Boo at the Zoo ATL Style

Normally, during October we do several Halloween activities along with all our normal fall activities. I missed getting reservations for the Monster Bash at the Creative Discovery Museum and didn't want to miss Boo in the Zoo.

My mom asked me to go to Atlanta with her this past weekend to visit my grandmother. I try to go as much as I can but I really didn't want to miss Boo in the Zoo. I looked online and saw that the Atlanta Zoo was doing it and it was during the day. I was sold. My cousin and her two kids had planned to join us but both kids got sick. So, my sweet father drove all the way down just to take us to the zoo and drove back home.

I hadn't been to the Atlanta Zoo since middle school and the boys had never been. We have a decent zoo for the size it is in Chattanooga but Max had never to a big zoo. I met my dad at the zoo around 10:30 with my Transformers Bumble Bee and my little Dumbo in tow.



Is he not the cutest Dumbo you have ever seen? :) I love this kid!

I love him, too. No more cute costumes for Max. He is a big boy!

We can never get decent group pictures anymore! :)

They had trick or treat stations set up all along the walking paths. There were several craft booths and there were some special feedings for the animals. They had a costume contest but we didn't make it over to the pavilion in time for it. They had some characters for the kids to see plus all the normal zoo exhibits.

We started off with the elephants (who weren't out yet), then moved our way around the African animals. They have a new parakeet exhibit when you first start into the Safari side. Dad got Max a feeding stick and after several tries, he got some birds to eat off his stick. He wanted to stay until they ate it all but it would have taken a hour to stand there and let them eat all of it. We saw wort hogs, giraffes, zebra, rhinos, and other animals that were not familiar.

The flamingos are the first things inside the zoo gates.

Feeding the parakeets

Two at one time.

Max had to get his picture at every single place like this one.

Then, we saw the gorillas. There were lots of different view points to see the gorillas. After we stopped at 3 or 4 Max got tired of "seeing the big monkeys". They also had a living tree house with smaller monkey and a pond with ducks and pigeons.

The boys with Willie B's statue

You can see the gorilla climbing the hill here.

This was from a large porch area where you could watch the gorillas interact with one another. Some played together, some played alone, and some fought each other. It was very interesting.

We then moved to the orangutans, otters, and reptiles. Max made a craft here and they played in a small play area outside of the mole rats exhibit. We saw lots of snakes, lizards, and turtles in the World of Reptiles, my least favorite part of the zoo. They also had a komoto dragon that Max thought was really cool.

Making a giraffe magnet.

The tunnel crawl through for the mole rat exhibit.

Wesley thought it was hilarious that he could see PawPaw's through the top of the tunnel.

Max posing on top of the komoto dragon statue.

The otters where asleep when we came in but were awake when we came out. They were so funny. They moved in a solid group and would stop every few feet like they were posing for pictures. Wesley really liked the otters.

From here we moved onto Asia to see the panda bears. The atmosphere is really neat at the zoo. They change your surroundings for each continent. When you start walking to the pandas it changes from jungle surrounds to bamboo. There were several pandas out. They were either eating or sleeping.

This panda was asleep right up next to the glass window. Wesley liked getting to see him up so close.

We took a little snack break and then heading into the Boo tent for mask making and dance contest. Max wouldn't participate in the dance contest, of course. Stage fright, he said. We did get to see Curious George, Yogi the Bear, and The Cat and the Hat, though. We then went to the petting zoo and kangaroos.

Wes high fiving George.

Nice goat.

Brushing the goats fur.

Next, we headed into the kids pavilion and rode the train. It was a very short ride but the boys liked it. Afterwards, we went to see the exotic birds. We actually got to see them feed the vultures and it was very interesting. Much more so than I thought it would be.

Vultures waiting for their food.

We did get to see the elephants on the way out. We went into the elephant observatory and the elephant was very shy. He only stuck his out and wouldn't come all the way out so we could see him up close.

Wesley waiting patiently for the elephant to come out.

Max had to pose at every lion statue on the way out. He cracks me up sometimes. He is one funny kid.

This was my favorite. I told him it was very Twilight fight seenish. He understood what I was talking about, too.

One last pose before leaving.

We ended the day by having a late lunch at The Varsity. Wesley slept through lunch but Max enjoyed his slaw dog and fries.

Thanks again to the best dad/grandpa ever! We wouldn't have been able to go without him! We love you, PawPaw's!