What a great Mother’s Day weekend we had! We camped, we ate, we laughed and we conquered the St. Louis Zoo. When I say we conquered…..we did. 6 hours of animals, over 17,000 animals to be viewed!
Have you ever visited the St. Louis Zoo? It’s a must. It was just voted as America’s Top Free Attraction AND Best Zoo. It’s seriously an amazing zoo. And guess what? It’s 100% FREE.
There are fees that can add up, but are optional. Parking does cost, but there is a ton of free parking along the road etc., so we have never had an issue. Also, certain programs, food and souvenirs if purchased are an extra cost as well. The zoo does a great job though at letting people bring in their own food, water and snacks. We packed up a cooler, and we were ready to rock and roll!
While the zoo is free, it does survive on donations. We always purchase the Friends and Family Pass, which is good for a year, costs $90 and allows free parking 6 times in the parking lot right outside the front door, and a TON of tickets to do things inside the zoo that cost money such as ride the train, pet the stingrays, ride the carousal, watch the sea lion show and visit the petting zoo. It’s a great investment for us, saves us money on shows that we want to see, plus we are donating to the zoo for upkeep, etc. Win/win.
While none of us could agree on what our favorite animal was, one thing that we could agree on? Petting the stingrays! You start by washing your entire hand and forearm up to your elbow to get off any lotion, sweat or sunscreen as those are items that could cause harm to the stingrays. Then, we gave our tickets, and went inside. Right away, we could tell the stingrays were full of business. VERY active in the water….close to feeding time and they were ready. What did that mean for us? That we got to pet them a lot! Along with stingrays, there is a baby shark in there as well so the girls always love being able to see that and touch a shark also.
Daddy is taking the lead and showing the girls the proper way to touch, and not be frightened. How cool, right?
The girls were super excited. Stingrays are so smooth to the touch! It really is an amazing experience to be able to be that close and interact with them.
Our little one stretching out as far as she can to pet that stingray!
The option was then given to participate in the feeding of the stingrays. Raw fish heads, shrimp and bits and pieces of other seafood? Who wouldn’t say yes?! The look on our daughter’s face, plus my look photobombing in the back….priceless! 🙂 Hilarious. Still, we did it!
We then ventured along and got to see their new addition to the zoo, the polar bear. Still “tiny” as it is young…Those paws were giant! All tuckered out though. It’s tiring being a baby!
We walked and walked. Not only is the zoo a great FREE attraction, it is also such an amazing way to get out and exercise without even realizing it. While we enjoyed the walk, the girls also had to take their time to stop, rest and pose.
If you are able to visit the zoo, I also highly recommend the Sea Lion Show. We were able to get seated 30 minutes ahead of time for the 1PM show so we sat in the shade, and ate our packed picnic lunch. It was great. Nothing like PBJ sandwiches, apples and nuts to refuel ya on a hot day!
Once the Sea Lion show started, there wasn’t a peep from our girls. It’s a 30 minute show, full of tricks and laughs and really catches your attention from start to finish. We go to the show every time we visit the zoo, and even though the show doesn’t change, our family still enjoys it every time.
I did forget to mention the one splurge that we did at the zoo. Courtesy of grandma and grandpa, they treated us to….FUNNEL CAKES!. The best. One original and one strawberry. Delicious.
The time of the zoo closing came near, we packed up our gear and headed back to our campsite. We always talk about what parts we liked about our recent adventures and what animals we saw. We saw lions, elephants, bears, monkeys, zebras, panthers, alligators….you name it, it was there. Did I mention, 17,000 different animals to be exact?!! Please, if you haven’t been, it’s a must. One of the coolest places in Missouri to visit for sure!
How did we end our night? With a Mother’s Day Feast. A campfire, with steaks, potatoes and mushrooms. What a perfect end to a perfect day.
How was your weekend? Did you make the most of it?
Leave a Reply