Recently my hubby, BB and I were lucky enough to be the recipients of tickets to the Philadelphia Zoo. At the last minute we were able to also get an additional 2 tickets which was just fantastic since my Sister and Brother-In-Law were in town for a prior engagement that had been canceled. Perfect, no?
This was BB's first official trip to the Philadelphia Zoo and I was a little worried since she doesn't like change or new things. At all. Period. So we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. And you know what? We had an absolutely fantastic time and my dear little girl did so well! Even though the weather was hot, the sky was blessedly cloudy and there was such a lovely breeze in the air that kept you cool and refreshed.
The first exhibit we visited was the Rare Animal Conservation Center. It was a little dark but the space was open enough that the claustrophobic ones in our group had no problem walking through and enjoying the animals.
Some have said my Patronous would be a Sloth but I disagree. I personally think it would be a Rhino.
The Zoo also has a nifty little activity called PZ Gem Panning Co. where you buy a bag of sand and sift it in the water contraption that they have set up. It's a kind of early settlers deal and makes you feel like you're back in the old days, looking for some gold. Everyone got in on the action and BB was so happy to take her "treasure" home with her. Thinking back, I'm surprised none of us in the group didn't let out a "Yee-haw!" or two while we were there.
After we cleaned up and collected our loot, we headed to what I think was one of BB's favorite exhibit of the Zoo ... the Reptile and Amphibian House! There we saw plenty of creepy crawly slithering creatures and my darling girl was in heaven. Did I ever tell you we suspect she speaks Parseltongue? We took bets on whether or not she'd mysteriously set loose an anaconda or two.
Take a look at her expression in the mirror - priceless no? Despite the huge eyes she totally enjoyed herself and told her daddy more than once that the snakes were "so so cute".
Here are my two sweethearts. Aren't they cute together? My darling dear flip flopped between her Daddy and Tio Frank most of the day and each was more then happy to oblige her wishes, sticking her on their shoulders or lifting her high into the air so she could see the exhibits and creatures better. And let me tell you, my back is very happy we had them both there!
We also saw Gloria and Moto Moto. One snorted loudly while we were watching them and BB shouted, "they farted!". We are such a classy crowd to be around, lol.
And don't forget the Slowsky's!
The Philadelphia Zoo also has some wonderful Lego exhibits scattered around featuring different animals as well as collectible trading cards. We picked up as many as we could and BB and hubby loved looking at them. I could practically see my hubby scheming up ways to replicate these Lego masterpieces at home.
Then we were off to see the monkey's and gorilla's and they were a sight to behold! They really are so enormous in real life!
My Mom fell in love with this lovely specimen. Doesn't he look like he could just use a cuddle or two? He sat during most of our visit by the window and looked longingly outside. Or maybe he was just thinking he was so happy to be in the air conditioning and not out in the heat?
After a little bit he casually strolled on over to where we were standing and plopped down in front of us. He just stayed there cute as can be while we snapped photos galore. I think if my Mom could have she would have hopped right in there with him, settled down with a cup of coffee and let him help her with her crocheting or jewelry making.
There was also a place called the Children's Zoo that featured bunnies and the like which completely captivated BB. They were too cute and she asked if we could hop in there with them.
We finally made our way to the Giraffe exhibit that BB had been asking us about all day. You see, my darling girl loves Madagascar and wanted to see Melman, one of her favorites from the movie. We didn't tell her the lovely adult giraffe was actually named Stella and had just given birth a few weeks back.
Aren't they just adorable together? The wonderful young man who worked at the Zoo told us that this little bundle of joy was born 5'4" tall and weighed in at 120lbs ... that's bigger then my older sister! They still haven't picked a name for her and are holding a competition of sorts on their site, letting the public pick her name. Cool isn't it?
Marty also made an appearance and other then missing Alex (the Big Cat area was too crowded and we were ready for lunch at that point), our Madagascar experience was complete.
We had such a wonderful time and will definitely be back for more fun in the future now that we know it's passed the BB test. Thanks Philadelphia Zoo for allowing us to enjoy the animals for a day! Your animals and staff were out of this world! We can't wait to head back!