Turtle Back Zoo

Today, my family and I spent a great morning at Turtle Back Zoo!  We were among the first to enter when they opened at 10 a.m. and it made for a nice trip around the zoo while it was not crowded.  TBZ is not a large zoo but it's the perfect size and not overwhelming for young toddlers.  We saw every exhibit leisurely and 2 hours later, were ready to grab lunch and head home.

One of the highlights was the aviary, where you can purchase a feeding stick for the birds and they come and perch themselves on it and eat from your hand.  I would definitely recommend spending the $2 on a feeding stick.  It's a great experience for the kids to see the birds up close and makes for great photo-ops.

L loved feeding the birds!

P was a bit apprehensive

L was really enamored with the birds!

My son really enjoyed the aviary but I think my husband loved it even more!  A blue bird kept following him but he really wanted to get a yellow bird to eat from his hand and he finally got one! 

just a random statue that made for a good photo-op

There was a small walk-through aquarium that has an interactive touch screen allowing the kids to identify and learn about the fish in the tank.  L spent quite some time choosing a fish on the screen and then trying to find the same fish in the tank.

There was a reptile house where we saw some turtles "fighting" (so my husband told my toddler, as to avoid any premature conversations about reproduction) and we along with other patrons got a little chuckle from them.

P and a python

KID STUFF
Other kid friendly features that TBZ offers includes a carousel for $2/child, picnic areas, a playground, a petting zoo (with animal food for purchase), pony rides (only $2), face painting and a FREE 7-minute train ride!  They also have scheduled programs at the amphitheatre.

WHERE TO EAT
TBZ has a cafe where you can purchase food but we decided to leave the zoo.  Directly across the street was a McDonalds where they had the cutest little kiddie fries that I saw for the first time.  Of course, I had to take a picture of it.  This McDonalds also had a small play area for the kids to burn off some more energy and helping them to pass out on the car ride home. 

Left: regular fries and Right: kiddie fries

Close to the zoo there were a couple of other other eating options including a pizza place, Dunkin Donuts and Chinese.

TIPS

1. Go early, if possible when the zoo opens.  It's not crowded and the animals were really active.  Even when we were leaving just 2 hours later, the same animals we saw moving around earlier were just sitting.

2. Pack snacks and/or lunch.  There is a cafe but there are areas to picnic and many areas to take a break throughout the zoo. 

3. Wear comfortable shoes, especially if you're pushing strollers!  There are a few steep inclines, where I was so happy my husband was the one pushing the double stroller!  Also, there are some areas of the zoo where the ground is not paved and if the ground is wet, it's better to be wearing closed-toe shoes.

3. Buy a feeding stick for the birds!  It's such a worthwhile experience! And unlike feeding the animals in the petting zoo, the birds take much longer to eat all the seeds on the sticks so it's a fairly long experience.  We even ended up giving our feeding stick to another family so that we could move on to the next exhibit.