My kids definitely get a little cabin fever during the winter. They really love to be outside playing any chance they can. My son will wait patiently (HA) by the back door, while my daughter runs to get her sneakers. I feel really bad saying no when it is just too cold or wet outside.
So when the weather is a little bit more mild, we love to bundle up and take trips together.
Our last excursion was to the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo.
It worked out perfect because there was a mix of indoor exhibits and of course outdoor animals. Anytime we started to get a little chilly , we would move inside to warm up for a few minutes.
After the car ride, my kids were super energized. So the first thing we did was check out the “Prehistoric Playground.”
This was a great way to start the day because they were just too excited to pay attention to anything! We climbed fossils and into a dinosaur’s mouth!
Next, we headed to the Farm/petting zoo section. I love all the farm animals. I definitely grew up on a farm in another life. Although, all that hard work and waking up before dawn doesn’t sound like much like me. The goats are our favorite because they are so friendly and funny. They are like puppies! One day I will have a pack of goats in my backyard. The kids really loved the big pig too.
We were able to get both kids into the stroller and headed up to Big Cat Country. Cougars and jaguars, oh my! We got up close and personal. Breakfast with a view!
The Great Plains was our next adventure. Here is where we took our picture in Bison country.
We left the plains with just enough time to catch the feeding with the sea lions. They had a great show with music playing. We even did a little dancing. The sea lions waved goodbye to us and it was time to take a break and head to an inside exhibit.
This brought us to the Aquarium. My daughter always LOVES the touch tanks. She is super brave and never scared to touch any creature. I know for a fact that if I let her, she would jump in completely and go swimming with the sting rays. Notice how close I am keeping her in the picture.
Next, we hopped on the zoo train and took a ride through the reservation. There is no extra charge to ride the train 🙂
We headed back inside to check out the Sea Turtle Recovery. This was another one of our favorites. The baby sea turtles were absolutely adorable. I love the idea of saving the sea turtles.
The African Adventure was our last stop before we had enough of the cold. We had a really great day at the Turtle Back Zoo and will definitely be going back!
Check out our other zoo adventures below…
