Zoos, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Roseville Critters, and More

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ROSEVILLE CA HAS SUCH CUTE CRITTERS

I do love Roseville CA for so many reasons. One is that there are so many fun things to do Roseville CA area, including educational joys like zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. That also includes plenty of cute critters out in the “wild,” including my adorable local granddog. 🙂

Roseville Goats

In addition to that sweet furry adorable, all spring, summer, and fall our city is enthralled with the cute goats that keep the grass “mowed” in the nature preserves and other “wild” areas of Roseville including parts of Maidu Regional Park. It’s always a delight to be driving along in the city traffic and spot those goats. People often stop to take photos and watch them munch away. They are so popular, we even have goat maps and goat cams. Here’s an example of what you may see on Twitter or Facebook during the season the goats are out weeding away. 🙂

In addition to the Roseville Goat Tracker (2016 tracker coming soon), neighbors share “where the goats are” alerts on Facebook groups and NextDoor. Not only that, the idea is spreading far and wide. Rocklin, Lincoln, and Sacramento all use goats to help curb weed growth, as does Placer County itself. You can read more about them at my Pinterest board Goat Joy!

The goats don’t “work” in the winter. But come spring, each year (2016 update – they’re BACK 🙂 ), they return for most of the year. So be sure to LIKE my Facebook page Roseville California Joys and my Facebook group page Sacramento Area Joys so you can stay up-to-date on when they’re around. And oh my, here’s an adorable video by one of our neighbors, Richard Paine. Enjoy!

Roseville Turkeys

Wild turkeys are another set of cute critters we all enjoy!

I’ve seen them in quiet reserve areas as well as right in the middle of a traffic-y area and even on golf courses!

Wherever they are, they are relaxed and meandering along – even strutting a bit. They own the world (or so they think) and aren’t afraid to  let us know. And they’re so cute, I don’t mind in the least. How about you?

Roseville Egrets

Then there are my latest cute critters. Big white gorgeous birds that I think are egrets (heron family). They are lovely, majestic, and so cool to watch.

When I walked up to take a photo of the one I spotted, he just stood there and posed so pretty for me. A couple of times he moved around, even slower than those cute turkeys and so gracefully. I wanted to take a video of him however I was talking on the phone and can’t do video and talk at the same time. 🙂 But next time….

Of course, these cute critters are usually seen during fun and random spottings. If you’re in the mood for seeing some cute and interesting animals and you don’t want to leave it to chance, we have lots of options around the Roseville Sacramento area for that, as well as a bit further out in two directions – towards Reno AND towards San Francisco.

GREATER SACRAMENTO AREA ZOOS +

Sacramento City Zoo

There are plenty of fun things do Sacramento CA and one of my faves is the Sacramento Zoo! The Sacramento City Zoo is large, lovely, and full of all SORTS of interesting critters – plenty of whom are quite cute and all of which are very intriguing. Check out this video – that’s the fastest turtle I’ve ever seen!

The Sacramento Zoo can be found online at SacZoo.org as well as on their fascinating blog SacramentoZoo. They are also on Facebook at SacZoo. To visit them up close and personal, the Sacramento City Zoo is just south of downtown Sacramento on the corner of Sutterville Road and Land Park Drive, just off the I-5 freeway. For your GPS – use “Land Park Drive & 16th Ave, Sacramento, CA 95822 ” or click here for map.  They are about 24 miles from the Roseville CA City Hall in Historic Old Downtown Roseville CA. Click here to see the Sacramento City Zoo Map.

Folsom Zoo Sanctuary

Another local zoo in our area is the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary. It’s part of the Folsom Park and Recreation Department and you can read about it at the Folsom City site, as well as at the Friends of the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary – FolsomZooFriends.org. You’ll find them on Facebook at FolsomCityZooSanctuary. To visit them, head to 403 Stafford Street, Folsom CA which is about14 miles from the Roseville City Hall and their phone number is 916-351-3527. And here’s a video of a cute bear at the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary. He sure can hold his breath good!

RENO NEVADA ZOOS AND WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES

Sierra Safari Zoo

The Sierra Nevada Zoological Park is in Reno NV. Their site states that they are the largest zoo in Nevada with over 200 animals and over 40 different species including lemurs, camels, leopards, monkeys, and many more. This zoo is located at 10200 North Virginia Street, Reno NV 89506  (127 miles from Downtown Roseville CA ) Its phone number is 775-677-1101 Their website is SNZP.org and their Facebook page is at Sierra Nevada Zoological Park. The days and hours they are open vary by the seasons so be sure to visit their website to see the current schedule. I loved this video of 2014 highlights they shared for a Happy New Year greeting. So many cute critters and sweet awwwwwws 🙂

Animal Ark Nevada

Animal Ark is also in in Reno, NV but a bit further away – its 139 miles from Historic Old Downtown Roseville. It is a wildlife sanctuary and nature center and you can find it online at AnimalArk.org and at Facebook AnimalArk.Nevada as well as driving to it at 1265 Deerlodge Road, Reno, NV. Their phone number is 775-970-3111.

SAN FRANCISCO AND MONTEREY BAY AREA ZOOS AND WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES

If you’re heading in the other direction, towards San Francisco, you’ll find several other fun zoos and aquarium options for enjoying cute critters:

Lindsay Wildlife Museum

The Lindsay Wildlife Museum is online at LindsayWildlife.org and on Facebook at LindsayWildlifeMuseum. I prefer their Facebook title though – Lindsay Wildlife Experience – as they have real animals which you don’t normally think of when talking about museums. And oh my, you should see their calendar. Tons of happenings each month, it looks like. They are located at 1931 1st Ave Walnut Creek, California (only 90 miles from downtown Roseville and on the way to San Fransisco so a fun stop with kids on the way to the City). Their phone number is (925) 935-1978

Oakland Zoo

The Oakland Zoo is located at 9777 Golf Links Road in Oakland CA, 107 miles from Downtown Roseville CA (not to mention my KW real estate office near the Westfield Galleria at Roseville 🙂 ). You can find it online at OaklandZoo.org as well as on Facebook at OakZoo. Their website has some live animal cams including some Condor Cams – those can be fun for our kids and grandkids, not to mention some of our senior parents. They do take great patience though. Videos are faster and funner, like this cute one I know my grandkids would love!

San Francisco Zoo

Practically next door to the Oakland Zoo is the San Francisco Zoo. It’s 120 miles from Downtown Roseville at Sloat Blvd. at The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA 94132 and their phone number is 415-753-7080. Click here for directions. You can find the Zoo on the web at SFZoo.org as well as on Facebook at SanFranZoo. As you can see by their calendar of events, there is something going on there every day – and lots of somethings on the weekends including many programs for kids and grandkids. Here are a couple of adorable penguin videos as well as a full playlist of penguins from the San Francisco Zoo, complete with Penguin Island and even Penguin Paparazzi. 🙂 Click here to see the San Francisco Zoo Map.

AQUARIUMS

Let’s not forget those water critters that are so fun and cute.

Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco

I have to confess. I’ve been to San Francisco many times, yet never heard of this aquarium. I will definitely have to check it out next time I’m there as it looks lovely. You can find it online at AquariumOfTheBay and on Facebook at AquariumOfTheBay. It’s located at Embarcadero & Beach St. San Francisco, CA 94133 (about 110 miles from Downtown Roseville CA) and its phone number is 415-623-5300. They are located on San Francisco’s iconic waterfront and strive to provide “unforgettable encounters with local marine life that inspire both wonder and conservation.”

Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is the furthest way but still doable in one day. Or you could stay at a hotel and enjoy it one day and perhaps one of the Bay area zoos or other sightseeing fun on the second day. It’s definitely a great place to see those fun and intriguing water animals. Their website is MontereyBayAquarium.org and their facebook page is MontereyBayAquarium. They are located at 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940 which is 209 miles from Downtown Roseville CA. Their phone number is 831-648-4800. Their goal is to 

SAVING MONEY AT ZOOS SANCTUARIES AND AQUARIUMS

Places to check for discounts and coupons can include Costco and Sam’s Club, Entertainment coupon books, local libraries – especially if you live in the area or have friends or relatives that do, and local Facebook groups. Plus, if you become a Friend or Member of your fave place, you might find that you qualify for discounts at other places. For example, if you become a member of the Sacramento Zoo, you get all sorts of goodies AND are qualified for the reciprocal agreement at a variety of zoos and aquariums around the United States, Mexico and Canada. This includes the San Francisco Zoo and the San Francisco Aquarium by the Bay! If you become a member of the Friends of the Folsom Animal Sanctuary, their discounts and goodies also include reciprocal agreements with other animal zoos like Mickey Grove Zoo in Lodi, CA and Happy Hollow Zoo in San Jose CA.

MY MAPS FOR THESE FUN THINGS TO DO

Here’s a map I made with Google.com/MyMaps – I’m embedding the actual map here. BUT because occasionally they seem to disappear, I’m also putting a copy of it here with a direct link to it. Hopefully between the two, it won’t disappear. 😉

9 GREAT THINGS TO DO IN AND AROUND ROSEVILLE

Too fun! 9 great places from zoos to wildlife sanctuaries to aquariums to see cute and interesting critters within 2-3 hours of Roseville and Sacramento CA, and some even closer than that. Many have creative and delightful activities throughout the year. Because zoo costs, hours, days and schedules can vary for the above locations, I’ve included phone numbers and websites for you to check what is happening at the time you want to go. Be sure to like my Facebook page – Roseville California Joys as well as my Facebook group – Sacramento Area Joys as I frequently share interesting and family-friendly things to do in and around the greater Sacramento area along with fun and cute critter awwws. When you pop over to LIKE my page, be sure to hover over the arrow on the right, click NOTIFICATIONS, and click all the boxes. It’s the best way to get all my notifications.  🙂