Memphis Zoo
In early March, we went to Memphis to visit Brad's family. His dad was turning 60, and his mom was surprising him with a birthday party that weekend with family. While there, we visited the Memphis Zoo. I don't recall ever visiting here before. As a kid we went to the Birmingham Zoo, but I never remember the Memphis Zoo. And this was an obvious first visit for Melody. My brother in law and sister in law have season passes, so they were extremely familiar with the zoo and what Melody would be interested in. So because of this, we followed their lead, and I didn't do any research before hand. As an avid Disney planner, this was difficult for me, but I knew I could trust them and their guidance!
Unlike Disney, you are able to bring wagons inside of the zoo, so this was really helpful. Melody refuses to sit in a stroller these days. But she didn't complain too much about the wagon, especially when Caroline would volunteer to ride in it too. We were also able to bring in the girls' drinks and snacks.
Jeff and Rebekah have a path they follow, so we stuck to that. In true Disney fashion, they actually went left which is what most people recommend you do when you enter a Disney park since most people go right! We first visited the tigers. Melody was more interested in Caroline and her snack than the tiger though!
Melody is still struggling with following direction, but Aunt Rebekah came to the rescue and spent some time holding Melody and showing her the animals.
We skipped the birds and stingrays and headed for the farm animals. Melody just continued to follow Caroline's lead. I am not sure she was really interested in any of the animals but she loved to follow her big cousin. It will, of course, take a few more visits to get Melody more interested in the animals around her.
In this area you can also find some really cute photo ops, so don't miss out on those if you have a willing child!
Next up were the monkeys. These were the first set of animals that seemed to interest Melody. Then again it may have been the rock wall that she just wanted to sit on that she enjoyed...
We then went to see the panda. Melody was a little more intrigued here too. This also had a very Epcot/World Showcase Chine feel, ha!
As we left this area, we came upon a carousel. Brad's mom bought tickets for us to ride them. Melody was slightly afraid, and she didn't make it on her tiger through the entire ride. But it was still fun to do with her, and it made for cute pictures.
We passed by the elephants (Roll Tide) then we made our way to the giraffes. Melody did stand to look at them, but I am not sure if it was for the giraffes or to not be carried, ha! But then she rode my shoulders as we moved on to the next exhibit.
We saw some hippos then we let the kids play on some drums for a bit. I only have some boomerangs of that, no pictures... Then the girls helped Nannie (Vicki) push/pull the wagon to our next destination.
Next we went and saw some bear and wolves. At this point, any interest Melody had in the animals was gone. But she did like running around, and her and Caroline even had the cutest non-planned pose to end the trip on!
As we left this area and headed back towards the exit, I was able to convince Melody to hold my hand some. The only negative is that unlike Disney, they do have motor vehicles throughout the parks. Because of this you have to be really careful with kids and not let them just walk alone.
Melody finally gave in and got inside the wagon with Caroline. While the picture below makes it seem as if Melody passed out, she didn't. She was just enjoying the sun, ha!
And to wrap up the day, we documented all of us together with a picture outside of the zoo. Because without a picture, did the trip really happen???
I really enjoyed the zoo. I haven't been since grade school (unless you count Animal Kingdom). I look forward to going back on future visits to Memphis. I think the more Melody goes, the more she will enjoy the animals.
