Spring break is in full swing, but many are sticking around.  Instead of taking a long trip, thousands are taking advantage of local attractions including the Oklahoma City Zoo.  And they could break attendance records.

Jennifer Gingerich, a Mustang resident said, "We have family here from out of state, and the kids have been wanting to get out of the house other than just the back yard, so thought we'd drive down to the zoo today."

Jennifer Gingerich, and her sister from Colorado decided to bring their children to the Oklahoma City Zoo over spring break.

"It's very reasonable.  It's just as cheap as going to the movies, and you can stay all day and see so many more things than just a movie," Gingerich explained.

Tina Hall, who is visiting OKC from Colorado said, "For spring break we came down here and though, what a great place to go with the kids, and this little one here, she wants to see the tigers really bad."

And the kids couldn't be more excited to see their favorite animals.

5-year-old Avery Gingerich said, "They're tiny bears, and I want to see the Giraffes because they have long heads."

Tanner Gingerich said, "Seeing the dinosaur exhibit.  They have the dinosaurs, and they're real life sized."

In fact, the zoo saw more than 11,000 people come through their doors before 1 o'clock, and 26,000 visited on Monday and Tuesday to see the thousands of animals.

Tara Hensen, the Director of Marketing & PR at the Oklahoma City Zoo said, "This is like kicking off our season, so we've been working really hard to be prepared for spring break.  When you're dealing with wonderful living creatures like the animals we have and our plant life, it always looks a little different."

The biggest new attraction kicked off on Friday.  Dinosaurs Unearthed gives children and adults an up-close look at these prehistoric creatures.

"They've come a long away, these look like they're breathing, they roar, there's places where kids can manipulate the animals, there's a fossil dig." Hensen described. "People are staying a little bit closer to home, and they want to have an opportunity to spend quality time with their families."

And the zoo is happy that they've been able offer more without raising prices during these tough economic times.

"If the weather holds out we could beat our all time record, and right now I can't tell you what that is but I know we're on track to do so," Hensen concluded.

Next year the Oklahoma City Zoo will be opening a new children's zoo.  And in either 2011 or 2012, they will complete "Expedition Asia", which showcases elephants in a state-of the-art facility.

For more information, visit the Web site of the Oklahoma City Zoo.