Fall At The Zoo

Fall is perfect for a trip to the zoo, and this weekend the Cincinnati Zoo kicks off HallZOOween.

Hi, it's Sheila.
I took Monday off to spend some time with my little boy because I was out of town all weekend, and we headed out to the Cincinnati Zoo. It's one of his favorite places, and our day did not disappoint. He got to see a baby Bonobo (they look a lot like chimps), and the cute little guy put up his foot and waved to get our attention when we tried to leave his exhibit.

Eric fed a giraffe, and we had our first Cheetah encounter. He went crazy when he saw how fast Nia could go (up to 70mph)! We also saw Lana the Orangutan's trainer feed her at lunchtime. Lana holds out her hand for fruit and climbs her tree on command. Eric loved learning that Lana has a "blankey" just like he does. She drags her burlap sack around with her foot, uses it as a blanket when it's chilly, and even uses it as a shelter from the sun and the rain. How smart is that?!

The Zoo has all of its fall and Halloween decorations in place for the start of its HallZOOween weekends. Eric was a little scared of the big spider atop the entrance, but once he figured out it was just a huge stuffed animal, he wanted to climb up there and pet it. It seemed appropriate that we took our first walk inside the new Night Hunters exhibit, and during our day we saw tons of animals which are perfect for the scary holiday -- a vampire bat eating its lunch (looked like blood to us!), pythons and rattlesnakes, even a giant rat. It's all together at the Cincinnati Zoo!

HallZOOween features a pumpkin patch, magic shows, special animal encounters, trick or treating stations, and more every weekend through the end of the month. Don't forget to bring your own trick or treat bag to help the Zoo go green! You can find out more at this link: http://cincinnatizoo.org/events/hallzooween/