Animals native to Austria and breathtaking Alpine views
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side·track (sīd´trăk): n. 1. A diversion from the main course. 2. A detour taken with children that you would never, ever take without them.
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Who:
Myself, my husband, and our daughters, Zoe – 2 years old and Cora – 11 months old.

What:
The Alpenzoo is located in Innsbruck, Austria, a charming city in the Alps, which was host to both the 1964 and 1976 Olympic Games. This zoo is built into a mountainside, which makes the trek to see all the exhibits a bit difficult, but the birds’ eye views down to the river and city along with the panoramic views of surrounding mountains are truly awe-inspiring.

All animals at this zoo are indigenous to the Alps. Their collection includes a small aquarium, several birds, moose, deer, sheep, lynx, a bear and many other animals. There is a ‘spielplatz’ (playground) and a small restaurant inside the zoo.

Why:
We were staying in Garmisch, Germany and wanted to see a bit of Austria while we were so close. So, we hopped in the car and enjoyed some truly stunning scenery for an hour before pulling into the parking lot of the Alpenzoo.

The High Points:
Who knew what a super cool animal the lynx was? One of the lynx on exhibit was especially active when we were there. The kids and I ooohhed and ahhhhed as this beautiful animal quickly and gracefully climbed up a 50 foot tree effortlessly while my camera yielding husband tried to capture the magic on film.

The brown bear exhibit was also a big hit with the kids. There is a glass viewing area, so the kids were really close to the bear, which thrilled them.

At risk of being repetitive, the views of Innsbruck here are just so beautiful! The mountains, snow-capped evergreen trees, and crystal clear river are such gorgeous backdrops to this zoo.

The Low Point:
The moment we realized that we should have had our kids in the back pack carriers instead of the double stroller. Most of the zoo is stroller accessible; however accessing some of the exhibits require climbing of stairs or steep inclines due to it being built on a mountainside.

The Kids’ Take:
‘Zee Zee likes the bear!’ – Zoe. As for Cora, she clutched the stuffed lynx that we got for her in the gift shop as she drifted off into a blissful sleep, tiny lungs full of fresh mountain air.

The Bottom Line:
It was a really great stop! I loved that all the animals were indigenous of the Alps. We were in the area only briefly, but I felt like we got a nice orientation of the Alps since all the animals are locals. Sure, in my dream trip to Austria, I would have been hiking whilst yodeling and magically discovered these animals in their natural habitat, but rather then having a knack for yodeling I have two amazing little daughters who guide me to visit super fun places like the Alpenzoo.

September 26th, 2010 | by Julie Breitigan 2 comments