The kids and I made an impromptu visit to the Denver Zoo yesterday. The snow around town hasn’t completely melted making a trip to the park less than ideal. Thankfully, the city of Denver has a world-class zoo.

In recent years the Denver Zoo has been making renovations throughout the park to the Elephant, Rhinoceros, and Tiger exhibits as well as expanding the primate areas. I can’t remembering making a trip to the zoo during the summer, so this trip seemed like a perfect time to visit as the temperatures were rising to the mid 50s and the weather forecast called for clear skies.

Each of the kids had a specific animal they were hoping to see when we arrived. It was so fun to watch their faces light up and hear their exclamations as they were frequently surprised and delighted by the numerous animals throughout the park.

We didn’t have a particular “plan” for going through the park. It was busy at the zoo as expected on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. My main goal was to give the kids a fun day and get some more “confidence” going on an outing solo with three kids in tow.

The kids did great. They were never far from me. They listened well. They never went anywhere they weren’t supposed to be. Before we got to the park I prepped the kids that we will stay as long as they want to be there. I also warned that if there was whining and complaining then we would go home. I wanted to be there only if they wanted to be there.

After about 3 hours at the park, we all started to lose steam. For the most part, we saw everything at the park. Despite it being the middle of the winter, most animals were out or could be seen indoors out of the cool weather. We saw a demonstration of sea lion training. We also heard a presentation of the African penguins the park takes care of and its containment area it maintains.

I am always in awe of the majestic animals that the Denver Zoo cares for. You can watch documentaries or see pictures, but when you are up close with these amazing animals it is different. Saturday was a major win with the kids this weekend. I am so glad I went. The kids are at such a fun age. I am so thankful how well-behaved they are and that we can go do fun outings like this that are so close.

What are you up to this weekend?