Our family is big on the zoo. We love it, our kids love it and we go as often as possible. We go so often that we decided to purchase the annual membership to Zoo Miami because it just makes sense, and because we support our local zoo and their conservation efforts. So for Earth Day, it was a no-brainer where we would spend it.
So I packed a bag at home with plenty of snacks, our favorite being Skinny Pop snacks, some water bottles and two Good2Grow bottles for the kids so they could have something with a little flavor. I also always grab some towels and bathing suits just in case because this zoo has a nice splash pad and you just never know when the kids are going to want to jump in.
Since it was Earth Day, they had set up tents with learning activities for the kids and vendors that sold or gave away things like plants and honey. We picked up two trees, a Gumbo Limbo and another tree that I can’t remember the name of right now, both of which are South Florida native trees. Sebastian also got to pet a Tegu, which we found out is an invasive species and is causing a problem with alligator, crocodile and sea turtle populations because they like to eat their eggs.
They had also set up a butterfly garden where we got to go inside of an enclosure full of butterflies. It was spectacular to be surrounded by all the fluttering butterflies.
We stayed within the confines of the zoos Everglades exhibit because the kids enjoy this area and this is where the vendors were. This area’s popular exhibit is the otters and crocodiles.
Earth Day at Zoo Miami. Hannibal the American Crocodile. Picture Taken by Sebastian.[vimeo 266022133 w=360 h=640]
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On the way there, there is a rope bridge over the alligator exhibits that Sebastian always loves to go through, the bear exhibit and they have a “tree house” with a glass floor where you can see the bobcat if it’s sitting in its hammock. It wasn’t there that day, but it’s still fun to go in and look down.
After all the walking and playing, we took a snack break with our Skinny Pop and Good2Grow snacks and I let the kids play at the playground for a little while.
By this time, the kids were worn out and so was I so we packed it up and headed for the door.
It really was a fun way to spend Earth Day with the kids out in nature and learning new things. Plus, we also got new trees to plant in our yard so we could contribute to beautifying our home, our community and we will contribute to giving local creatures a new home.
