Fun at the Zoo

I thought it was time to show some fun we've had recently in our area.  My husband and I both hadn't been to the Philadelphia Zoo since we were kids, so we were excited to take our son there when he was old enough.  We ended up visiting the zoo when he was a little over 2 years old and he enjoyed it thoroughly!

We got there just about when it opened on a Saturday morning in order to beat the Philadelphia traffic and also get in as much zoo as we could before nap time.  We parked in a back/side parking lot (unexpectedly) and it ended up working out perfectly to get away from the crowds going in the main gate.

We stayed for about 3.5 hours which was long enough for my son, and gave us a little time to get home for (a later than usual) naptime.

TIPS:

• Get there before it opens
• Don't go in the front - there are side/back parking lots that you can go in to get away from the crowds.  It also helped us see the animals and children's area in the back of the zoo - something you could easily miss if you spent most of your time in the front exhibits.
• You ARE allowed to bring in strollers - despite if the gate attendant tells you they're not permitted!!
• Bring your own food -  it didn't look like there were too many healthy options (or allergy-friendly for our purposes)
• Be prepared to lift up your little lovebug frequently to see the animals - basically, bring a strong friend or family member (my husband was a helpful lifter that day!)

The ducks may not look that exciting, but my son loved seeing them up close (even though we've definitely seen ducks before!).  This was in the children's area.

  Flamingos!

There is an indoor play area called "The Treehouse" that is for members only.  We tried to walk in, but then were told by the door attendant that it was for members only.  As we started to walk away we must have looked pretty disappointed because he quietly called us back and told us to just go in and have fun.  So nice of him!

We had fun walking through a big "tree" with steps in it and two slides, sitting on big bugs, and climbing through honeycombs.  I was obviously the photographer of the day!!

My son loved the big gorilla status - even more than the real gorillas.  You can see it was close to nap time here.

I think our favorite animals were the giraffes.  A Mama, Dada and baby giraffe all together.  Awww.

We had a great time overall and are looking forward to going back!