My Trip to the Franklin Park Zoo
For the last two years, one thing about my Tufts experience has kept me up at night. No, it’s not a class I regret not taking or an event I feel that I should’ve attended. Instead, the thing that I regretted most about my first two years at Tufts was a field trip that I failed to take. Thankfully, just before the start of the fall semester, I was able to correct that mistake. Yes, that’s right, I went to the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, Ma!
I’ve loved going to the zoo for as long as I can remember. Animals have always fascinated me. Go, Diego, Go! was my favorite TV show, and as a child, I would watch Animal Planet DVDs on repeat. For me, the zoo is a calming place, where I can gaze at the incredible animals, gather my thoughts during a relaxing afternoon walk, and regain some of my youthful innocence. I try to go to the zoo in every city I visit. Thus far, I’ve checked off zoos in cities ranging from Tampa to Denver, and have visited the Philadelphia Zoo more times than I can count. But, for whatever reason (bad winter weather, lengthy travel time, or too much homework), I had never made my way to the Franklin Park Zoo while at Tufts.
On the Sunday before classes began, having moved into my off-campus apartment earlier in the summer, I decided to correct that mistake. Along with two of my housemates, I hopped in the car and hit the road to the zoo! (This was also my first time driving through Boston, but that’s another blog post for another day.)
After wading through traffic, we made our way to Franklin Park, a lush, green oasis in the heart of Boston. Tickets for the zoo were about $30 per person, though the free parking was a nice perk.
Arriving at the zoo at around 1:30pm, we stuck around until 4:00pm, taking our time to stop by each exhibit (except for the birds, I hate birds). My favorite exhibits were the prairie dogs, Andean condor, tapir, and, of course, the giraffes. The African Experience exhibit, featuring zebras, one of my favorite animals, was unfortunately closed for renovations, though, and will not reopen until 2026. Though not the largest zoo I’ve visited, Franklin Park offered a wide variety of critters and engaging information displays. The “Boston Lights” lantern display added some artistic flair to our stroll through the park.
The best part of our visit was that the weather was perfect, which allowed us to stroll leisurely along the shady path, taking in the last minutes of our summer vacation and the summer season. Though the zoo is situated in the city, you would never know that was the case while visiting, as a peaceful, quiet air pervades the grounds.
So, while Franklin Park was not the top zoo I’ve ever visited, make sure to take a trip to Cincinnati for that, I’m glad I was able to right one of the foremost wrongs of the first half of my Tufts experience. Us Jumbos are lucky to reside so close to one of America’s finest cities, and it would be wise to undertake as many Boston adventures as possible during your years on the hill. So, for my final few semesters here, I’ll make sure to “Go, Max, Go!”
Photo Credit: Max Druckman