Fort Worth Zoo

 

We spent this past weekend in Fort Worth, Texas. We visited the Stockyards to see the famous cattle drive, ate some great food and really had a fun time together. Saturday Ross completed his first half marathon held at the Texas Motor Speedway. That place is huge! We were so proud of him and did our best to cheer him on as he crossed the finish line. Thankfully it didn't rain until much later that night. In fact, it stormed! We had just ordered the best coconut chicken soup at Sea Siam when it started pouring, lightning and eventually hailing. Texas storms can be quite crazy intense, but move fairly quickly.

The next day we woke up and decided to take Charlotte to the Fort Worth zoo. It just so happened to be Boo At The Zoo weekend so we had to throw together a easy, little costume for her to wear last minute. We found a nearby Target and grabbed a cat shirt and clearance tulle skirt which C absolutely loves now. I also grabbed some face paint and was shocked that she let me paint her face like a cat. The moment she saw her face she started acting like an actual cat. She would scratch our legs and beg for a treat or a string to play with. I swear, if she wins an Oscar one day it won't surprise me one bit!

This was our first time visiting the Fort Worth Zoo and I can easily say that it won't be our last! They have so many different animals. Even several that I have never seen before. The first exhibit we saw was the gorillas. There were three of them and they were all huge! We spent a long time in the reptile and insect houses looking at each and every single thing.  I think I could have stayed and watched the orangutans all day. There is just something so mesmerizing about them. This guy would drink from the stream, gather grass, pose for pictures, climb to the top of his house and then start all over again.

I have never seen rhinos really move. Most of the time they are either laying down or munching on a snack. Not these two, they were running back and forth, jumping in the water, rolling in the mud and definitely entertaining the crowd. Let me tell you - they can actually move quite fast!

Charlotte was more than excited when she spotted the carousel. She immediately requested the black stallion and enjoyed her ride. She also talked us into riding the zoo train. She was ecstatic when we were asked to sit up at the very front right behind the engine. They had several Halloween decorations set up to look at as it took you to the other end of the zoo.

Ross and I both agreed that the baby elephants were probably our favorites. I mean, look at them! They were so tiny and their heads were covered in wild fuzz. Their names are Belle (born in July) and Bowie (born in August). They were too cute for words. They would dash under their mamas legs as they walked, and were intrigued with climbing on a small log.  Check out this link on the zoo's website to see some cute videos.

 

 

Since it was Boo At The Zoo, most of the animals had pumpkins or squash in their exhibits. Some ate them, some crawled on them and many played with them. We were treated to a little show when this lion started playing with one of his pumpkins. They don't eat them, but he had a great time breaking it open, picking it up and throwing it around. At one point, it dropped on the ground and he playfully sprang on it and started playing again. It was neat to see the lions in actions. We even heard one roar quite a few times in a row. It silenced the crowd immediately. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to hear that in the wild. It was so loud and so incredibly powerful.

Charlotte's favorite part was this bird exhibit where you walk inside their atrium and pay to feed them little seeds stuck to sticks. It was full of many cockatiels and parakeets. They fly quickly over your head, land on you and give you a chance to get really close as you feed them. She would have stayed there all day feeding them if we let her.

Not only was this our first time at the Fort Worth Zoo, but it was also our first time attending a Boo At The Zoo. It was definitely crowded, but we had a great time. Charlotte came home with a bag full of candy, colors and a coloring book. She was able to play several carnival type games and made a page full of cute Halloween Thumbprint art. She even came home with this cute cat mask. We just pinned a tutorial on how to make some of these mask. I think we will work on that soon because she loved this one. We spent a little over 5 hours exploring this wonderful zoo. We highly suggest that you stop in and visit it if you are ever in the area. The countdown to Halloween is on. I can't wait. Hope the weather will be okay on Thursday!!!! Thanks for letting us share our weekend trip with you.