Van Saun County Park

Today sure feels like fall...cold, windy and wet.  Such a contrast from yesterday which was so sunny and warm that my son was running around outside working up a sweat in a cut-off shirt!  The weather was so nice yesterday that I spontaneously (even moms with 2 toddlers can be a little spontaneous!) decided to take my kids to Van Saun County Park.

I quickly assembled some Joomuk Bap (see my post here for easy instructions) for lunch, grabbed some drinks and packed the kids into the car.

Van Saun has a small zoo.  If you're a Bergen County resident, you can receive a discount if you show proof of residence.  And they are a member of The Association of Zoos and Aquariums so if you are a member of another zoo, you get reciprocity here.  There were fewer animals out than the last time we visited probably due to the cooler weather but we did get to see some of our favorites.

Guanacos, monkeys, a pacing mountain lion & something i forget the name of : )

in the spring we saw a condor and an alligator

Then we headed out for a short train ride around the zoo.  Keep in mind that at 12:30-1 the train ride is closed for lunch.  There is also a carousel and pony rides for which you can find details on their times of operation here.

 
We enjoyed a quick lunch on the benches outside of the zoo.  This is the second time I made Joomuk Bap and I really love the ease of assembly, transport and ability to eat on-the-go!  The kids love it too!  This one was filled with left over bulgogi and rice.  It's a great way to use up leftovers.

two hungry kiddies

 After a quick lunch, the kids like to run around the playground.  There is a really nice set up with 3 sets of ADA accessible playgrounds for different age groups. There are also plenty of picnic tables if you wanted to barbecue and make a whole fun, family day of it.  For us, the morning was just enough to wear the kids out for a nice, long nap!