Tautphaus Park Zoo Passes: Great Value, Great Memories
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Last year my wife had a stroke of genius and bought an annual pass to the Tautphaus Park Zoo.
The reason her decision was genius was because it created something free for our family to do throughout the summer. Whenever we were bored, and even if we were tight on money between paychecks, the zoo passes always gave us a healthy activity for our kids. Kids never get bored of our small (but growing) zoo.
Purchasing a zoo pass also gets you a few guest tickets, so it is nice to occasionally bring along family friends.
The Tautphaus Park Zoo pass also gets you free admission to over 100 American reciprocating zoos. This was very nice for us to get into Utah’s Hogle Zoo for free last summer. This year we plan to stop at Pocatello’s zoo at least once.
The prices went up a bit, but we think they are still a great value. Keep in mind that kids under 3 get in free.
An individual pass for one adult and two one-time guest passes is $30. A dual pass good for two people and two guest passes at $40. The general pass is what we got last year, good for up to six people and four guest passes at $65.
Consumers usually balance how often they think they will use something against the total purchase price, and wisely compare it to the cost of admissions per visit. If you only think you will visit the zoo a couple times, the passes seem expensive, right?
However, keep in mind that when you have these zoo passes, you have a free (as in prepaid) activity you can always take the kids to. Sitting around the house bored with cabin fever? Go walk around the zoo!
We ended up going to Tautphaus Park Zoo about twenty times last summer because we had the passes. Our kids made some great memories from all those zoo trips (and picnics in the park).
I encourage you to try out zoo passes this year both for your own family, and to help our zoo grow.
What do you think?
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Comments
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0 Joe - I agree 100%. We have a 2-year-old who would go to the zoo every day if we would let him.
My wife bought us a family pass this year, and we plan on using it enough to make it more than worth the price. I wish she would have bought it a couple of weeks ago - we just recently went to Utah’s Hogle Zoo, and it would have been nice to get in for free! Our 2 year old is still talking about the monkeys and the elephants (his favorites).
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That’s awesome!
I forgot to mention the zoo is now open weekends, so you will be able to use the passes right away.
My wife took the kids a couple weekends ago on their first weekend of the season, and got a few pictures. I added the lion pic to the article, and here are a couple penguin pics.
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0 0 My Fiance’s little girl (3y/o) also loves the Tautphaus zoo. That annual pass sounds like a great idea as I bet we took her at least 4 times last year. She loves the monkeys and the little petting zoo. We also took her to the “Boo at the Zoo” last Halloween and we all had a blast.
Thanks for the info Joe…good post!
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0 0 I’m heading over to the zoo as soon as it warms up. Thanks for the reminder, Joe!
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0 0 A zoo pass would also be a wise investment for our area young bachelors.
You will always have a free date ready to go with girls, any time.
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0 0 Our family bought a pass last year and what a bargain that was. During our annual summer outing to SLC we went to Hogle Zoo and was admitted FREE because of the pass.
It is well worth the money to support our zoo. I highly recommend everyone getting season passes.
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0 0 Wow, what a great bargain. I had no idea that Hogle and other zoos honored them.
Think of these passes for gifts. After all, Mother’s and Father’s Days are coming up! While not necessarily what most parents expect, what a treat to be outside with kids (and maybe friends/family) having fun for no extra $.
Great post Joe.
Maybe we should write our own list of economical things to do during the summer. Idaho Falls has a LOT to offer. It does take a bit of research to find all the hidden secrets.
If any of you have someone in your life that likes High Tea, did you know that we have a local place in Idaho Falls? Let me know if you want more info. Now we don’t have to go to other states for “High Tea” if that’s your thing.
If you’ve never heard about High Tea and want to know more, let me know. It is FUN! I thought it would be absolutely boring. Far from it.
There is a lot to do in our neck of the woods.
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0 0 Isn’t that “High Tea” made with a type of mushroom? Oh yeah…I definately had that tasty beverage before! 
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0 0 Scoobysnax - YOU are funny!
No the tea comes from England. Sorry. Not sure where you are getting your “product,” but I’m quite certain they are different!!!!
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0 0 Just checking!
I do like Chai Tea. YuuuMMMM!!!
I also like doing Tai Chi while drinking my Chai tea!
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0 0 Is High Tea anything like Special Brownies? If so, I’m so down.
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0 0 Jeremy and Scooby, The witty exchange of words is fun. I have to admit I read Scooby’s to someone as I laughed about them for about a day.
My words probably did seem odd mentioning High Tea in Idaho Falls. My thought process was there are so many hidden treasures that are almost discovered only if another has visited the business.
Much like Tautphaus Park’s Zoo, being a treasure, there are other local fun activities that many may not know about currently.
Most people have to go to Canada, Washington state, or much larger cities in the midwest and east to be served a proper and complete High Tea.
Sorry, Jeremy, the scones, jams, finger sandwiches, usually fresh blueberries, baked goods and candies don’t contain any ingredients that potentially the brownies you speak of, do.
What I’m beginning to wonder the more times I answer this thread is where Scooby and Jeremy (and perhaps) others are getting these ingredients that seem to alter their food?
Want to explain the hows and whys a bit further?
So back to the zoo…….I mentioned this thread to someone who said how cool it would be to buy a pass in Idaho Falls and use it at the San Diego Zoo. If I understood the concept correctly, it sounds like a zoo pass from Tautphaus Park would allow me, or someone else, to go to the San Diego Zoo, or National Zoo in D.C. or other big zoos at no cost.
Did I understand that core concept correctly, or am I confused about which zoos will honor the year-long pass from Tautphaus?
If a year pass can be honored in other larger cities, major metro zoos, then seriously, think about buying a Tautphaus Zoo Pass for any family or friends you have who may be visiting large cities this summer. It’s a great thing to do in a large city and get away from the millions of people in that city.
Tautphaus Park Zoo continues to improve, which has always amazed me.
So maybe Jeremy and Scooby can tell us one of their favorite FAMILY or SCHOOL ACTIVITIES at TAUTPHAUS PARK ZOO. After all, we’re trying to keep this family friendly.
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0 0 I love the Idaho Falls Zoo. The great thing about it is that it is a very well done zoo. Sure it isn’t as big as San Diego Zoo but it takes an entire day to see the SD zoo at least. In IF you can easily spend an hour or two and not feel like you missed half of it. We buy a pass every year and more than get our moneys worth. Unfortunately you can not use it at the San Diego Zoo. The San Diego Zoo is so famous that they do not participate in the pass sharing program with any other zoos. My wife’s family lives in Southern CA and we used to buy a San Diego Zoo pass every year but now we just buy a Tautphas Park Zoo pass. It is a better value and we get more use out of it the San Diego pass could only be used in San Diego and nowhere else. With the IF Zoo pass though we have gone to the Hogle and Pocatello zoos as well as the Tracy Aviary in SLC for free. We have also used the IF pass to go to the Living Desert in Palm Springs and the Phoenix Zoo for half price and I think the Tucson Zoo is free as well. There used to be a list of the participating zoos online I will see if I can find it. Most zoos are free or half price with the IF zoo pass. We don’t even live in IF anymore but we still get a pass there because it is cheaper than a pass at most big zoos yet can still be used at them. Oh and I just looked it up and the National Zoo in DC is free for everybody because it is part of the Smithsonian Institute.
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0 0 Thanks for pointing this out. This is the kind of information I rely on this site for. I would also like to point out that in addition to your list of needed items the Zoo can use a hand in the garden dept. about this time of year. I am sure you could get in touch of the very nice lady who has the tremendous job of “spring clean up” of one HUGE yard and offer a couple of hours of help. And, of course there are other volunteer positions available. When I look back in my mind to the concrete trailer park whose main attraction was the masturbating gorilla who would also flip the bird,(anyone remember him?) I feel we and the animals are very blessed to have the habitat that is our zoo now. So pitch in a little something, buy a season pass, etc. And don’t miss the cool classes for kids or the Boo at the Zoo, etc, etc.
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0 0 Map of our zoo (click image to see full version):
The zoo areas are labeled Little Asia, Gator Bayou, Primate Discovery Center, Patagonia Realm, River Otters, Giant Tortoise, Penguin Cove, Idaho Pond, Mayan Ruins, Animal Encounters Stage (for kid shows), Children’s Zoo, Asian Adventure, Camp Kiwanja, African Veldt, Land Down Under, Tent on the Green, Education Center, and of course the Gift Shop on your way out.
If you are visiting or new and do not know where our Tautphaus Park Zoo is located in Idaho Falls, here is the zoo-provided map: http://www.idahofallszoo.org/main/index2.asp?PageId=842
And finally I thought I would add the zoo’s hours (from their site):
Memorial Day to Labor Day
Tuesday - Sunday: 9 am - 5 pm, last admission, gates close at 6 pm
Monday: 9 am- 8 pm last admission, gates close at 9 pm
May and September
Daily: 9 am - 4pm (last admission, gates close at 5 pm
April and October
Weekends only: 9am - 4pm last admission, gates close at 5 pm
November through March
CLOSED
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0 0 And here are some pics my wife got at the zoo last weekend (again a free outing for our family because of our zoo passes bought last summer).
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0 0 Nice pics Joe!
I like the way Tautphaus Zoo makes you exit through the gift center!
(cant blame em for trying huh?)
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0 0 This tactic (exiting through gift shop) is very common. It is the same way at many Disney attractions and almost everything of this nature.
It doesn’t bother me at all. What a great zoo we have considering the size of our community.
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0 0 I don’t know about DisneyLAND, but I know it’s not that way at Disney World, Epcot Center, OR Islands of Adventure. Nor is it that way at the Miami Zoo or Busch Gardens in Tampa. Guess what I’m saying is it’s not that common on the East Coast. The only “gift shop exits” I remember were Museums, Planetariums and such.
Not that there’s anything wrong with it, I just found it interesting.
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0 0 Having just returned from Orlando, every major ride exited thru the gift shop, this included Disneyworld and Universal
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0 0 I agree with you guest, SOME of the rides do exit through a gift shop, but certainly not all of them. Maybe 30% at best. I was talking about the actual park entrance/exits themselves and having no other means of exit the actual park except through the gift shop.
I just thought it was interesting.
btw….did you ride the “Tower of Terror” at Universal? Definately one of my all time favorites!
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0 0 The thing I hate about exiting through the gift shop is the fact that it is just plan ackward. If you are trying to push a stroller or pull a wagon (we usually take our own wagon) then you are trying to get through both sets of doors to get out and it is just a pain.
That and the gift shop is just to small. They have great stuff but if there are more then 5 or 6 people in there it just gets really cramped and hard to move around.
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0 0 I agree with you there, Roxy. The doors are awkward for us with strollers, which a large number of zoo visitors probably have.
I can understand trying to drive patrons through there, it’s just like at the supermarket where candy is placed at the registers.
I wish it were a little bigger, and make the doors a little easier for strollers to get through. After fighting the first door to get in the gift shop, I’m in even less of a mood to shop.
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0 0 I really enjoyed visiting Tautphaus Zoo and take pictures.
I always win prizes in the Photo Safari Contest 2 years in a row now.
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0 0 We went to Bear World just north of Rexburg a couple of weeks ago and had a blast. There were lots of bears out playing in the sun, along with some moose, deer, elk and mountain goats. They also have a nice little petting zoo for the kids as well. They walked around and let the kids pet a bear cub for a few minutes as well.
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0 0 The one thing I didn’t like about Bear World was how overpriced it seemed, and the awesomely better deal we saw after paying and driving into their “park”. We paid whatever rate, then everywhere inside was a better advertised rate. It really started off our visit on the wrong foot, and while we enjoyed what they had to offer, we never went back.
For tourists or folks who haven’t been there, Bear World is one of those places you pay a huge amount to get in the door, then when you park and go inside their enclosed area you find you have to pay to do anything else cool. Your kids will beg for the extra cost food, kiddie rides, bear feeding wagon, and of course the gift shop. Take a lot more money than you think you’ll need.
Pretty much you pay nearly Lagoon entrance price for a Tautphaus park zoo-style experience. The price and the experience do not match up. They offer some half-off days, so watch for those if you go at all.
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0 0 The zoo is good, but my complaint is this: we spend $40-$60 on a yearly pass, which is a good deal. The pass accidentally gets water on it and the ink runs off. The card is still perfect and only needs to be stuck in a typewriter, names verified, and typed in again. But no, they want $5 for a replacement anyway. Rip off! I could type it myself under their supervision, gee whiz!!
The gift shop has some cute gifts but is terribly small and congested. Forget wheeling a stroller through it. It’s the most unfriendly part of a “family/child oriented zoo”.
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0 0 Ehh, on one side $5 seems outrageous to pay for a replacement card, on the flip side they need to A)pay their cost of employee/benefits/facilities and B)create an albeit small incentive to take better care of your pass.
I agree forget shopping in the gift shop if you have a stroller, they need to rebuild that much bigger.
One other great benefit with the season pass is that you get to skip the long lines.
On Earth Day we approached the line and I counted at least 25 people waiting to pay. Zoo employees directed pass holders to go ahead on the right, where we showed our pass and got right in. Awesome!
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0 0 If you go onto Bear Worlds website you can print off coupons for the admission price. We did that but were pleasantly surprised when they handed them back to us and said they were having a 50 % off admission special going on for the next few months. This special was going on when the family and I went at the end of April, and was still going on during the end of May when my parents came up to visit. 6 of us got in for just over 30 bucks. Plus the bear feeding experience was free during this time as well. I didn’t think that was a bad price at all. Certainly the full price would have been a bit much I agree, but it’s got to be quite expensive to feed and care for all those animals. 54 bears alone has got to cost quite a bit, let alone all the other animals they have.
I like our local zoo, but I thought Bear World was much nicer. That’s probably just because I come from the city and have been to zoo’s all over the country, but personally I think that most zoos are pretty much the same, aside from the world famous San Diego Zoo which is just incredible.
But where else can you go and see over 50 bears roaming around while you drive through their habitat.
At full price I’d have to agree it’s a bit steep, but the special they have going on right now made it well worth it in my opinion.
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0 0 You know what, now I realize I was wrong on the extra charge for the bear-feeding wagon.
It was free, there was a sign-up list, and the people right in front of us were the last allowed in the wagon. They told us it was going to be like another hour wait, and we had already had our fill of bear world by then so we did not want to wait.
I don’t want to take away from anyone else’s experience, if you really enjoyed it. One other downer for us was we only saw about 10-15 bears, nowhere near 50 bears.
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0 0 Yeah, we were amazed at how many bears they had so we asked the woman that gaurds the gate as you exit and she told us they currently have 54 bears in there. Pretty cool I thought!
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0 0 I heard some Utah folks have figured out it is cheaper to buy a zoo pass at Tautphaus Park Zoo than to buy a pass at Hogle Zoo.
It’s not like they come up here specifically for it, but many Utahns have family here, so while here some are dropping by the Idaho Falls Tautphaus Park to buy a zoo pass, which gets them into Hogle Zoo for free.
The only drawback for them is they are supporting our zoo and not their own. But hey they save some bucks and we get more support. Yay!
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0 0 The zoo in I.F. BLOWS away any other zoo in our area, hands down. The city’s parks and rec have and continue to to a great job, especially when you compare to other zoo’s with such little space to work with. We’ve put up a page on the Idaho Falls Zoo with new panoramic photos. Plus we’ve started a video section of the Idaho Falls zoo. Hope you all like it or have some to add.
But, couldn’t agree with Joe more, the IF Zoo is a treasure, something for all ages to appreciate!
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In their newsletter last month, the zoo made a ‘wish list’ of some things they need.
If you have any of these things you can spare, please consider dropping it/them off at the zoo and help them out. If you drop an item off, feel free to comment here and tell us. Maybe it will encourage others to donate also.
Our city zoo’s wish list:
If you do not have these items spare in your home, consider buying one the next time you stop at Sam’s Club, then drop it off at the zoo on your way home.