Road Trip to the Dallas Zoo

04.28

Last April, I purchased a family membership to the Dallas Zoo then Brent was offered a job in Tyler three months later so we didn't get to use the membership very much.  This was our last opportunity to visit the zoo for free since the membership expires at the end of April so we packed up the kids, food, drinks and the double wide stroller and hit the road on this lovely Saturday morning.  Our trip started with breakfast on the road from McDonald's then we took a restroom break at McDonald's before we got into Dallas.  This is a BIG TIP that has worked for us every time we go to this zoo...drive past all of the workers that try to direct you to the extended parking lot!  Tell them you are dropping off the family and I promise that you will find a parking spot near the front entrance of the zoo.  We actually got to park in the very first parking spot by the entrance and under a tree!  The kids were so excited to get out of the truck and Beck perked up even more when he saw the giant blow-up koala as we walked in the zoo.  And, we got there in time to see the penguins being fed.

Next on the agenda was the safari section which is where the elephants, giraffes, cheetahs and lions can be found.  The elephants really put on a show!  One picked up a tree trunk and the other one was sucking up water in his trunk and splashing it on his body...what a site to see!!!

We also got to see the elephants eat apples and oranges!  And, the cheetah walked by the window which was really cool to see!

I don't think I've seen this many giraffes before and we got really close to one.  Beck almost got close enough to touch it and Kinsey hung on to me like a monkey.  She was a bit afraid of the tall giraffe...that was something she had never seen before. 

At this point, mine and Brent's allergies had kicked into high gear but we sure enjoyed riding the monorail.  What's really interesting about the monorail is there are animals that can't be seen unless you ride the monorail.

We ate lunch with some unwanted visitors (bees) then headed over to the kids section.  Kinsey is the slowest eater in the entire world!  She was still working on her hot dog when I saw a chicken about to walk past her so naturally I busted out the camera to catch what was about to happen.  She ended up dropping what was left of her hot dog and ran to me after the chicken walked by!

We got five worms and a stick with a little bit of food on it to feed the birds...Beck loved it!  He also enjoyed trying to feed them sticks and leaves.  One bird enjoyed eating Brent's necklace.

I'm pretty sure we weren't suppose to do this either but we let Beck put popcorn in the fish tank and they ate it up!  He was trying so hard to touch one.

Then, we played with the goats...Beck put hay on the goat's head and Kinsey kept pointing to his booty.

Beck and Kinsey really enjoyed riding the make-believe horses and Brent and I are about to die at this point because our allergies are so bad.

We went in a building to get some cool air and to let our allergies settle and the worker was letting kids touch the newt.  Beck really liked this too!  How fun would it be to have a giant rabbit?!?!

This was Beck's first time to get on the spider web net and as you can see he really liked it.  At this point, Brent was done!  He was hot and tired of sneezing so we stopped for some ice cream and cotton candy on the way out.

Beck wanted to eat cotton candy while Kinsey and Daddy rode the carousel and ate ice cream.  (I wonder if Beck remembers how sick he got the last time he rode this ride?)

Good-bye Dallas Zoo!  McDonald's is right next to the zoo so we naturally stopped to get a snack and some cool, refreshing beverages.  We are a McDonald's family!!!  Both kids fell asleep before finishing their burger.  Kinsey woke up after we went through Canton and Beck slept all the way home!  It was a fun-filled day and I can't wait to do it again!