Is there anything quite like a day at the zoo with little kids? Something I love about having babies and/or toddlers is their pure joy and fascination with simple things. Whether it’s trying an ice cream sandwich for the first time, finding a new wildflower at the park or visiting a new place, everything is new and exciting to them and it just makes your life 100000x more fun as a parent!
Even my too-cool-for-everything six-year-old enjoyed our trip to the Denver Zoo. They have all of the “typical” zoo animals: lions, tigers, hyenas, elephants, etc. that we don’t have at the Minnesota Zoo. Which I also love, but it’s fun to see animals that little kids recognize too.
What To See at the Denver Zoo
We got to the zoo bright and early a bit before it opened to the public at 10am. Zoo members can enter earlier, but obviously as out-of-town visitors, we’re not. There are some shady spots to sit and enjoy food, but the trails are mostly uncovered and it was pretty toasty (they were in a heat wave during our visit). On hot summer days, I would recommend going as early as possible!
There are several trails and exhibits at the Denver Zoo including African, Asian and Australian sections; primates; an animal hospital; an interactive stingray pool, and more. We decided to see most of the African animals (for the novelty), and the grandparents took the kids to pet stingrays while I fed the baby. It does cost extra to do that.
I appreciated that there are so many shady spots to stop for a snack or meal, as that’s a huge part of any outing with kids. You also don’t want to be nursing a baby in 100F in the sun!
After a couple of hours and a picnic lunch, the kids were spent so we headed home. The younger two fell asleep on the drive back. Actually, my almost-3-year-old took THREE naps last week, which is pretty unprecedented since he stopped napping before he even turned two. Maybe we need more zoo trips in our lives 😛
Details
Pricing: Adults (16+) $26 / Seniors (65+) $23 / Kids (3-15) $19 / Kids under 2 are free
Hours: Every day from 10am – 4pm; members can visit starting at 9am
Check out their website for more information on programs and directions.
But tell me, are you a hot or cold weather person? I’m learning to tolerate the heat but I will forever love cool, rainy weather. However as I get older I’m less of a cold winter weather person and more of a fall/spring kind of girl 🙂
xx Claire