Briana Visits the Zoo

It all happened quite serendipitously.  Our neighbors had some Zoo New England tickets that were about to expire before they could use them, and we were the lucky beneficiaries of their thoughtfulness.

After a little debate we decided against Franklin Park Zoo, which is much bigger and harder to park. Bigger might be better with older kids, but for us it was all about ease.  Stone Zoo in Stoneham turned out to be the perfect zoo for a 3-year-old. We did notice that most other families had kids ranging from 2 to 6.  It was easy to get to and small enough to navigate easily – we did bring a small stroller, but Briana insisted on walking the entire time.

Despite being a smaller zoo, I was pleasantly surprised by all the animals they had, including cougars, wolves, and yaks.  Briana’s favorite was the black bear exhibit, where one of them walked right up to the glass near her.  She also really enjoyed seeing the flamingos, reindeers, monkeys, and butterflies.  If we see any of those animals now (many are featured in Eric Carle books), she will excitedly say that we saw them at the zoo.

Briana left happy and tired, so it was a great experience for parents and toddler.  Since she liked it so much, we’re already making plans for another zoo visit soon.