Day Trippin’: Riverbanks Zoo & Garden

I mentioned in Monday’s post that we are beginning two new series on the blog. Road Trippin’ and Day Trippin.’ Each Friday this summer, I will alternate sharing our Day Trips and Road Trips with you guys. We’re defining a “road trip” as any trip that requires an overnight stay. Day Trips are obviously destinations that can be experienced in a day. One of our goals is to find obscure places, explore everything they have to offer families and share it with you in a post. I think it’ll be fun!

During Spring Break, we went to Columbia for a couple of days. Naturally, we had to visit the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. Preston had never been, so I was pretty excited for him.

How do you like this picture? Don’t they look thrilled? Rather than make an excuse for their lack of enthusiasm, I’ll just tell ya the truth… this picture was taken in the wake of a heated discussion. I was SO over the constant bickering every time we got in the car! I couldn’t take it anymore, so we had a “come to Jesus” meeting prior to entering the zoo. They were less than thrilled with me. It’s okay. The feeling was mutual.

Thankfully, it only took us a few minutes to forget our woes. As soon as we walked through the gate, we felt lighter. Both boys’ shed their attitudes and our day of exploration began. JP, our Modern Day Magellan, kept us on course all day.

This was one of maybe five animals that was awake. Be sure to do a little research before you go. Find out the best time to catch the animals when they’re not sleeping.

There is a tram that will take you up the road to the Botanical Gardens and Waterfall Junction (the water area is SUPER cool and included in the price of admission). If you’re feeling adventurous, it’s a nice walk. Just keep in mind it’s uphill. Our kids were feelin’ lazy, so walking wasn’t in the cards for us. And by ‘kids,’ I mean, me. We’re already planning a trip this summer. You could spend all day in Waterfall Junction.