The Columbian Park Zoo: The Perfect Small Zoo for Small Children

I have three grandchildren under the age of six and another one on the way.  My daughter and I have discovered that the small zoos are actually better to take children to than the large zoos.  Small children tire easily, and large zoos take all day to explore leaving the poor children exhausted.  Yes, you can just do a small portion of a large zoo at a time, but since most have hefty admission prices, you really want to get your money's worth and stay all day.  Small zoos on the other hand have just enough to peak a child's interest without overwhelming them.  It doesn't take all day to walk through a small zoo.  Usually one is done after just a few hours and then they can go home and take a nap.  So I'm a huge advocate for small zoos for small children!

Last summer we took the children and grandchildren to Lafayette Indiana to visit the Columbian Park Zoo.  What a fun adventure that was!

We were really impressed with all this zoo and park had to offer!

Our first stop was the "Australia" exhibit where we got to see wallabies, emus, a New Guinea singing dog, and a laughing kookaburra! 

What we liked most about this exhibit was how the wallabies wandered around freely, they were not caged in.  Guests are required to stay on the path, but wallabies can go wherever they want.  You can really see the animals up close this way.  There is an attendant in the area to make sure no one is harmed and everyone stays on the path.  

The rest of the Australian animals were behind a barrier of some sort but you still got a close look at them.

Our next stop was the "Butterfly Sculpture Garden" sponsored by Walmart.  Here you can go inside the shelter to see butterflies and chrysalis, but you can also tour their beautiful outdoor flower garden where you will also see butterflies, but fun, playful sculptures as well.

A butterfly we spotted inside the butterfly house.

My daughter and her ever growing family.

All the fun sculptures provided lots of photo opportunities!

I did spot this monarch on the butterfly bush outdoors.

The grandkids sure enjoyed climbing on all the fun garden art!

And the perfect garden sculpture to represent the butterfly garden!

Next up was "The Americas" where we saw prairie dogs, an eagle, barn owl, turkey vulture, porcupine, river otter, and a tortoise.

The grandkids had so much fun playing in the prairie dog exhibit.  They ran around in underground tunnels popping their heads up above ground just like prairie dogs do.

"Penguin Cove" was so much fun.  I don't know who found who more entertaining, the penguins or the grandkids.  The penguins were just as intrigued staring at the children on the other side of the glass as the grandkids were looking at them.  It was another fabulous exhibit where the kids could get really close to the animals.  You just don't get that experience at larger zoos.

The "Family Farm" exhibit made us feel like we were back in Wisconsin.  There was a barn that held farm animals like the llama  below.  They also had a miniature horse, goats, and a pot bellied pig.

You could buy tickets for 25c a piece to feed the goats, that is quite the deal!  You get a handful of seed for a quarter, and it doesn't last long as these critters are hungry!

There lots of farm architecture in this exhibit to make it really feel like you are on an actual farm, like this windmill and a real tractor.

The zoo had this fun peep board in the "Family Farm" area to take photos of your fun day.  I love the expression on everyone's faces!

After we finished the zoo portion of Columbian Park Zoo it was time to explore the rest of the park.  First:  a TRAIN RIDE!  Oh my gosh, Elisha, our youngest grandchild,  was so excited.  He loves trains.  It was so funny, because he was happy to just climb aboard and sit on it.  He had no idea it was actually gonna move! He started grinning ear to ear when the train started chugging along.

The park strategically placed animal statues along the train route.  The grandkids loved finding them and pointing them out.

The train made a circle around "Memorial Island".  It was a good length of track, just the right amount of time.  There was a cute realistic train station too.

After a picnic lunch, we explored the rest of the park.

We first went to "Memorial Island" which was built to honor the brave men and women of Tippecanoe County who gave their lives defending our country.

The island is beautifully manicured and well maintained.  There are stunning walking paths with bridges and views of the lagoon and gorgeous flower garden.  There are also memorials honoring the veterans.  This one was my favorite, it's called "Most Precious Offering"

There was a large amphitheater that is available to rent.

The pond had fountains in it with a view of the back of the parks and recreation building and the Rush Pavilion in the distance.

The lagoon was filled with ducks.  I loved all the flowers and the gazebo added so much charm.

Just look at the size of these Hardy Hibiscus flowers!

We just loved the beautiful historic charm of this building.

Just look at these gorgeous garden paths! Isn't that arbor just stunning!  And I love how you have constant views of the lagoon no matter where you go.

We did take a paddle boat ride but it wasn't that great of an experience for us.  The paddles were so close that we both had great difficulty paddling.  I hadn't yet had my hip replacement surgery so it was actually extremely difficult.  I would have turned around and gave up but I didn't want to disappoint the grandchildren so we muddled through.

Finally, I did want to mention they had quite a large playground area.  I only took the one photo below as I was busy keeping an eye on the grandkids.  The playground is really spread out, with different sections for different age groups and interests.  That was good, but bad at the same time because it's hard to keep track of three kids when they are all running to different sections at the same time.   But we all made it home healthy and alive. ha ha!

 If you're ever in central Indiana I highly recommend a stop at the Columbian Park Zoo.  They are open April 13 through October 5th.  The admission is hard to beat:  Children under 2 are FREE, everyone else is just $2.00.  You do have to pay extra for goat feed, the train ride, and the paddleboat, but those are all pretty inexpensive too.  Oh, and did I mention there is a water park too?  We didn't go to that as there was enough to do in the park already, but it sure looked fun!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

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