Going to the Zoo!

I’m so glad that our friends from another state decided to visit us because it pushed us to go a little out of our way and take our little one to the zoo. Since they also have two little ones both under the age of two this ended up being the perfect outing. Not only did the weather cooperate (thank goodness!) but the different exhibits and areas to run around were perfect for two babies and a toddler. They were all engaged and had an absolute blast so if you are looking for an activity that entertains kids of all ages even babies this is one you should add to the list.

While other zoos may differ our local zoo was very accommodating and kid friendly so when your day to day includes packing around a diaper bag, milk bag, and a stroller around it is nice to be in a place where you aren’t worried about restrictions on what you can carry into a venue. We were also lucky that our local zoo has a nice jungle gym within the zoo so that the toddler in our group was able to get his energy out before we hit the road.

What We Loved

The Size of the Zoo

In our area there are actual two zoos within a few hours drive. One is quite large and well known but the zoo we went to is actually smaller. Since the kids in our group are still pretty tiny this was actually preferable since it didn’t take all day to get around the zoo nor was it overcrowded so we had plenty of space to get good views of the animals. If you have options in your area I would recommend looking into the details and seeing which one best fits your group.

Amenities Besides the Animal Exhibits

As mentioned above, it was so nice to have a zoo that not only had a full blown jungle gym but it also had plenty of open grass spaces for kids and their families to spread out and play, as well as a carousel. Before hitting the zoo that day I never would have thought to look more into what else is going on besides the animal exhibits but it turns out it is nice to know and prepare for whatever else your zoo might offer. Next time we go we are definitely going to pack some additional items like blankets we can sit on so we can take advantage of the extra space.

Zoo and Aquarium in One

We were very impressed with the variety that our zoo offered. Not only did it have multiple land animal exhibits (red wolves, polar bears, etc.) but it also had two aquariums and several marine animals such as walruses and seals. They even had a bird aviary that included puffins which was our friends’ son’s favorite.

What We Would Have Changed

Find a Good Map of the Zoo Online

While they offered a full map of the zoo when we entered it was quite large and difficult to read when you are attending to three small children so it would have been nice if we had prepared by downloading the map on our phones so that we could zoom in to better read the text and not have so much paper flopping around while we were trying to push strollers.

Been Aware of Showtimes

It turns out there are a lot of educational shows done at the zoo that we weren’t aware of until we showed up and it was too late. While we ended up missing most of what the zoo offered that day we did luck out and happened to be at the seal exhibit when they were doing feeding training. This was a lot of fun to watch and ensured that we got to see the animals while they were up and moving. So for future trips I am definitely going to take a look at the schedule on the zoo’s website to see if there are any shows we want to hit that day.