City Of Fort Worth: What To Know About Spring Break Traffic Near The Fort Worth Zoo

Press release from City of Fort Worth:

March 11, 2022

Spring break week is here again, and that means Fort Worth’s cultural attractions will be popular destinations for parents and kids looking to enjoy their time away from school.

Here are tips for driving to or near attractions.

Spring break is the most popular time of the year for parents and children to visit the Fort Worth Zoo. Many families will visit on March 16, half-price day. Visitors will be able to access the zoo using their normal route, but more people than usual will be using this route to reach the zoo. Try approaching the zoo from the south by taking Berry Street to University Drive, which is often an easier route, or try taking the University Drive exit from Chisholm Trail Parkway.

Admission to the Fort Worth Zoo is $18 for adults, $14 for seniors (65 and over) and children (ages 3-12). Toddlers 2 and younger are free. Admission is half-price every Wednesday. The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time since ticket lines at the gate will be longer than usual. Online ticket purchases also receive a $1 discount. Visit the Fort Worth Zoo website for additional information.

Another option for this year is Trinity Metro Southside ZIPZONE, which reaches the TCU campus, the Fort Worth Zoo and the entertainment district along the West Seventh Street corridor, including Crockett Row and Montgomery Plaza. The ZIPZONE provides a stress-free way for spring breakers to visit the Fort Worth Zoo.

ZIPZONE rides are available anytime from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and riders may connect to TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express at Fort Worth T&P Station or to bus routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14, 24 and The Dash.

For more information about ZIPZONE, download the Trinity Metro ZIPZONE app or visit the Trinity Metro ZIPZONE webpage. 

From March 12-20, the Safari Express bus will run direct service from Fort Worth Central Station, 1001 Jones St., to and from the Fort Worth Zoo’s main parking lot entrance at Colonial Parkway.

A round-trip day pass for the Safari Express is $5 for adults, $2.50 for children 5-19 and seniors 65 and older (with transit agency reduced ID card) and free for children 4 and under. The local day pass is good for all of Trinity Metro’s bus and rail services in Tarrant County, including TEXRail. For those traveling from outside of Tarrant County, a regional day pass is $12.

The first bus leaves Fort Worth Central Station at 9:15 a.m. daily and the last trip departing from downtown will be at 5:45 p.m. The first departure from the zoo will be at 9:45 a.m. and the last trip will be at 5:45 p.m. weekdays and 6:15 p.m. weekends. The Safari Xpress runs every 30 minutes.

The best option is to use the north entrance of Trinity Park near the duck pond. Visitors from I-30 should exit Henderson Street and take West Seventh Street westbound, then turn south on Stayton Street to enter the park. Follow Trinity Park Drive to Trinity Park court and park in the lot near Dream Park.

Exiting on Montgomery Avenue is a great way to get to easy parking at Dickies Arena. If you are coming from downtown Fort Worth, take Lancaster Avenue instead of I-30. Alternately, take The Dash from downtown Fort Worth; buses run every 15 minutes.

If you are visiting the Fort Worth Botanic Garden to see Butterflies in the Garden, consider taking Lancaster Avenue to University Drive instead of I-30 to University Drive.

Consider an alternate route to your destination.

Photo: The Fort Worth Zoo is expected to be an especially popular destination on half-price day during spring break, Wednesday, March 16. This is the new Elephant Springs exhibit.

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This press release was produced by City of Fort Worth. The views expressed here are the author’s own.