Enjoy a Zoo Day
Round up the grandkids for a trip to a zoo or other animal care organization.
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
From tots through teens, engaging with animals always makes for a great outing with the grandkids or a young-at-heart date with your sweetheart.
■ Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester exhibits a good selection of exotic animals like penguins, lions, baboons, snow leopards, orangutans, meerkats, lemurs and African elephants, along with more familiar North American river otters, bald eagles, sea lions, lake sturgeon, gray wolves and domestic goats, rabbits and rats.
Check the website for a variety of animal encounter experiences available with reservations. These include the Rocky Coast Tour, where guests can see sea lions up close. The Elephant Encounter includes a tour of the elephant barn and its resident African elephants. Meet masai giraffes through the Giraffe Feedings program. Pet a rhino at the Rhino Encounter. The River’s Edge Tour includes learning about the frolicsome North American river otters. The Savanna Tour includes white rhinos, zebras and giraffes. The zoo’s website also includes special zoo events, such as children’s programming and adult events like Zoo Brew (21+ only), which is like a happy hour at the zoo with live music and local potables. Tour the zoo while sampling beer, cider, hard seltzer and wine. Zookeepers will be on hand to chat about the animals in their care.
■ Cracker Box Palace in North Rose at the 600-acre historic Alasa Farms operates as a no-kill farm animal rescue. Guests are welcome to visit during business hours to enjoy a self-guided tour. Maps are available at the office and barns. Feed snacks to the animals (a “safe list” is online), including goats, pigs, sheep, cows, chickens, turkeys, ducks and bunnies. Bring along a picnic to enjoy. In addition, guests can hike Alasa’s numerous trails on Second Creek and overlooking Great Sodus Bay. Check the website for details on each trail.
■ Explore Hidden Valley Animal Adventure is located in Varysburg, south of Batavia, on a 2.2- mile trail. Select the open-air safari bus tour, self-guided driving safari or guided tour. There’s also the Small Animal Adventure Walk-Thru tour and the Small Animal Adventure, a petting zoo for a more close-up experience.
The animals include alpaca, American blackbelly sheep, American bison, Asian water buffalo, brahman, camel, Dorper Sheep, duck (several varieties), Dutch belted Galloway cattle, elk, emu, kangaroo, koi fish, llama, horse, donkey, nilgai, ostrich, peacock, peafowl, pheasant, pygmy goat, red deer, Scottish Highland cattle, Sulcata tortoise, swan, Texas longhorn cattle, yak, zebra and zebu.
https://hiddenvalleyadventure.com
■ Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park in Syracuse exhibits more than 1,300 animals among nearly 300 species. These include Asian elephants and other mammals, penguins, primates, domestic animals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, all in species-oriented, colorful habitats. The zoo hosts numerous special events and educational programming all year. Check the website to find out what events are coming up. With the gift shop and snack shop, it’s easy to spend an entire day at the largest zoo in the region.
Make Your Day More Fun with These Tips
• Check the facility’s website and Facebook page for updates and to review its policies.
• Dress for the weather and the facility, including non-skid, comfortable footwear.
• Bring along sunscreen and a broad-brimmed hat to protect your skin.
• If you’re bringing any young grandkids, review the facility’s rules before you go and as needed during your day. It’s easy for small children to become excited over seeing animals and do things that they normally wouldn’t.
• Plan to stop at the gift shop for a little memento before you leave. The proceeds from the gift shop help support the facility and oftentimes, gift shops at animal facilities have many good quality educational items for children.