My parents came up to visit and we gave them an "adventure" as an anniversary gift. We ended up going to the Dallas Zoo. We have been to the Ft. Worth zoo a few times, and it's great, but it is a lot farther away. The Dallas zoo is maybe only 15 minutes or so? And we ended up purchasing a membership so we could go again and again this year without paying anymore--it was a surprisingly nice zoo and great experience. It was funny because all the reviews I had read the last time we chose to go to a zoo said that the Dallas one wasn't that great at all, (so we chose Ft. Worth that time). They have put a lot of money into it and expanded a lot, plus they have some great opportunities for the kids to interact and have hands-on experiences.
(Oh, and yes, the girls are wearing the same outfits as the butterfly exhibit post...different week, different adventure, but I probably should have planned for the pictures not looking all the same!)
Xaris getting a better viewpoint to study the tortoises
There were a lot of them. And they were huge and hissing.
Albino Alligator. Or was it a crocodile?? I'm thinking gator, but I might not remember correctly.
Kids' play area (also with a water channel to play in and a petting zoo, and who knows what else we haven't visited yet!)
A giant and beautiful baboon!
I didn't zoom in for this picture. Part of the giraffe area is sunken, so when the giraffes are standing there, they are at eye level for spectators! They have a LOT of giraffes. One of the extra things visitors can do is pay $5 for a few leaves and feed the giraffes! We might just do that. Once.
They also have a Merry-Go-Round. Xaris saw it when we first walked in and talked about riding the animals during the whole visit. So, we paid for a ride for her at the end of our trip :) (you can also pay to ride camels at this zoo. Lots of fun extras, but they all cost!) She chose an Okapi. She hasn't stopped talking about okapis either! She was waving at the camera in this picture. So serious the whole time on the ride, it's hard to tell if she enjoys it. But she doesn't want to get off at the end of her turn, so I suppose it was a success!
Oh, and ilane slept in the stroller for most of the zoo. That's why she is not really featured in this post!
