Rosamond-Gifford Zoo, Syracuse, NY

Before the Rosamond-Gifford Zoo was titled such, I knew it as the Burnett Park Zoo, or more casually to us who lived in the Central NY area, “The Syracuse Zoo.”

We visited the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse this time last year. We hadn’t been there in over ten years, and my youngest child had never been. Yet even though the forecast called for rain, we were undeterred; we packed up our umbrellas and ventured out.

I hadn’t been through Syracuse in years. I used to live in the general area as a girl. I was shocked at how much the city has changed, and not for the better. The Route 11 area used to be a tidy business area, filled with the hustle and bustle of mom-and-pop shops and hot dog vendors. The area today is pitiable! Almost half of the buildings were boarded up, most were crumbling, and the rest seemed to be either porno shops or bars. Homeless people with their busted-up grocery carts and tattered shopping bags wandered aimlessly across the streets. I know all of Syracuse isn’t this way, but enough of it was to make me feel sick.

The zoo was busy. It had just rained when we entered the city, so most of the zoo’s visitors were crammed in the Gift Shop and indoor animal areas. We followed the crowd into a cave-like hallway where we encountered loads built-in aquariums filled with fish, amphibians, reptiles, and creepy rainforest mammals (like bats). The fish section was amazing. I didn’t remember this from last time- they now have all sorts of exotic fish and marine animals, and I was fascinated. I always loved Jacque Cousteau TV specials as a kid, so this was a real treat! You can peer in on them at their level. I took several photos, but very few turned out because the “cavern” was dimly lit. Here’s one of the better shots of anemone:

An odd thing happened while we were leaving the cavern area– the power flickered and then with a zap, all the lights went out. We could still see where we were going, thanks to streams of daylight coming in. It was so ironic, however, because one of the animals’ display signs said, “This Rainforest brought to you by National Grid!” Haha! Read more