City Editor Alyson here. 👋 When was the last time you were able to activate your inner child? For me, it was recently at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo — which I haven’t visited in over ten years.

I was able to tour the park with Happy Hollow’s Conservation + Communication Manager Caitlin O’Hara, who told me all about the zoo’s conservation work and introduced me to a few of the animals. Here’s how you can Try This.

Happy Hollow gets you close to endangered species, like this red-ruffed lemur. | Photo by the SJtoday team

What we tried (with pricing):

The cool thing about a ticket to Happy Hollow is that it includes just about everything. There’s no extra cost to your $17.25 ticket to get on rides, catch a puppet show, or meet (and possibly touch) some education animals.

While touring their Double-H Ranch + Zoo on the Hill, we ran into a few zoo docents who gave us some insight on the animals we saw — like how the anteaters love oranges and avocados, and their alligator was found in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

What not to miss:

In the case that you aren’t able to see everything (but we highly recommend you take the time), Caitlin tells us there’s a few things that definitely have to be on your Happy Hollow itinerary:

Meet their resident jaguar, Sophia.
Catch a puppet show from one of the oldest puppet theaters in California.
Ride on one of the nine amusement park rides, like the iconic (and ADA-accessible) Danny the Dragon train.
Pet a dwarf zebu cow + pygmy goats at the contact yard.

Learn about the habits of exotic animals you wouldn’t normally come across. | Photo by the SJtoday team

What we’re still talking about:

My biggest takeaway from this visit? How everything they do is with intention.

Happy Hollow encourages learning in every aspect. Next to the lemur exhibit is a lemur-themed play area for little ones to jump, climb, and swing. There’s also an open window to view their surgery room — but it’s just tall enough so that parents can choose if they’d like their children to see what is going on.

For their puppet shows, all the puppets + sets are handmade. The Mini Putt-Putt cars featured in the amusement park ride area are made with recycled bits of old police cars. I can go on, but you get the idea.

The Redwood Lookout invites you to fly down the tallest slides in the park. | Photo by the SJtoday staff

How you can experience this:

Head over to Happy Hollow Park & Zoo’s website to plan a visit.

This zoo is small in comparison to other local parks, but holds a bunch of fun things to do. | Photo by the SJtoday staff

Things to know if you go:

Experience: Spend a day at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
Price: $17.25 general admission
Website: https://happyhollow.org/visit/
Address: 748 Story Rd., San Jose, CA 95112
Hours: Wed.-Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (closed Mon.-Tues.)
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