Zoos and aquariums have long been on our family’s list of places to go on trips and vacations. While I haven’t specifically recorded each one, it’s very close to at least one in each state!

It all started roughly twenty years ago when my daughter became almost obsessed with animals. We’ve been to zoos in the rain, snow and blazing heat. If you ever have the chance to go to a zoo on a nice winter day, do it! One of our best ever experiences happened right after Christmas when there was snow on the ground, but only a few people around. The place was quiet, and we had it almost to ourselves. No fighting for position, no large groups of school kids, and the animals were active and interested.

I added two new zoos and another aquarium to the list in the past couple of weeks with a visit to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, the Indianapolis Zoo, and the Cincinnati Zoo.

I know a lot of people are either dog lovers or cat people. I’m really neither, but I do enjoy zoo animals. I don’t know how anyone could not smile at the adorable face of a red panda or the amusing antics of river otters and penguins! Here are a few of my most recent zoo encounters. Feel free to contribute photo captions that come to mind! 🙂
Enjoy!

-Darlene