When in Ohio

The Columbus Zoo 

     I love the zoo! We went in early spring, and a few of the tropical animals were hibernating, but other than that, this attraction is well worth the trip.

     There are bears. The picture to the left is one I took there when we went recently. Though it was a pretty chilly morning, at about noon people started flooding in, so going for the first half of the day definitely has its pluses.

    There is a playground-like kids' area, and it's pretty big. Though I didn't play around in it, the kids' place looked like lots of fun. 

     They have a few small aviaries, a good-sized reptile house, and a nice aquarium. (The aquarium is not pictured to the left, that picture was taken of the polar bears' habitat.) I highly suggest visiting if you're into those sorts of things, since my husband and I were not disappointed. 

     Overall, the variety of animals is amazing. They have apes, orangutans, and bonobos. They have polar bears, brown bears, and sun bears. They have bats, snakes, turtles, lizards, flamingos, fish, rays, manatees, and even a komodo dragon. 

     We got through the whole zoo in about five hours. It was a little tough on the feet, but if you're just going to see the animals, one day is enough. Compared to the Miami Zoo, this one is a bit smaller, but not disappointing in the least, not in my opinion anyway. And the food there wasn't that over-priced, surprisingly, so having lunch there isn't too hard on the wallet. I highly recommend.

To learn more, visit the Columbus Zoo's website.

Feel free to leave a comment and ask any question I might be able to answer for you. Also, I'm interested in knowing where your favorite zoo is. Why is it great and what's your favorite zoo animal?

When in Ohio

Cincinnati

     My husband is a Reds fan and insisted we go to Cincinnati for a game or two. I agreed only when he agreed to do other things there as well, since I didn't consider the trip worth it just for the baseball. Besides baseball, there are plenty of things to do in Cincinnati, and here are the things I suggest for the compromise.

There are a few of these around the aquarium.

     First, the Newport Aquarium. The hotels right across the river from Cincinnati are cheaper than the ones in the more well-known city, and therefore we stayed right across the bridge from the stadium. The aquarium is also right across the bridge from the baseball stadium, no more than a ten minute walk, in my approximation. It's a little on the pricey side, but if you haven't been there before, and enjoy wildlife, it's worth the trip. You can spend a whole half-day there, so plan accordingly. Their website is available here. Also in the vicinity of the aquarium, between it and Barnes and Noble is a rock-and-roll type cafe, which I highly recommend for good food and good service, but cannot remember the name of.

When in the Bahamas

The Grand Lucayan Resort

     I don't know if I would agree that the Bahamas are all they're cracked up to be, but I do know I did have fun while I was there. Here I will reveal what one should know when traveling there, the perks of visiting, and the downsides of visiting this major tourist attraction. 

An example of a greatly appreciated small courtesy.

     My mother and I cruised over to Grand Bahama Island on the Bahamas Celebration cruise ship. There's plenty to do on this ship and lots to choose from when considering things to do, but everywhere the servers offer alcohol. I do not recommend this cruise to any recovering alcoholics, because you must refuse alcohol everywhere you go. Past that, though, I found it to be an exhilarating experience, it being my first time on such a big boat and all. I have to say the best things are the little things - the staff's courtesy and kind treatment considering all guests was fantastic and the little surprises (save the ones on the bill, which we happened to have been forewarned about but were still surprised by) were very welcome and sometimes even cute.

When in Florida

Zoo Miami

     The Miami Zoo is a great place for anyone who likes animals, walking, or just hanging out with the kids! This place is huge, and definitely has more to do than anyone can do in one day. Just for some kind of reference, take a look at the map I took a picture of and consider it takes 10-15 minutes to walk from the apex of one small curve to the next. It takes hours to walk through just one of the loops, and that's not considering standing still long enough to witness the animals living in their habitats. 

     I highly recommend checking this attraction out and blocking a couple days just for exploration. The zoo offers carts that anyone can rent and drive around in, but the exercise offered is a plus. Definitely wear tennis shoes or other comfortable footwear and clothes you feel comfortable sweating in, especially if it's going to be warmer than the mild 70s. And waterproof sunscreen is also a must, since there are mist stations everywhere, and you definitely want to use them for cooling off.