Hanging with the Animals

[magnusfide]

Our grandkids loved their swim adventure with the manatees at Crystal River, FL. They said it was more fun than Disney World.

We've planned a few more trips where they can interact with animals. Here's what I found on the internet as possibilities.
Swimming with otters.
Llama and alpaca hikes.

We like to do themed trips so for the next few with the grandkids we're going to the animals. If you know of some other destinations that offer these kinds of experiences feel free to list them here.

[mdcamping]

rexlion wrote:
A mare with a 'calf'?? 😄

yeah.. my mistake

[rexlion]

A mare with a 'calf'?? 😄

[mdcamping]

Maybe not so much of a grand scale, remembering taking the kids thru Six Flags drive thru safari in NJ, we thought it was very underated, as the kids had a blast having all the animals converge on our vehicle.

This was past trip at Assateague Island State Park, MD, yes the wild horses can sometimes be a nuisance 😉





^^^ on our last trip the horses for some reason decided to visit and stay at our site multiple times, maybe it was because they liked using our bunk end as a scratching post, this was repeated at 1am in the morning. Abruptly waking us!! :E



^^ Mom and her older calf at our site.

Mike

[dedmiston]

DrewE wrote:
Assateague might be of interest--see (but do not interact closely with) the wild ponies. I suppose technically they're feral ponies, if you're the overly pedantic type.

The St Louis City Museum is working on constructing a touch tank for fish (rays and sharks, I think). I hope that would be enough to include in in your theme idea; but in any case, it's one of the most fun places I've ever been to, and probably even more so for most children. It's also very hard to describe briefly and accurately.

I'd like to visit the pedantic ponies instead. Everyone else judges, so why not get judged by the horsies too.

[DrewE]

Assateague might be of interest--see (but do not interact closely with) the wild ponies. I suppose technically they're feral ponies, if you're the overly pedantic type.

The St Louis City Museum is working on constructing a touch tank for fish (rays and sharks, I think). I hope that would be enough to include in in your theme idea; but in any case, it's one of the most fun places I've ever been to, and probably even more so for most children. It's also very hard to describe briefly and accurately.

[bukhrn]

I know this sounds ridiculous but, it actually happens, DO NOT go to Yellowstone and try to interact with the animals, Bison, Elk,Bears, Wolves, they're WILD,(and dangerous)contrary to what some seem to think, it Not a petting Zoo, Many of the animals there can kill you, some will eat you after they kill you.

[Super_Dave]

If visiting southern Utah for the national parks, Zion, Bryce, Best Friends is a cool place. Thousands of acres devoted to animals in a beautiful setting. Lots of tours and opportunities for hands on.

Best Friends

[RoyF]

If you don't want to get wet, Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park (not far from Crystal River) has an underwater observation area where one can watch the manatees at feeding times. (I don't know if it is open at this time -- because of Covid.)