The Washington Serpentarium / Reptile Zoo (Monroe, WA)

I’ve driven past The Reptile Zoo many times on the way to other destinations, never having had the chance to stop. Today, the Reptile Zoo is a mystery no more.

Reminiscent of a large pet store, the serpentarium consists of two large rooms and, indeed, a few specimens are for sale. I have little knowledge of what it takes to keep a snake, lizard, turtle or alligator happy and healthy but some of the enclosures looked small. There’s information provided to patrons on the cage and tank sizes as well as what it takes to keep reptiles as pets.

Following are the most impressive residents:

In a back room, you can observe large South American roaches (some of the hissing variety), scorpions, very hairy tarantulas, stick insects and other creepy crawlers that make you feel itchy as you exit.