Hogle Zoo

We spent a VERY HOT Saturday in July at Hogle Zoo with my mom, dad and sister Vicki. My kids love zoos. They love all the animals especially monkeys (I think my kids are part monkey-they climb and swing on everything). We had a nice day but it was SOOOO HOT! Here we are taking a break in the shade under the ceiling fans.

The Hogle Zoo has a new elephant exhibit that was really neat. We got there in time to see the zookeepers spraying the elephants. The water was sprayed directly into the elephant's mouths. It was pretty fascinating. Here's a couple of shots by the rhino statue. There is a playground for the kids, but it was so hot and there was no shade. The equipment was too hot to really spend much time playing, but I could not resist having the kids pose for some fun pictures.

I always have to read the signs posted about the animals and now the kids actually listen and want to know what they say. The teacher in me feels the need to quiz them throughout the day about the facts I told them earlier. I'm sure in a few years they will roll their eyes and say how annoying I am but right now it is fun to see them so interested in learning about the animals. Emily was amazed by the length of the giraffe's tongue (can be up to 17 inches long) and that it's kick can kill a lion. Wow! I never knew that.Did I mention it was a hot day? Luckily, Sno-Cones were on sale for 75 cents! Here is Sam trying to keep cool.

Mom loves to visit gift shops. One advantage to this one was AIR CONDITIONING. So we spent a few minutes viewing the "stuffed" animals.

After a long, hot, interesting, and fun day at the zoo, Dad was worn out. Here he is taking a rest while we browse the gift shop.