Robinson Family Update

Hi everyone!!! It has been a while for us, so we wanted to give you a quick update on everything going on with us!

Here is what we are up to.....

Eli Thomas turns 3 at the end of the month. He is an absolute ball of joy and has more personality than any toddler I have ever seen. I often joke that he will be a pro-wrestler when he grows up because he is just overflowing with that personality. Eli teaches us that life is full of joy and that we need to be thankful for what we have. He's been sick most of his life, has had some bad luck, injured often, but he always has a smile on his face. Eli is always happy. We love our happy boy so much. This boy is such a loving son and brother that copies everything his older brother does. He loves dancing, sports, and Disney. His favorite Disney character is Baloo.

While it has been quite a while since I had the time to dedicate to a quality blog post on here or at Robinson Athletic News, but my family has been doing awesome things in the meantime.
I have enjoyed my extra time with my family and helping Jenna achieve her dreams.
She has her caligraphy business available at https://www.etsy.com/shop/JennaLetters?ref=shop_sugg
I really hope you can check her out.

Additionally, we have started a fun side project with the family. We have been making and filling out brackets about everything. You can follow us doing that here at https://juniorsbrackets.blogspot.com. A new bracket will be posted every 5 days, so there is plenty to check out. Noland Jr. was the inspiration for that site. He has become obsessed with brackets. He is also doing incredible things.

I hope you are able to give it a shot. Our most recent bracket was about African Animals!!!!

Thanks and I will be back here to post if I get some additional time to work on this. Focusing on our other projects for now though.

Have a great day and Have Fun With Your Own Creature Adventures!!!!!

Stay blessed,

- Noland

ZooZooReview Has Moved

ZooZooReview has officially moved to noandjen.blogspot.com. Please head there for any future updates on our zoo adventures. Thank you for following us @ ZooZooReview.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Clearwater, FL

www.seewinter.com

Date of Visit: Summer 2012

Admission: $21.95

Hours: 9AM-6PM

Quick Intro

As you have probably figured out by their website name the Clearwater Marine Aquarium is where the Dolphin Tale movies were filmed. Judging by that fact it seemed like it would be a cool little place to check out. It was reasonably priced and local to where we were at the time. They rescue, research, rehabilitate, and release animals so the mission is awesome. It is a tad smaller though than most places we have visited.

Highlights

The rescue part of it, winter's story, the sea turtles, and the pelicans were all neat.

Disappointments

Wish it was much bigger and had a wider variety of animals to look at.

Pictures from the website

Turtle Bayou

Shipwreck Alley

Otter Oasis

Shark Pass

Rufus Beach

Winter Zone

Rating

I gave this zoo 1.5 out of 5 elephants.
This zoo gets ranked higher than the Seas at Epcot because it is a rehab zoo that does a tremendous job. If you have seen the Dolphin Tale movie and liked it, I am sure that adds something to it as well. It also isn't too expensive. Most importantly though as far as viewing animals it is not an impressive place to be so it can't be ranked too high. Just from an amount of animals to look at, it matches up about even with Tarpon Springs, but Tarpon Springs is 1/3 the price. Therefore, this had to be somewhere in between 0 and 2. Putting it on the higher end of that because of the entertainment value of Winter and the mission of the aquarium.

-Noland

Gulf World Marine Park

Gulf World Marine Park

Panama City Beach, Florida

Date of Visit: December 2014

gulfworldmarinepark.com/

Admission: $28

Hours: 930AM-4PM

Quick Intro

Gulf World was a decent aquarium in Panama City. It is the first time I was able to visit a zoo locally while visiting my wife's family, so that was exciting. It is pretty small, but we were able to spend a few hours here. While it opened at 930, most of the creatures weren't out until 11 or so. They had some cool exhibits including the closest we've ever gotten to Flamingos. Several animals that seem they are at every FL animal attraction were present such as Alligators, Stingrays, and African Penguins. It was a decent experience.

Highlights

There were two fantastic shows at Gulf World. The first great show was the Sea Lion show which also featured rough-tooth dolphins. The second was the Bottlenose Dolphin show. Each of these were fantastic dolphin shows and better than the dolphin shows at Sea World. They were easily the highlight of the visit.

Disappointments

The shows other than the dolphin shows were a waste of time. The first show featured dogs, cats, and a rat. The reptile show only had 3 animals. Other shows were uninteresting. When we got there, as mentioned earlier, most animals were not on exhibit. There is a lot of wasted space at this zoo too. Considering how small this place is, there should not be wasted space. It appeared that there was an effort to help this by constructing a new stingray area, but right now they need to fill some of that void. Also the reptile show was surprisingly disappointing. The gator even peed on half of the audience during the show. The other reptile out was a bearded dragon and that also had an accident.

Pictures

Macaw

Random turtle

Son loved this Flamingo exhibit

Tortoises

African Penguins

Sea Turtles

Sea Lions

Rough Tooth Dolphins

Mid-air dolphin

Again mid-air

About to splash!

End of the sea lion show. This dolphin and sea lion kissed.

Our son was thrilled after the rough tooth dolphin show.

End of the Bottlenose Dolphin show.

In the end, we were looking around for more, but poked our heads in and enjoyed ourselves.

Rating

I gave this aquarium 2.5 out of 5 elephants.
The reason for this rating is simple. There were two fantastic shows both involving dolphins, but other than that this aquarium was a snoozefest. The day started with empty exhibits and a dud of a show in "Feathers and Furry Friends." While some of the exhibits were cool like the turtles and the penguins, they were not as cool as other exhibits we have seen featuring the same creatures. The shows bumped this place up to average because they were that good. Other than the shows, this is a 1 elephant zoo. If you go here you have to check out those shows with the dolphins.

-Noland

Lowry Park Zoo Annual Pass

We have been to the Lowry Park Zoo several times since moving to Tampa and reviewed the zoo twice. If you have been following this blog, you know that we love this place. It is simply a great place to visit. This family finds it so enjoyable that we decided to get annual passes this year.

Noland Jr. is excited about our zoo passes

Here are the benefits of the Lowry Park Zoo Pass

Unlimited daytime zoo admission to see awesome animals like these Rhinos and Zebras

Discounts on programs, birthday parties, and camps

Discounted admission to special events

Discounted admission to over 150 zoos across North America

Free admission to MOSI and the FL Aquarium in September

Subscription to Zoo Chatter

Special pass holder events

Gift shop discount

Here are the reciprocal zoos that offer 50% off Admission w/ a zoo pass

Alabama

Birmingham Zoo

Alaska

Alaska SeaLife  Center

Arizona

Reid Park Zoo

The Phoenix Zoo

Arkansas

Little Rock Zoo

California

Aquarium of the Bay

Charles Paddock Zoo

CuriOdyssey

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Happy Hollow Zoo

The Living Desert

Los Angeles Zoo

Oakland Zoo

Sacramento Zoo

San Francisco Zoo

Santa Ana Zoo

Santa Barbara Zoo

Sequoia Park Zoo

Colorado

Pueblo Zoo

Connecticut

Beardsley Zoo

Delaware 

Brandywine Zoo

DC

Smithsonian National Zoo (Free to Public)

Florida

Brevard Zoo

Central Florida Zoo

Clearwater Marine Aquarium (Non-AZA agreement)

Jacksonville Zoo

Lemur Conservation Foundation

Mote Marine Aquarium

Palm Beach Zoo

The Florida Aquarium

Zoo Miami

Georgia

Chehaw Wild Animal Park

Zoo Atlanta

Idaho

Tautphaus Park Zoo

Zoo Boise

Illinois

Cosley Zoo

Henson Robinson Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo (Free to Public)

Miller Park Zoo

Peoria Zoo

Scovill Zoo

Indiana

Fort Wayne's Children's Zoo

Mesker Park Zoo

Potawatomi Zoo

Iowa

Blank Park Zoo

National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium

Kansas

David Taylor Zoo of Emporia (Free to Public)

Hutchinson  Zoo (Free to Public)

Lee Richardson Zoo (Free to Public)

Rolling Hill Zoo

Sedwick County Zoo

Sunset Zoo

Topeka Zoological Park

Kentucky

Louisville Zoo

Louisiana

Alexandria Zoo

BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo

Maryland

Maryland Zoo in Baltimore

Salisbury Zoo (Free to Public)

Massachusetts

Buttonwood Park Zoo

Capron Park Zoo

Franklin Park Zoo

Museum of Science 

Stone Zoo

Michigan

Binder Park Zoo

Detroit Zoological Society

John Ball Zoological Gardens

Potter Park Zoological Gardens

The Children's Zoo @ Celebration Square

Minnesota

Como Park Zoo (Free to Public)

Lake Superior Zoo

Minnesota Zoo

Mississippi

Jackson Zoo

Missouri

Endangered Wolf Center

Dickerson Park Zoo

Kansas City Zoo

St. Louis Zoo (Free to Public)

Nebraska

Lincoln Children's Zoo

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

Riverside Discovery Center

New Hampshire

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center

New Jersey

Bergen County Zoo

Cape May County Zoo (Free to Public)

Turtle Back Zoo

New Mexico

Alameda Park Zoo

Albuquerque Biological Park

Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park

New York

Binghampton Zoo @ Ross Park

Buffalo Zoo

Rosamond Gifford Zoo @ Burnet Park

Seneca Park Zoo

Staten Island Zoo

Trevor Zoo

North Carolina

Greensboro Science Center

NC Aquarium @ Fort Fisher

NC Aquarium @ Pine Knoll Shores

NC Aquarium @ Roanoke Island

North Carolina Zoological Park

Western North Carolina Nature Center

North Dakota

Chahinkapa Zoo

Dakota Zoo

Red River Zoo

Roosevelt Park Zoo

Ohio

African Safari Wildlife Park

Akron Zoological Park

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery

Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

The Wilds

The Toledo Zoo

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City Zoo

Tulsa Zoo

Oregon

Oregon Zoo

Wildlife Safari

Pennsylvania

Elmwood Park Zoo

Erie Zoo

Lehigh Valley Zoo

National Aviary

Philadelphia Zoo

Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium

ZOOAMERICA

Rhode Island

Roger Williams Park Zoo

South Carolina

Greenville Zoo

Riverbanks Zoo and Garden

South Dakota

Bramble Park Zoo

Great Plains Zoo

Tennessee

Chattanooga Zoo @ Warner Park

Knoxville Zoo

The Memphis Zoo

Nashville Zoo, Inc.

Texas

Abilene Zoological Gardens

Caldwell Zoo

Cameron Park Zoo

Dallas Zoo

El Paso Zoo

Ellen Trout Zoo

Gladys Porter Zoo

Houston Zoo

San Antonio Zoo

Texas State Aquarium

Utah

Utah's Hogle Zoo

Tracy Aviary

Virginia

Mill Mountain Zoo

Virginia Zoo

Washington

Port Defiance Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo

West Virginia

Oglebay's Good Zoo

Wisconsin

Henry Vilas Zoo 

International Crane Foundation

Milwaukee County Zoo

NEW Zii

Racine Zoological Gardens

International

Granby Zoo (Canada)

Parque Zoologico de Leon (Mexico)

And here are some more pictures from our first trip on the passes...

 Meerkats

 Okapi

 African Penguins

 American Alligator that was pooped on. Maybe by Seminoles?

 Viewing a tiger.

 Tiger

 We did get to ride a giraffe!

 Viewing some manatees.

 And a Snake!

 Chimp

 Duck

 Galapagos Tortoise

Giraffe Feeding

Note: You can click on the Lowry Park Zoo tab at the bottom of this page to read those reviews of the zoo.
Additional Note: For any questions about a zoo pass to the Lowry Park Zoo, call (813) 935-8552 ext. 206.

With these passes you can expect us to visit a few of the zoos on this list. Especially those in Florida. Until next time though, have a great one!

-Noland

Reston Zoo (Update)

Happy New Year From ZooZooReview!

Hope everyone has had a great start to the new year. Our first post this 2015 year is on a zoo we visited for the 2nd time late in 2014, the Reston Zoo.

Reston Zoo

Reston, Virginia

Date of Visit: November 2014

The Reston Zoo was just as fantastic this time as it was the last time we visited. The animals changed slightly, but it was likely due to the season and the experience was similar. If anything I would say the wagon safari was not quite as good, but the animal exhibits were better. There was a balance to this zoo. It is a small zoo which stops it from being 5 star, but it is one we love seeing. With little kids, it is a fantastic thing to experience.

Price Of Admission: The Reston Zoo has an annual zoo membership of $50 for adults and $40 for kids. If you live in Fairfax or Loudoun counties, this could be a great option for you. Reciprocal benefits will be given for Gulf Breeze Zoo in Gulf Breeze, Florida, and Virginia Safari Park in Natural Bridge, Virginia. Likewise membership to those establishments gets you into the Reston Zoo for free. You also get a 10% discount on many items the zoo offers with a membership.

However, if you are just going for one day and plan on visiting just the Reston Zoo, Prices are as follows.

Adult 12.95

Senior 11.95

Child 9.95

Child under 2 Free

2014 Zoo Hours: 9am-5pm most days

What changed from last time: No more sloths, wildebeests, and the baby pigs got older. Also the safari did not come as close to all the animals. However, now they have an Anden Condor (the bird with the largest wingspan in the world). They also have porcupines, kangaroos, a yak, really cool looking deer, and several new snakes. This is in addition to all the other animals that the zoo had before.

Pictures

The Petting Zoo was a highlight for Jr. feeding the animals.

Alpacas were in the petting zoo too.

These goats were hungry.

Fennec Fox

Camel

My boy loves owls.

Don't know if you can tell, but this is him saying owl while looking at the owl.

Andean Condor

Tortoises

Not a reindeer, but sure did look like it on the wagon ride.

There were still zebras on the safari.

I love this shot of the ostrich because you can see its feet really well and how they look so much like dinosaur feet. These birds get really close to the wagon and you can touch them.

Lemurs

This is actually not a buffalo, but a Yak!

We left this zoo at a 4.5 out of 5 elephants rating.

This zoo was perfect for its size, but due to it being a smaller zoo that you finish in less than 3 hours, it was not a 5 star zoo. It did surpass our expectations a great deal the 1st time we went and was still fantastic on our second visit. It is our favorite zoo to visit when we re visiting family in the Northern Virginia area, but we will visit a new zoo next time we are here so we can review a different zoo. That being said, this is not the last time we will visit the Reston Zoo and we recommend you check it out.

-Noland