What better way to spend a boring day in August than at the zoo? While it may seem more like a spot for soccer moms and their children, the zoo’s actually a great destination for students, especially those who have never been there before.

The zoo boasts 65 acres of exhibits, and all-day admission during summer months costs $15. While that may seem steep for a college student’s budget, it is well worth the price considering you’ll get to see 1,144 animal specimens and 290 different species. The zoo also has more than 7,000 trees and more than 1,000 different plant species.

Expect to be impressed by the zoo’s exhibits — Woodland Park Zoo has won more Best National Exhibit awards from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums than any other zoo in the country other than the Bronx Zoo in New York.

Check out the Tropical Rainforest: This exhibit has a walkway leading up to the jaguar’s habitat, complete with underwater viewing. Inside you can see a myriad of animals from South and Central America, including ocelots, poison arrow frogs, toucans, bushmasters, tamarins and a variety of tropical birds.

Indulge your child-like whims and play in the Zoomazium, a nature-themed interactive play space for kids. Head over to the Tropical Asia exhibit to see the elephants and their full-depth swimming pool. The second part of the exhibit, Trail of Vines, takes visitors on a journey through several different Southeast Asian rainforest habitats and features many endangered species. Beginning with Malayan tapirs, it moves on to lion-tailed macaques, Indian pythons and finally large indoor/outdoor habitats for the siamangs and orangutans.

Always wanted to travel to Africa? The award-winning Africa Safari exhibit is the next best thing, featuring a model African village which blends village culture with important lessons about conservation and the balance between humans and animals. It’s a real-life version of The Lion King, with giraffes, gazelles, ostriches, hippopotamuses and lions, among others.

The Northern Trail is landscaped to resemble Alaska’s Denali trail and features a tundra-like environment. It is home to gray wolves, arctic foxes, bald eagles, grizzly bears, mountain goats and Roosevelt elk. Sadly, there are no polar bears.

With so many different environments in one park, you can’t help but leave the zoo in awe. It’s a day-long affair, and on the way out you’ll realize the $15 admission wasn’t so bad after all. Bring a significant other, a kid sibling or even go alone. It’s a great way to stay entertained during the long summer months.