our trip to the akron zoo

In July, we went to the Akron Zoo.  We had talked for a year about going and we decided to make it happen. Plus, one of my 100x40 goals was to take Emmy to a zoo that we hadn't been to.  Not too hard considering we have only been to the Columbus Zoo.  

We went up on a Sunday and got there not long after they opened.  It really didn't seem too crowded when we got there, but as we left there were definitely more people.  Akron is small compared to Columbus, but it was really nice.  It was clean.  They had some animals that Columbus didn't have. We both agreed it was worth the drive up there for the day.  The bonus is that you get a discount on admission if you are a Columbus Zoo member.  

The first exhibit you come to is penguins.  It was a very nice exhibit. The neat thing they had was a platform you could climb up and watch the penguins from above.  There was a caretaker nearby who answered questions and told us how to spot the baby.

 

Emmy was excited about the lemurs, which are one of her favorite animals.  We knelt down and watched them eat and play (and, of course, poop).  There were several types of lemurs in the exhibit. The ones above are ring-tailed.  

  

Emmy & I in the giant bird's nest. This is how big an eagle's nest can get.

 

The Akron Zoo just opened Grizzly Ridge that summer.  It was home of, surprise, two grizzly bears. They also have a great river otter exhibit there.  We stood there for quite a while watching the crazy otters swim around and fight with each other.  It actually has a clear slide you can go down through the otter exhibit.  We tried to get Emmy to go down, but it was a no go.  The otters were such a hit with her that she chose a stuffed river otter as her souvenir from me.

  

Emmy's favorite thing had to be feeding the goats. She loves goats. Ever since our trip to the petting farm in Virginia Beach, she's been all about goats.  This was probably the busiest area we encountered all day.

Their little aquarium was nice.  They had jellyfish and an octopus along with other things like fish.

  

Here's Emmy checking out the Capybara. It's the world's largest rodent and looks like a giant hamster.  He was pretty content with sunning himself.

That's our trip to the Akron Zoo in a nutshell.  We had a late lunch at Red Robin's and then did some shopping before heading back home.  I asked Emmy what her favorite part of the day was. Shopping in the gift store was her answer.  Typical girl.