Animal Lesson #2: Sea Lions and More at Fort Wayne Children's Zoo in Indiana

My brother in laws closest friend is Amish. I enjoy hearing their stories and when I lived in Fort Wayne, I found it interesting to be a suburban dweller, but have Amish buggies pull up and hitch at the same grocery store. A place I loved in Fort Wayne was the Fort Wayne Children's zoo. This photo capture's two unique experiences in one.

The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is much bigger than one would expect from the size of the city or the name. It's divided into four sections and I'm impressed with the thematic approach to the African Journey, Australian Adventure, and Indonesian Rain Forest.  Here's my ranking of sections with the Australian Adventure as tops:

1.  Australian Adventure - I love that the eastern grey kangaroos are in an open area instead of behind fences or bars.   They can jump right in front of your path.

2.  Indonesian Rain Forest - The tropical plants and humid atmosphere take you to a different place.  After learning in the research station, you will find more exhibits with leopards, tiger, orangutan, and gibbon.

3.  African Journey - It has a nice pathway and I always felt amused by the curious ostrich.  You can also see leopard monkey, zebras, giraffes, wildebeast, hyena, and sitatungas.

4.  Central Zoo - More traditional zoo exhibits.  My favorite animal to visit was the beautiful red panda. 

Admission is less expensive (approximately $15) than some other zoos, but expect to spend more because you'll need to purchase tockens ($1 each) for more experiences.  We visited often and these extras did make the experience more exciting for the kids.  I think we've experienced nearly all the add-ons except the Crocodile Creek Adventure Ride (slow moving automated canoe ride, likely best for younger kids) and newer additions (Stingray feeding and Sky Safari Ride).

Here's the list of ticket options:

  Z.O. &O Railroad (3 tokens)

  Endangered Species Carousel (3 tokens)

  Sky Safari Ride (3 tokens)

  Crocodile Creek Adventure Ride (3 tokens)

  Pony Trail (6 tokens) - small circular trail best for young kids

  Stingray Feeding (5 tokens)

  Giraffe Feeding (1 token)

  Goat Food (1 token)

 

To learn more about the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, visit http://www.kidszoo.org/; for a few more personal photos, visit my set "Fort Wayne zoo" at http://www.flickr.com/photos/krenda/sets/.

Wherever you live, may you be curious and open to learning about the people and places around you.