Day Trip to the Zoo

The Saturday before Father's Day we took off on an adventure! We headed south to the Jacksonville Zoo so we could explore and so Charlotte could see all the animals! I have been wanting to take her to this zoo for so long and  I am glad we finally managed to go.

We didn't rush out the door but left by about 10 so we got to the zoo about noon. It wasn't too hot but it was super cloudy so it was humid so we took our time walking around and enjoying all the animals.

This one was tired of being in her carseat even though it was only a 90 minute drive. Luckily her Daddy got her a donut for the last 30 minutes and she was good until we got to the zoo.

The first thing we did when we got there was pet the sting rays! It was such an interesting experience. Some were slimy, some were smooth and others had ridges on their backs so they weren't as nice to touch. There was one huge sting ray that was just sitting at the bottom of the little pool just watching the others swim around. 

It was huge! 

After the sting ray experience we started our walk around. We saw turtles

warthogs,

and a beautiful family of cranes! 

There was an enclosure that had a rhino, a cheetah, an ostrich, and some other animals but when we came through only the rhino was out. 

Lots of birds in the trees

I do not remember what these are called but they are beautiful animals! They were just hanging out in the shade of the trees

The zebras! Char got very excited when she saw these because she knew what they were called! 

I'm not a fan of snakes but we went through the snake house anyway...this snake is huge! 

Charlotte loves the elephants so naturally we had to take a selfie with one! 

He was just chilling in his stroller with his bottle! Enjoying the animals and the ride

Then it was time for the big cats! Leopards and Lions

The giraffes were the sweetest! There are two new babies and this one was just loving hanging out his momma while she was eating some leaves. 

Isn't that so sweet? 

We found some elephant statues and Charlotte got to take a picture with them! They might possibly be her favorite animal right now. Her Daddy is sitting behind her so she doesn't fall over

By this time we were all getting hungry so we went to the cafe for some lunch. We ordered our food and got a table and I looked over and saw an animal. The cafe is right next to the jaguar exhibit, and it was so cool to be eating lunch next to a jaguar, even if he did sleep the whole time. 

After lunch we continued on through the zoo and saw some more lizards, snakes, and other reptiles, and then we saw an anteater, some monkeys, and this creature that looked almost like a huge pig but with a snout like an elephant. Char decided it looked like a dog and kept saying puppy, making everyone laugh! 

The birds with the mustaches were really cool! 

These fish in this pond were huge. This picture just doesn't show how big these fish were! 

My favorite animals beside the penguins are otters! I love how playful and cute they are, or as they appear! 

This one was so playful and cute

As soon as everyone walked over to the other one, the one in the other side of the tank had to join the party! 

They painted the trees blue for some charity. 

The river that is on one side of the zoo! It was pretty but can you see the rain coming?!

This area in Asia was beautiful

You can barely tell, but through the wood slats is a tiger. He was standing above us in his enclosure! 

All of the Tigers were pacing so it must have been lunch time! 

The one standing above us moved into the tunnel above us that led to the other side of the Tiger area

A baby tiger! 

It doesn't look like a baby but it was compared to the other tigers! 

And of course you cannot go to Jacksonville without seeing alligators! 

At this point the sky opened up and we got drenched! We walked briskly  toward the entrance and by the time we got to the entrance the rain had stopped! We were soaked but definitely ready to leave.

On our way home we stopped at our favorite BBQ place that we visited back in January when it was freezing cold! This girl loves pickles! I love that she has no fear of food and will eat anything

Like last time we fed the alligators because you cannot visit this place without checking out the gators! They were huge compared to the last time! 

Remember this picture? Charlotte was so excited but it was freezing so we didn't last long. The gators were tiny compared to our last visit! 

We had such a good time at the zoo despite the random rain storm! Pop up showers are so common I am used to it by now so it didn't phase me at all, plus the little's loved the rain, it cooled them off tremendously!

This zoo was so worth the trip! The animals were not all on top of each other, it was spread out and the way it was set up was very friendly for walking! Plus the exhibits were very large and open so the animals had a lot of space to run and play and do their animal thing! I loved this zoo and it was definitely worth the price! 

If you are ever in the Jacksonville area you should definitely add this to your list and let me know what you think! Our family has many more trips planned for the future, but we will probably try to get their a little earlier so we can see all the animals since they put them up an hour before they close! 

It was a great day of family fun! 

Have a great Tuesday! 

XOXO