Dallas Zoo

Friday, Reese & I trekked out to the Dallas Zoo for a fun visit. Now, this zoo isn't all that interesting in my opinion. It's quite dated (although they've added quite a few new things since we were there 2 years ago), I hate driving to Dallas because there's always traffic, & the Ft. Worth zoo is much closer and WAY higher quality.

So, why on Earth did we go to the Dallas Zoo then? There are a few redeeming qualities about the zoo, but you have to know what you're getting when you go or you'll be disappointed in the whole zoo experience!

*Our favorite part of the Dallas Zoo is the Lacerte Children's Zoo. There is a large enclosure where children can go in with the goats, feed them, brush them, & just hang out as long as they wish. As you may know, Reese LOVES goats & this was our main reason for going to the zoo today.

Much to our dismay, the goats were not out today & instead they had donkeys in the enclosure and the children were not allowed to go in. Drats! Luckily, the Children's Zoo has other animals you can interact with & Reese spent lots of time petting the two pigs. They also had bunnies, guinea pigs, & a huge koi pond to check out.

*In the Children's Zoo, they've added an aviary...another Zoo Favorite of ours! We purchased the little overpriced "seed sticks" & went inside. We found some of the kindest birds ever! Not only were they the typical "pet store birds" but there were some other exotic looking birds that didn't mind little tender hands stroking them. Reese kept petting this buzzard looking bird with black & white spotted feathers. I was shocked it just sat there & enjoyed (?) it!

*The Discovery House within the Children's Zoo is awesome! Reese put on a Zoo Keeper shirt as soon as we walked in & got right to work checking out different insect wings through a microscope. We played a neat game where you had to match the animal fur with the picture of the animal it belonged to. Each fur was numbered & you had to find the matching number on the animal card--so it was great number identification practice as well! Reese also enjoyed the puzzles, many cages & tanks of live animals (bearded dragon, house mouse, river habitat, rats, box turtle), the numerous displays of insects...there's so much to see in this little house!

*There's also a play structure within the Children's Zoo that is a great steam-burner. Makes for a good mix of focused play in the Discovery House & large motor play on the play structure!

*The Monorail ride. Just plain FUN!! This wasn't working the last time we visited two years ago, but we made sure to check it out today. You board a monorail car & it takes you around the entire African section of the Zoo. It's a guided tour, so the tour guide tells you all about the animals you're passing. And it's especially neat to get a bird's eye view of the animals. You can really see the entire enclosure & ALL of the animals within, unlike viewing from the ground where you can only see bits & pieces.

We don't tend to see many of the "typical zoo animals" when we visit the Dallas Zoo. We spend most of our time in the Children's Zoo, and today at the Monorail. For the zoo animals, we like to visit the Ft. Worth Zoo. But I feel the Dallas Zoo has it's own unique draw!