Posted by Tove Tupper

The Reptile Zoo and Living Museum in Monroe

While snakes are possibly the only animals that freak me out, I’m a sucker for all other reptiles. They are just so cool. In college, I even owned a bearded dragon named Jackson. That’s why when I recently discovered the Reptile Zoo and Living Museum in Monroe, I had to visit as soon as possible. I was not disappointed. Not only do you get to see many awesome reptiles, you also get to pet and hold some of the creatures. Such an awesome experience!

The Reptile Zoo (22715 State Route 2, Monroe) is open 365 days a year from 10 am – 6 pm. If you think year-round fun is nice, it gets even better. The entrance fee is just $6 for adults, $5 for kids and nothing for toddlers age two and younger. That’s about as cheap as it gets for zoos.

A few of the awesome reptiles you can see at the Reptile Zoo include a two-headed turtle, a nine-foot alligator, an albino alligator, dozens of different kinds of snakes (including the world’s deadliest kind), iguanas, geckos and so much more.

Most of the reptiles are located in reptile terrariums, which makes it easy to get up close and fairly personal. You can get your face right up to the glass and look at the reptiles square in the eyes. The anaconda is located in a glass tank. The tank is propped several feet off the ground which creates space underneath to crawl around and check out the belly of the snake. It’s so rad!

The tortoises are located in low fenced areas and the staff at the Reptile Zoo encourage you pet them. The staff explained their shells are actually made out of the same material our finger nails are made out it.

You can also hold a few of the snakes (for free!), including corn snakes and a ball python. As I mentioned earlier, I’m not a snake person so I skipped this part of the zoo (even though the staff assured me the snakes are very friendly). Tim, however, could not wait to hold the ball python. He loved it and was incredulous at the strength of the python. I was happy sitting a few feet away, behind the camera.

We’re told the best time to visit the Reptile Zoo is on Saturdays between noon and 1 pm. This is when many of the animals are fed, which is fun to watch. We lucked out and got to experience this first hand. If you can schedule your visit around this time, we highly recommend it. If you can’t, don’t worry. The Reptile Zoo is still well worth the trip.

My favorite part about the Reptile Zoo is how much I learned. An information card is available for each different reptile, listing where they live, how big they get, what they eat, how they stay active, how they defend themselves and a fun fact about the reptile. I really enjoyed learning so much about the different reptiles.

Have you ever checked out the Reptile Zoo and Living Museum in Monroe? Were you as brave as Tim and did you hold a snake? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Don’t forget to also check out Seattle Bloggers for more fun places to check out around the Emerald City.

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