You are way overthinking. Drive. Park at the bottom
Of the hill so that you will be going downhill when you leave. Bring lunch. They have tables. The zoo is not an all day trip from Rockville.

I did this so many times!

I was a fonz member so I got free parking.

Go early 8-9, parking fills up, rush hour is not that bad with COVID.

Park in the 1st lot (lot A) when you enter from Connecticut ave.

If it’s full dump 1 parent and kids, get parking, meet at Panda.

You are at the top.

See the panda/giraffes/elephants.

Walk down the hill and there are many houses to get out of the heat or cold.

Lions, turn right to the otters/seals

I end at the think tank.

1 person goes and gets the car. Meet at spot E near lot D.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/visit/zoo-map

Eat before you leave. Kids fall asleep.

Anonymous wrote:Oh my, take it down a notch. So, much anxiety around a zoo trip.

I promise, it will be ok however you choose to it. There are no make or break decisions here.

+1

Pack lunch and drive. It’s low key.

Drive. Plan to only see a few things closest to the parking lot (so go easy on promises to the 5 year old, or at least plan where you'll park in relation to what she wants to see). I'd skip the pandas, but would try to see the seals. Most kids can sit and watch them swim for awhile, and they are easy to see.

Bring snacks and food and the minute you think someone is nearing the end of their patience, head home. You won't see it all. That's ok.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eat lunch at the zoo.

Food is available there, but it's expensive! A packed lunch might be a good idea.

The food is not great either in terms of quality. There are some choices on Connecticut across from the main entrance (Duke's Grocery, Starbucks, a few others I can't recall atm) but we also tend to pack lunch.

The other posters gave you great advice - park at the bottom, walk up first, and don't plan on staying for more than 2 hours (you could break it up by having lunch at the top and then going back down). My kids especially love the elephants and the monkeys, especially when the monkeys cross overhead on their lines.

Anonymous wrote:First off, metro is a definitely no.

Ideally, you could get to the zoo on the earlier side, but since you'll be driving, I would recommend waiting until rush hour is over.

So I would aim to get there at 10 or so.

Plan on staying in the bottom half of the zoo. The farm animals up to the sea otters, which are a must see IMO, maybe the elephants if your kids are doing well.

Eat lunch at the zoo.

Head home & 2 year old naps in the car.

This is a good itinerary. And scooters are not allowed.

Oh my, take it down a notch. So, much anxiety around a zoo trip.

I promise, it will be ok however you choose to it. There are no make or break decisions here.

I would not take the metro. The walk to the zoo with a stroller + two kids will be exhausting.

Anonymous wrote:Eat lunch at the zoo.

Food is available there, but it's expensive! A packed lunch might be a good idea.

First off, metro is a definitely no.

Ideally, you could get to the zoo on the earlier side, but since you'll be driving, I would recommend waiting until rush hour is over.

So I would aim to get there at 10 or so.

Plan on staying in the bottom half of the zoo. The farm animals up to the sea otters, which are a must see IMO, maybe the elephants if your kids are doing well.

Eat lunch at the zoo.

Head home & 2 year old naps in the car.

Metro will be tough for the ride back home.
It's always such a gamble anyway (delays, really not "that" convenient, etc) on even the best days that I cringe tho king about having my 2 and 5 yr old keep it together dealing with metro on top of a long day of waking at the zoo.
Definitely car.

Also, do your homework with zoo. Pick out a bunch of exhibits and focus on that and have a decent sense of where they are. The DC zoo is horribly designed with way too many hills, inefficiently spread out, hard to see cages ("habitats ") etc that it will test the patience of both kids and adults trying to navigate. So, how a good sense of where you're going and what you want to see else you'll waste too much time wandering and tired legs before you even get to see much.

We never planned for the zoo to be an all-day event. Two or three hours is enough for everyone to see a bunch of animals before they're too tired and cranky to enjoy them. So I would get up and out, spend a few hours there, and then drive home. Maybe the 2-year-old can nap on the drive home?

And I personally think the reserved parking is a good idea, especially for a first big outing with two kids. Maybe make the metro the focus on another trip?

Reserve parking in the lot all the way at the bottom. Start at the farm, swing to the left up to the bears, otters, American Trail etc. Forget the top of the Zoo for now. This lets you come back down the hill when you and kids are getting tired to stop by the apes, small mammals, etc with a loop through lions and tigers (may be closed because they have covid), and a ride on the carousel on the way out.

walk uphill for the first half and downhill for the second (big cats and farm are down hill).

We never last more than 90 minutes and my kids are older and have been going for years. We get there at 9 when the exhibits open and are home by 11am.

We are planning to take both 2 & 5 year old to dc zoo, and it is the first time for the 2 year old. She still needs an afternoon nap, and we are bringing a stroller.

DH recommends to take metro to give kids metro experiences, but the closest one is twinbrook since shady grove/rockville ones are closed for now. And, it feels too much trouble to take 2 kids to take metro (cannot guarantee 2 year old will be able to stay in mask the whole time) and push stroller and walk to dc zoo entrance. I am thinking to reserve parking ticket and just drive there. What is the strategy (when to get there, when should we leave and which ones to visit first etc) to get 2 kids to survive the day in dc zoo with mask on, and I assume the weather will be cooler even with mask on (indoor and outdoor). We require everyone stay in mask indoor and outdoor because I cannot guarantee for 6 ft distance. And, is it challenging to change diapers in bathroom? And, I will definitely push one stroller. Should I get a scooter in case my older one is tired from walking? Is scooter allowed in dc zoo?

The afternoon nap time can be varies, she can nap starting from 2pm or 3pm or 4pm, but we never takes her out for full day activities. So it will be the first time.