Anyhoo, we took our first zoo trip of the season! Yay!! We dragged Hadley along last year, but there's a huge difference between a one-year-old baby and a two-year-old toddler. He knows most of the animal sounds and lit UP when we came upon the gibbons (and their screeching calls). We could hear them from the car, and at first he thought they were in trouble -- "Uh oh!! Uh oh!!"
Besides the awesome monkeys, we witnessed the lions (the guys were lazing about while the female was full-on stalking a rabbit who had wandered into the wrong area -- spoiler alert: the bunny got away, thank goodness), a red panda, arctic foxes who just happened to be having a game of tag, an ostrich, zebras (Hadley's favorite last year), a camel, DUCKS (he only focused on one mallard, so while there were a bunch of them, he kept pointing his finger - "one duck!"), and some reptiles.
Since it was kind of a last-minute decision to go, I only packed a lunch for the Hadman. I'm super glad I did since Dave stood in line for over 30 minutes to get our lunch (before they even waited on him). The place is a branch of a local institution, Voss', but their service lacked sorely. The food was okay, but given the price and PITA factor, we'll just pack a cooler next time. Bam, done. (And cheaper.)
{He didn't seem to mind the fact that he got healthy stuff and we got pulled pork BBQ.
Give the kid fruit and he'll eat all day long.}
Give the kid fruit and he'll eat all day long.}
The Utica Zoo, itself, is neat for a few reasons. Firstly, it's the zoo that Dave and I frequented as kids (along with practically every other kid in a 30 mile radius). Secondly, we recently found out that most of the animals in captivity have actually been rescued or are housed here because they wouldn't survive in the wild. They're about environmental stewardship and conservation, which makes me feel far better about attending. Not to mention, it has a pretty rad theme song that's definitely an earworm. You've been warned.
We decided to purchase a family pass for the season, so I'm sure there will be lots of trips this summer. It's kind of cool to think that we can pack a lunch and just hit up the zoo for a random afternoon, or meet up with Dave for a half day on a work day, without thinking "it's not worth $7.75 per person to hit up the zoo for just a few hours." It also means that I can hook up with my sister and her little one to have a field trip. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic that we have such an open invitation to our very own hang-out place.
Fresh air + wild animals = perfect day for our own little monkey.
I've been considering taking my little one to the Louisville Zoo this summer. I wasn't sure if a toddler would appreciate it, but it sounds like I should definitely put this on my to-do list!
ReplyDeleteYes!!! It's a great age. Last year, he was amazed by things, but this year he can make connections (with the noises they make and having simple discussions about how they act and look). They also tend to fall in love with one or two particular animals (where they could stand. All. Day. Long.), so don't be disappointed if they aren't enthralled with every square inch of the place. :-) Good luck, and have fun!!
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