Halloween at the Zoo

It’s a Halloween tradition for Marina and I got go to Boo at the Zoo. Marina decided to wear her new Mulan costume today. We wanted to get an early start, but it didn’t work out as well as we hoped. We ended up having to walk quite a way.

When we finally got into the zoo, we found out where the characters would be so we didn’t miss them. Then we were on our way. We looked at some of the animals along the way around. Marina was much better at spotting the small trick or treat stations than I was.  She collected quite a bit of candy.

Near the entrance we saw Kylo Ren and a Bounty Hunter. By the carousel we found Snow White, who was played by a friend of ours.Then we went to the primate exhibit where we found Captain Jack Sparrow. He recognized us immediately. Near Tropical Discover was Maleficent who recognized us as well. She hugged us both and we talked with her for a few minutes.

By this time, we were hungry, so we stopped for lunch. Marina had a quesadilla. It was nice to sit and rest for a while. At noon, the characters changed. So we headed back to some of the spots. At the carousel we ran into Moana. She was played by an actress we haven’t seen in a while. Then we went to the tropical exhibit where the Evil Queen was lurking. We had a nice exchange with her as well.

Once our visits were done. We headed to the car, which was quite a walk. We were both very tired but we’d had a fun time.

Return to the Enchanted Hallows

Last year the zoo started a fall evening event called Enchanted Hallows. We enjoyed it last year, so we decided to try it again. This year they were also advertising a Bigfoot encounter.

When we arrived it was not dark yet. We decided to start at the Bigfoot Encounter. They had a large glittery cut out of Bigfoot on display there. Marina wanted to go through the tropical exhibit, so we went in to look at the animals. While we were inside, Marina befriended a little boy.

When we left the building, we heard the sea lions barking. We couldn’t see them very well since there were no lights in the area. But they were really loud for a while. The giraffe house was also open, so we went in there for a while. We spent some time talking with one of the keepers. 

As we walked through the zoo, we saw their new 4D Movie Theater. A show was about to start, so we decided to see it. It was a shortened version of Smallfoot. That featured a lot of bumping around, pokes in the back and a few water sprays in our faces. It definitely kept us on our toes.

We followed the path to the elephants. We saw them inside their house and the fishing cat who was sitting inside a hollow log.

This year there was an interactive art walk near the carousel. Inside we found a giant owl. Marina sat on the chair inside and was able to move the wings and the eyes. We also saw bubbling water and a glowing crystal ball. Near the exit there were two realistic looking scarecrows that freaked Marina out and the Headless Horseman.

As we made our way out, we bought hot chocolate since we were a bit chilly. We went through the predators and saw the African Wild Dogs sleeping all snuggled together. Marina loved that.

When we completed the loop through the zoo, we walked to the car and went home.

Hot Day at the Zoo

Marina and I slept in this morning. And after a leisurely start to the day, we decided to go to the zoo this afternoon. It was a beautiful day but very hot. We found a place to park quickly and went right in.

We started at Predator Ridge where we found four lions resting in the shadows of their exhibit. Right next to that was an African wild dog sleeping right next to the glass. Marina loved looking at it. We walked along and saw the cheetah, kangaroos and water buffalos.

We stopped for lunch at our favorite barbecue place. After she ate, Marina wanted ice cream. She chose the Oreo flavor. Then we headed back through the zoo.

We went through the Asian exhibit because Marina wanted to see the otters. When we arrived at their enclosure they were all sleeping. It was adorable! Across the way was the fishing cat. We rarely see them because they tend to hide, but today it was prowling around. We watched it for a while and it kept eyeing us, but with each pass through the exhibit, it got closer to us. It never came up to the glass as we were hoping.

We next saw two elephants that seemed to be messing around with each other. It was fun to watch them tussle with each other. We headed to the tiger exhibit but none of them were outside, so we went on to see the seals and then the sea lions. One sea lion was barking at something, but what it was we never saw.

By the time we made the full loop around the zoo we were both very hot and ready to get out of the sun. So we went home to cool off.

Another Boo at the Zoo

Boo at the Zoo has been a Halloween tradition for us since Marina was a baby. Today was the only day we could go this year, so despite the fact that we were at the zoo last night, we came back again this morning. When we arrived parking was already crazy. I found a spot but it was pretty far away from the zoo so we had a long walk before we got there.

The set up was different this year and the trick or treat stations were smaller and easier to miss. We didn’t see any character meet and greets this year either. When we reached our favorite restaurant Marina was ready to eat lunch. After I ordered we were lucky to find a table in the shade to sit at. We both enjoyed our lunch.

We looked at more animals after lunch. We walked along some of the bird paths we usually don’t follow and went through the Asian animals. All the elephant were outside and the tapir was running around it’s enclosure and making noises. Inside we saw five otters playing and chattering at each other. Marina was thrilled that the fisher cat was inside a log in its exhibit.

We went through the rest of the zoo and stopped at all the treat stations. On our way out we saw two lionesses in Predator Ridge, so we stopped to look at them for a while before making the long journey back to the car.

Enchanted Hollows

This year the Zoo has a new nighttime event for Halloween. Marina and I were interested in checking it out. She wore her Sayori costume, We arrived early and found that it wasn’t crowded at all.

The zoo was decorated with pumpkins, sculptures and some of the scary animals from zoo lights. We saw a few lions in their enclosure. We moved on to look at the hyenas when we heard an animal roaring. We went back to the lions and saw one standing on a log roaring. It was fun to see.
As we moved through the zoo, we stopped to speak with a volunteer who told us that many of the zoo animals are “crepuscular” meaning they are most active at dawn and twilight. We walked by the flamingos and saw them all sleeping very close to the fence. We’d never seen them that close before.


In Asian exhibit we went inside and saw three otters playing. After we finished watching them, Marina turned around and we saw one of the elusive fisher cats looking at us. It quickly turned around and hid again. One of the tigers was also very active and roaring, so we watched it for a while.

Marina wanted to go into the tropical exhibit. She was particularly interested in the snakes tonight. Once we made the walk through the entire zoo we were ready to go home.

Animal Adventures

We decided to go to the zoo this afternoon. It was a beautiful warm day. We were fortunate to find parking easily despite lots of people being there. We went right inside. We stopped to watch an animal encounter were Marina got an up close look at a scorpion that glows in the dark. We moved on a looked at the water buffalo, rhinos and kangaroos. When we arrived at our favorite restaurant, we stopped for lunch.

This time we decided to stop at the Lorikeet Adventure so Marina could feed the birds. As we entered, some people who were leaving offered us half a cup of nectar. We were grateful to receive it. It took a few minutes, but we found a bird who she could reach to feed. After that one was done, she found one above her head to feed. This one wanted to take the paper cup away from her!

We went through the Asian Animals and Marina was disappointed that the Fishing Cats weren’t on view. We did see the otters napping though.

Marina wanted to go through tropical exhibit this time. We hadn’t gone through that exhibit for a while. Marina enjoyed looking at the various frogs, snakes and fish. She was especially interested in the Komodo Dragons. As we passed the sea lions we heard them barking at each other. We stopped for a while to watch three of them chasing each other around and playing.

We saw that the youngest giraffe was right over next to the new observation deck. So we went for a closer look. We hadn’t seen him that close before! Marina wanted to see some of the big cats before we left, but none were visible. So we decided to go home.

Summer at the Zoo

The weather today was beautiful. So we decided to go to the zoo since we haven’t been in quite a while. The parking lot was crowded but we managed to get a parking space in the garage. We wandered around stopping to see the animals who were out in the sun. We got a good look at the kangaroos, Dall Sheep and found the cheetah hiding in the grass.

We were both thrilled to see the barbecue place we both like was open. So we stopped there for lunch. We both enjoyed the food before going through the rest of the zoo. We looked at all the primates. Marina, of course, wanted to see the tigers. We caught the seals swimming around and then looked at giraffes wandering through their habitat.

Marina was disappointed that the feline house was closed for renovations. But we talked about the renovations over the years that were shown on the signs. After walking through the whole zoo, we went back to the car and spent the rest of the day at home.

All About Animals

Since Marina had today off from school, I decided to take the day off. Marina slept late this morning which made her happy since the cats have been waking her up early lately.

After she was up for a little while, we got dressed to go out. We had planned to go to the museum to see their new exhibit, but since the weather was so beautiful, we decided to start at the Zoo.

The Zoo was crowded but we didn’t have any trouble finding a place to park. We walked a bit around the zoo looking at the cheetahs, mountain goats and rhinos before stopping for lunch. We ate at the Asian inspired restaurant near the elephants, the went on to the rest of the Zoo. Marina insisted we see the tigers and we also caught the sea lions swimming around a bit.

After our walk through the Zoo, we went to our original destination, the museum. We immediately went to the new temporary exhibit, Creatures of Light. Marina was a bit nervous going in because it was dark. It turned out to be a really cool exhibit. We were met by a giant firefly. We also saw other glowing insects and sea life. Marina enjoyed a floor display that simulated glowing bacteria in the water. She loved how the lights followed her as she walked through.

After we finished going through the exhibit Marina was ready to go home. It had been a fun day learning about animals.

Winter in the Tropics

The butterfly museum was having a “Winter in the Tropics” event with Moana and we wanted to be there for it. Marina wore her tropical Mickey Mouse dress and a yellow flower in her for the occasion.

We arrived a bit before the event, so we looked around the insect area. Marina held Rosie the tarantula and got a sticker. Then we looked at the aquarium area. She always likes looking at the fish. She even decided to touch the sea stars on display.

It was time for the Moana meet and greet. It was in the butterfly exhibit – our favorite. There were more butterflies than I remembered seeing there before. Some of them were the size of small birds! We walked around the perimeter to where Moana was. She remembered us from the Christmas concert.

After spending a few minutes with her, we wandered around the exhibit. Several small butterflies landed on the flower in Marina’s hair. She was thrilled. One was so determined that a volunteer had to remove it. Another large one landed on both of our clothes. The butterflies were very friendly today!

We went into the invertebrate section where Marina refused to see the glow in the dark scorpions, which were really interesting. The other bugs there grossed her out as well.

We went back into butterfly exhibit for a Moana concert. The ground was damp, so Marina shared her jacket with two other girls to sit on. After the concert we said goodbye to Moana, went through the insect area one more time before heading home.

All About Animals

Since Marina is on her winter break, I decided to take today off to spend with her. We both slept in and took it easy this morning. After brunch, we decided to go to the Museum of Nature and Science to see two touring exhibits which are leaving soon. When we arrived we found it was very crowded. We managed to find a parking spot at the Zoo and we walked over.

We started off by going through the Extreme Dinosaurs exhibit. There were plenty of people  there, but Marina was still able to try out some of the hands on activities. She helped remove a dinosaur skeleton from the sediment it was encased in, touched real dinosaur bones, helped recreate Pangea and collected six dinosaur stamps through the exhibit. At the end she looked through a screen which showed the skeleton as the dinosaur might have looked.

After we went through that exhibit, we went through the exhibit next door – Nature’s Amazing Machines. This exhibit showed how animals are uniquely adapted to the animal’s behavior. Marina waited in line to try out two different types of wings. We play an activity where strength was tested. By the time we finished with that exhibit, we were ready for a late lunch.

Since the Museum was so crowded, we decided to go to the Zoo for lunch. Unfortunately, it took us a while to find a restaurant that was open. So we were very hungry by the time we finally sat down to eat. Once we finished our lunch, we decided to look around the zoo. The animals were quite active during that time. We saw four young lions chasing each other around, a snow leopard roaring, three sea lions sleeping all snuggled together and a seal swimming around.

We left the zoo before it closed and took a rest in the car. We had tickets to Zoo Lights, so we had a short wait until we could go back in for that. When we saw the line forming we went back into the zoo.

We knew that there would be princesses at Zoo Lights, so we went there first. They weren’t there yet, so we were first in line when Anna and Elsa showed up. After we took photos with them, we picked up hot chocolate and went in to see the lights. When we have gone to Zoo Lights in the past we’ve always seen long lines for the carousel and train. Since the lines were short this time, we decided to do both. It was fun to ride the train through the lights. Then we went to the carousel where Marina was happy to ride a black panther.

We spent the rest of the time looking at all the lights. We took a brief trip through the Asian animals where we saw a sleeping fisher cat. Once we went through all the lights, we were ready to go home. We’d had a fun day but it was a lot of walking!

School Lights

I was invited to attend their private event at the zoo holiday lights through the university I graduated from. We went last year with Mr. Chuck and Miss Judy. This year everyone wanted to go again.

We learned a few lessons from last year and arrived a bit later. By doing this we avoided the long line to get in. Our first stop was picking up hot chocolate and a snack of popcorn and cookies.

We were really close to where Santa was taking photos with school mascot. The line looked long, but it moved quickly. So Marina and I went through it. Then we went to look at all the lights. Every year the lights are arranged differently. We really liked the way they were set up this year.

As we went through the zoo, Marina participated in a scavenger hunt to find all the symbols hidden throughout the zoo. We compared notes with others along the way, but we still missed two of them. Even so, Marina got a candy cane for her efforts at the end.

Once we got through the zoo, we headed home. It had been a long day. We were all tired, but it had been a lot of fun!