Guest Post: Montgomery Zoo

Hey Everyone! I know its been a while... Well today we are blessed with a GUEST POST from Kinsi over at Anima Kinsi  She's great so go check out her blog or leave some love here! :)

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Hey, all you ZooZooReview lovers! 

Kinsi here, guest-blogging on behalf of the beautiful Jenna (and her zoo partner-in-crime, Noland).  To tell you the truth, I’ve been hoping to do this for a while now.  My zoo partner-in-crime (husband Nick) took me to a pretty sweet place back on October 23, 2010, to be exact. 

As the name suggests, the Montgomery Zoo is located in the city of Montgomery, Alabama.  We happened to be there for some training for my Air Force hubs.  This zoo is settled on 40 acres, all landscaped and at the time, decorated for Halloween.  The decorations ranged from bats in trees, Halloween-y cartoon characters that the kids will surely love, and the occasional smattering of blood and guts.  Ew.

Note: there is a military discount.  We’re an Air Force family (thanks to Nick), and we often forget to ask about that sort of thing.  So if you’re that type too, you’re welcome for the reminder!

(Some of the tiles and brick as you enter the zoo, and a nod to our family moniker.)

Exhibits are well-planned, and for the most part, give animals plenty of room to roam.  One of the things that visitors will appreciate is the ease of visibility that each exhibit affords.  I can’t think of a single exhibit where we couldn’t spot the featured animal.  Part of that might have been the beautiful fall weather: why wouldn’t those animals want to be out and about when the sun is shining and the breeze is blowing?

(Baby white tigers.  Check out those eyes!)

(Indian Rhino.  My husband being a troublemaker probably said something like, 

“Aw, look, sweetie- it’s just like you!”)

(Baby and Momma elephants.  See what a nice day it was?)

 (Another baby and mommy.  Howler monkeys, I think.)

(Peacocks, free to roam.)

 (A bison: one of our personal favorites.)

 (Cougar.  He was a lot of fun: swimming and playing with toys in his exhibit.)

(Bald eagles.  Every American hero’s favorite ;-)

(Everyone loves an otter! I know Jenna does, ‘cuz she’s featured them here before.)

There are even some paddleboats available for rental within the zoo grounds.  They were out of commission for the fall/winter, but if you come in the spring or summer, you can reserve one of these sparkly beauties for yourself!

 There is also a museum on the zoo grounds, the Mann Wildlife Learning Museum.  Rumor has it there’s a BIG animal (taxidermied) on display there that was taken with a bow and arrow: something outdoorsy guys (like my hubs) might appreciate.  There are also touch exhibits and live sea life.  The museum can be accessed at an extra cost.  We did not take advantage of it, but even without, we enjoyed this place a bunch!

(A big ol’ python in the reptile house.)

 (A cutie chameleon.)

(I love capybaras! They’re so cute.)

(As native Floridians, we’ve gotta take a picture of the flamingos.)

(…and the alligator, too!)

 (Emporer Tamarins.)

(Jaguar.)

(Nick made friends with a green parrot before we left.)

There is also a great display where you can feed the giraffes, as well as plenty of zoo favorites not pictured here: lions, zebras, several kinds of gazelles, orangutans and more!

Disappointments: It was a given that there would be a military discount, since Montgomery is home to Maxwell AFB.  We can’t lie though; a dollar off of a $10 dollar ticket is a little underwhelming. The Halloween decorations were a fun addition, except for the times when they got a little too gruesome (bloody car wreck, anybody?).  Also, some of the exhibits in the back of the zoo aren’t as picturesque as the ones up front.  See the pic of the flamingos for reference.

Overall, we thought the Montgomery Zoo will please kids and adults alike.  It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning!

Rating: 4/5 

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That's all for now, be sure to click follow if you are not one already and go check out Kinsi's blog at Anima Kinsi

♥ jen