
DATE: Tuesday, March 25, 1997               TAG: 9703250060

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E3   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: THINGS TO DO 

SOURCE: BY ANN BARRY BURROWS, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   68 lines

VIRGINIA ZOO OFFERS BIG EXCITEMENT FOR LITTLE PEOPLE

THE VIRGINIA Zoo, with its large fields and gardens, is one part animal kingdom and two parts open space, flowers and sky. It's small in comparison to big-city zoos, but in Hampton Roads, it's as close as little ones get to a safari.

Huge old oak trees shade the parking lot. Wide paths by the entrance are lined with what my daughter and I call the Snow White Forest - overgrown bushes that form a miniature woodland for miniature folks.

Inside the zoo, you'll find a barnyard to the right with a lovable cow and exquisitely fat pig. To the left are rhinos, elephants and, a little farther on, the two tiger sisters that we have seen grow from cubs into the large, sinewy beasts that now roam their bamboo-decorated exhibit.

Near the center of the zoo grounds the duck pond - which is more than your average duck pond.

It is more than an acre, surrounded with a sloping shoreline shared by ducks, swans, geese, seagulls and pelicans. A walkway is the place for people, with a fence just high enough to separate them from the quacking, honking birds. Young children can stand on tiptoe and toss food. A tip: Skip the 25-cent food machine - you don't get much - and bring your own bread. (Only bread is allowed.)

For hungry humans, there are tables where you can feast on items from the Beastro, an outdoor snack bar, as you listen to the primates whoop or the buffalo snort.

Most of the zoo's exhibits are outdoors. Aside from the barn and greenhouse, the reptile house is the only indoor exhibit at the zoo.

The American boa seems too big for his cage. Sometimes it slides its tubular belly right against the front glass. Challenge the children to find less-obvious, more camouflaged reptiles - it can be tricky.

The zoo is one place I let 5-year-old Morgan go without me or another adult in tow. There is not much that can go wrong. The zoo is generally uncrowded, especially during the week, and the open spaces make it easy to keep track of young children's travels.

The zoo has an assortment of programs for children and many special events throughout the year, including behind-the-scenes tours.

Coming up is Earth Day, April 20, with an hourlong show called ``The Water Tree.'' Later, the free-flying butterfly tent that was so popular last year will open again from May 23 through June 8. ILLUSTRATION: Come on a Safari

ANN BARRY BURROWS

Morgan Burrows, 5, and 18-month-old Charles Ory, both of Norfolk,

visit the tiger exhibit, a favorite at the zoo.

MAP

IF YOU GO

What: The Virginia Zoo

Where: 3500 Granby St., Norfolk

Hours: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except New Year's Day,

Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas

Admission: Free for babies and toddlers, $1 for children 2-11 and

$2 for older kids and adults. Free for everyone after 4 p.m. Sundays

and Mondays. Annual family memberships (including grandchildren)