Consider Us Zoomazed

If you don't have kids, stay the hell away from Zoomazium at the Woodland Park Zoo. We say this not just because you won't be let in without a kid (the sign says "no adults without kid supervision" -- get it? Ha! Parent humor), but because your head will likely explode when exposed to toxic levels of prepubescent ruckus.

If you've got kids, though, Zoomazium is a godsend. We've got a nine-month-old (and when we say we, we mean all of us here at Seattlest, because we're eerily similar in every way). And while she was amused by the rest of the zoo -- even the sleeping orangutans -- Zoomazium may just be the most exciting place she's ever been.

We're sure it's full of educational opportunities for older kids, but we didn't notice. Little Miss Seattlest is a bit young to be trading pieces of nature she finds near home for more exotic pieces of nature from the zoo. As parents, we were most excited by the toddler pen, where wee ones with energy to burn can crawl all over the place. The best part, if you're a crawler and our daughter: the bongo drum that's bolted to the floor. Stand! Pound! Laugh! Sit! Repeat!

We'd been tossing around the idea of zoo memberships while strolling through the regular exhibits. When we left Zoomazium after an hour, tired little monkey in tow, we looked at each other and said, "Let's get that membership."

We can't wait until she's old enough to play in the Strangler Fig.