National Zoo

‘Not as Fun': Timed-Entry Passes Keep Some From Visiting National Zoo

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton wrote a letter that raised concerns to the National Zoo's directors

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The National Zoo continues to require timed-entry passes to visit, but some D.C. residents and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton are concerned the passes -- despite being free -- keep some people away.

The practice of the timed-entry passes was put into place when museums and the zoo reopened after closures during the pandemic. The zoo is one of the few Smithsonian Institution locations that still requires the passes.

Before COVID, people could easily walk or run through the zoo without passes. Resident Missy Jackson said she misses being able to spontaneously visit.

 “You know, one morning, me and my family would just get up in the summertime, and just be like, ‘Hey let’s hit the zoo,’ and you can just walk in, and you could just stay for hours,” Jackson said.

Spontaneity is just one of the concerns D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton has about the National Zoo still having timed passes. In a letter to the zoo’s director, Homes Norton wrote: “I am concerned that the entry pass requirement may be limiting access or deterring visits to the National Zoo, especially for people who cannot get online.”

While there are some passes set aside at the gate, Jackson said registering online is another deterrent for her going as often as she used to.

“It’s not as fun as it used to be when you didn’t have to go on the Internet, when you didn’t have to sign for this and sign into that,” Jackson said.

News4 also spoke to several people who said there are usually spots available, but it creates an extra step.

Resident Brittany Lehman said it takes away one of the perks of living by the National Zoo.

“I would love to go to the zoo more frequently, and if I didn’t need a time pass, it would be a nice, you know, daily walk, but because I need a time pass, I can’t just drop in,” Lehman said.

In her letter to the zoo, Holmes Norton wrote that she understands the zoo requires entry passes because they have a shortage of volunteers.

The National Zoo has yet to respond to Holmes Norton’s letter. She hopes to get a response by Jan. 20.

Zoo officials previously have said that the timed-entry passes are used to help manage capacity and are not a COVID precaution.

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