.  My husband had to struggle to open the door while trying to push me through.  Fortunately, there were a lot of kind people who held the doors for us.

I would highly recommend the Toledo Zoo.  It is a must see!