Reptile Discovery Center Tours Offer Behind-the-Scenes Access at the National Zoo

The hottest tickets in town are to see cold-blooded animals at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Tickets are on sale for exclusive tours of the Zoo's Reptile Discovery Center. The tours include a guided stroll through the Reptile Discovery Center with a Zoo Salamander Ambassador filled with fun facts about its scaly residents. Guests will also meet the Aldabra tortoises—some of the oldest Zoo residents at more than 80 years old and weighing several hundred pounds—and feed them a leafy-green snack. Each tour includes a treat for human guests as well—a continental breakfast in front of the Cuban crocodile exhibit. Each tour can accommodate a maximum of 10 guests.

Tours are available many Wednesdays and Saturdays through Oct. 26. Tickets are $95 per person and can be purchased through the Zoo's website. All proceeds will benefit a new salamander exhibit—Jewels of Appalachia—that will house eight to 10 new species of Appalachian salamanders. Half of all the salamander species in Appalachia are not found anywhere else on the planet.