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Dallas Zoo

Last Friday we had good intentions.  A friend and I agreed to meet at the Science Museum with our collective 5 boys for a morning of fun.

I was 1/2 the way to Dallas when my husband called and said, “Where is this museum?”

“Fair Park.”

“You CAN’T GO THERE TODAY!  It is the Cotton Bowl!”

About that time my friend called to report her husband had just called her with the same information and she was already in a traffic jam on I-30.

We had 5 anxious boys, 1 grandma and 2 very uninformed mommies!

We made a snap decision to go to the Dallas Zoo instead.  The weather was great and we already had sandwiches packed…

The boys were excited to get out of the car and run around.  The zoo was a perfect place for expending child energy.

There is an area where you can buy either worms or birdseed sticks to feed the birds for $1.  All our boys chose the birdseed sticks.  The birds were still on their “winter schedule” so eating wasn’t a high priority, but we had some fun encounters.  Several of the birds kept trying to climb into my purse or up my mom’s coat sleeves.  They were not shy and the kids loved it.

Next time I will encourage buying the worms.  Some of the birds only eat worms and they seem to be a less popular purchase among the zoo visitors.  You don’t actually touch the worms, the birds will eat them out of a small cup that is provided.

The zoo has a huge play area.  It has equipment for kids of all ages.  This spider web was my 5 y/o’s favorite:

There is also slides and tunnels and large eggs to climb into…just a bunch of fun stuff.  Surrounding the play area are several smaller learning centers and the Nature Exchange Center.

All the boys thought this was great.  You can bring in up to 5 items (you collected at home) and trade them for other nature treasures.  There is a point system assigned so it is like a nature store.  There are many things to see and touch even if you (like us) don’t have anything to trade.

This Nature Exchange Center is one of the main reasons we will be returning to the zoo this year–and next time we will be prepared with treasures to trade.

The underground learning area is really unique.  It is dark (and quiet) and has all sorts of animals that live underground.

There is also a tunnel to crawl through to fully experience underground living.

There are also lots of animals at the zoo…

Overall it was a great experience.  We were glad we had missed the craziness at Fair Park and gone to the Dallas Zoo.  It took us about 45 minutes (without traffic) to get there from Flower Mound.  We spent 4 hours, but could have easily spent another hour or two if everyone had the energy!

If you have written about your experience at the Dallas Zoo, please mention the link in the comments.

When Holly isn’t planning trips in the middle of major events, she can be found at June Cleaver Nirvana where being a mommy and blogging is not in the middle of traffic.