If We Could Talk to the Animals-Grunt and Squeak and Squawk With the Animals

While I am staying home with my boys this summer (one of the many perks of being a teacher), I decided to take them somewhere "big" each Friday. Last Friday we went to the zoo. Now, I had my reservations because most of my memories of the Dallas Zoo involved hot, empty concrete cells. Even last summer before my second child was born, I took my son all the way out to the Ft. Worth Zoo because I wanted him to have good memories and not the depressing images I always conjured up. However, having to pack up and load two children into a car and then getting everyone out and situated in strollers with backpacks, etc. was exhausting enough. I didn't want to make a trip an hour longer (for there and back) than it needed to be. Since I heard that the Dallas Zoo had really come around, I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

The Dallas Zoo superseded all of my expectations.

It is no longer the zoo of my youth. It is clean. It is cheerful. It is well organized. It is full of friendly employees. It serves a delicious variety of foods in the main eatery. The imprisonment of animals is long gone. All the habitats are clean and clearly well cared for. The animals were even out to say hello to all the visitors. Had we been able to stay longer, we could have seen many shows where keepers come out to either showcase an animal or talk about one. And get this-THERE'S A DALLAS ZOO APP! It puts all the information I need right in my hand. My favorite part is that the GPS can place me anywhere on the zoo map. We never got lost! I was able to set a plan for which animals we absolutely had to see first. Trust me, that is incredibly important when making sure lunch is on time and trying to beat nap time before both children turn into cranky monsters.

By far the Wilds of Africa: Giants of the Savanna far surpassed everything else in my opinion. It was beautiful! They had elephants and giraffes and gazelle and zebras all in an open area modeled after...well...the African Savanna. Right smack dab in the center (sort of-it is outside the habitat but in the middle-just go and see for yourself) is a rest area with shade and misters. We were able to sit and relax a bit once it started to get pretty hot and just watch the animals behave naturally. It was beyond awesome!

Because I am a big believer that pictures can often speak louder than words, here are some photos of our visit:

It's just a sign. I came to see animals.

Children's Zoo was a fun place to play around for a bit.

Get back in that nest! I'm not ready to let you fly off yet.

If I stay perfectly still, you won't be able to see me.

Such a big boy riding Solomon the Camel all by himself.

I said 'no' to riding the real crocodile, so this had to do.

Giving Where's Waldo a run for his money.

Absolutely beautiful!

My son excitedly took this photo. He loved being so close to the giraffes. They are, after all, reticulated.

A quick mommy/children shot before leaving. Everyone having fun.

I know it was a successful day when this is what was in the back seat of my car upon returning home:

Don't let the shade fool you. Both boys were O-U-T.

I loved it! I am trying to find a way to squeeze in one more visit before it gets too hot for humans let alone animals. Ha ha.