I've been going to Pt Defiance since I was a small child, and the Zoo as it is now has no resemblance to the way it was then. The improvements are amazing! My favorites are the underwater exhibits, especially the Shark and Beluga exhibits, but I also enjoy the others as well. The hills are steep, but pleasant walkways and benches have been installed to make it as painless as possible.
A really fantastic feature is the annual Zoolights exhibit during the holidays, when they outline the main Zoo area with strings of colored LED lights in the shapes of various zoo animals and Christmas images.
The little gift shop by the entrance has a huge variety of zoo-themed items and stuffed animals for sale, all of animals or fish that can actually be found in the Zoo.
While it's true that the Zoo lacks some exhibits that can be found in Woodland Park, it does have larger areas for the animals and a PNW theme.
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