Visiting the Como Park Zoo in Winter

 In last week's travel post, I shared how our spirits were rejuvenated by a visit to the Como Park Conservatory.    But the rejuvenation of our spirits didn't stop with the flowers, but it continued on with the zoo.  The St. Paul, Minnesota  park also has a small zoo right next to the conservatory.

Visiting a zoo in winter is always a fun experience.  The past couple of years I was in Illinois in the winter and I visited both the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Brookfield Zoo.  Most people don't think of visiting zoos in winter but it can really be a nice experience if you pick a warm winter day.  Some benefits of visiting the zoo in winter is that it is less crowded, admission prices are cheaper or even free, and the animals seem to be more active.

Like the Como Park Conservatory, the Como Park Zoo is free but they do ask for a donation of $3.00 per adult.  Most of the animals are still available to view, and usually you can see them a lot closer than you can in summer because they are in tighter quarters.

Here are some of the highlights of our visit to the Como Park Zoo:  first up, these arctic foxes.  Oh my, aren't they beautiful?  I just wanted to take one home with me so bad.  They had an arctic fox pelt in the educational area that you could touch.  You would not believe how soft his coat is!

These little guys are so sweet!  And they really seemed to enjoy the snow and cold.  Their white coats blend in with the snow so well don't they?



My husband and I probably had the most fun in the primate house.  Oh, these guys had us laughing in stitches!

The apes and monkeys were wide awake and very playful when we were there.  We watched them swinging from tree limb to tree limb.



But this orangutan had us laughing the hardest.  He picked up this piece of cloth and was doing the funniest things with it:  putting it over his head like a scarf and/or wrapping it around himself like a cape.  He was quite the fashionista!

Winter is the best time to see polar bears as they are more active.  In the summer, they like to take it easy and sleep in the shade, but in the winter they are definitely out and about.  Just look at the size of this guys paws!

Even though we just saw tons of buffalo in the wild when we were in South Dakota, I never got this close to one before.

 The rack on these reindeer was astounding!

We saw lots of mountain goats when we were in Zion National Park, but these look like they are more suitable for colder mountain temperatures.

The giraffes had one of the best displays in the zoo because we could get so close to them.  I love giraffes.  I find them such fascinating animals.

 A baby giraffe.  We were told by another zoo guest that they have way too many baby giraffes so they are now separating the males from the females.  Poor guys!  We saw the male looking through the window of the fence at all the ladies.  I hope he wasn't lonely.



While we were at the zoo we saw they were building a new seal exhibit that will be open in the summer of 2020.  How exciting!  I hope it's open when I take the grandkids back!

 

Penguins are always so fun to watch.  How is it that God made a bird that can swim?

This zebra looks sad, but he actually was sound asleep.  It always amazes me how horses sleep standing up.

And finally, the kings of the jungle:  the lion family!

I love the sweet expression on this cougars face, although I always pray I don't see one when I'm hiking!



A snow leopard.  I just love his big, thick tail!



And a sleeping tiger.  Isn't he beautiful?



I hope this post encourages you to visit your local zoo this winter!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

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Visiting The Brookfield Zoo In Winter

Most people visit their local zoos in the summer, but did you know visiting zoo's in the middle of winter can be pretty fun too?  Sure it's cold, and not all the attractions are open, but it's worth a visit to avoid the summer crowds and get some great discounts too!  On the day we visited the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois, it was a FREE day!  We only had to pay $14.00 for parking.

My first recommendation for visiting a zoo in the winter is to dress for it!  We wore our down-filled parkas, or other heavy coats, plus hats and scarves!  

Although my children have lived in the area for years, I have never been to the Brookfield Zoo before.  I was SO IMPRESSED!  I could not believe the facilities, especially the primate exhibit.

The primate exhibit was this HUGE building of bridges, waterfalls, plants, birds, and faux terrain.  It was amazing!  I felt I was in Jurassic World.

Alethea was so happy running back and forth across the bridges and ramps.

All the primates had a lot of trees and ropes climb and play on.  I couldn't believe my amazing timing to get this shot of an orangutan.

Even though it was a cold, 20 degree day, we were never outside long.  Most of the animals were inside, so it was just a matter of walking outside briefly from building to building.

I thought the exterior of the buildings was just as attractive and impressive as the inside!

These beauties were outside, but they were huddled on the other side of a viewing area so we were able to get a real close look.

Brookfield Zoo has a ton of cafes and stores.  Most of them were closed for the season, but this one food court was open plus one gift shop.  I was so impressed with all the dining options.

Penguins have always been one of my favorite animals.  I loved this exhibit because we could get so close to our feathered friends.

They do have a dolphin show at this zoo that you have to pay extra to see.  There were none going on when we were there.  You can however see the dolphins and seals for free in an underwater viewing area.

Doesn't this seal have the sweetest eyes and face?

The cold didn't seem to bother the cats, cause they were all outside.

Other animals that were outside were horses, camels, buffalo, and polar bears.

This sweet little kitty was inside an indoor exhibit.  I could not believe this was a wild cat.  He/she looked just like a house cat.  And it was so small too!  I thought it was a kitten, but it was full grown.
It was so cute!  I wanted to wrap him/her up in my arms and take him/her home with me.

This deer stood so still, I thought it was taxidermy.  Then, it moved, and I realized it wasn't.  Apparently they are known for standing as still as statues.

The indoor giraffe exhibit was incredible!  I could not believe how close to were able to get to them.

I love Alethea's laughing, smiling face in this picture.

The amphibian exhibit was pretty cool too!  I felt I was in a Louisiana Bayou!  I know I've said it multiple times, but I really was blown away by the exhibits of this zoo.  I felt like the animal exhibits looked like what you would see in a museum, but there were also live animals in them.  I've never seen anything like it before, and I've been to a lot of zoos!

I love these little guys! Their behaviors are so cute and quirky!

Sweet Alethea did grow tired and took a little nap in her stroller.  Oh those cheeks!  I can't wait to see her again and cover them up with lipstick kisses!

I'm a bird lover so I was thrilled to see lots of bird exhibits.  But this beauty I captured in the primate exhibit.  He came right up to me so I could snap his picture.

This beautiful tiger seemed to be enjoying the colder weather.  One thing we noticed with all the outside animals like the tigers and polar bears, was how active they were.  Usually when we go to a zoo in the summer, the animals are hiding in the shade sleeping.  It was not the case this day, they were all very active and alert and moving around.  We even caught a few cats playing.  We wondered if the cooler weather made them more active.

Another perk to visiting the zoo on a free day in winter, is that other attractions can sometimes be free as well, like the Hamill Family Play Zoo.  Normally you have to pay another $3.00 per person to see this zoo.  It's designed for small children under ten to have hands-on experiences.  I really enjoyed the Lemur exhibit.  They had the cutest costumes the kids could put on and then jump around like a lemur.

It was so funny seeing buffalo in the zoo after I saw so many in the wild in South Dakota.

They also had lots of aquariums to see at the Brookfield Zoo.

I really enjoyed my time at the Brookfield Zoo in the winter and I can't wait to go back this summer with my husband to see a lot of the attractions we may have missed due to seasonal closures....like the train!  Of course, we'll have to pay all the costs and face the crowds!

I hope next winter when you're bored and trying to think of a family friendly activity to do, you'll consider visiting your local zoo!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

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