By This past weekend, we decided to go to the North Carolina zoo. We hoped we’d get to see everything but were realistic in our planning, knowing that the chances of an 8 month old sitting through 5 miles of walking over 4+ hours wasn’t likely.
We took our umbrella stroller because it would be lighter and easier to fold up to get on the tram if we needed. We also packed the Ergo 360 baby carrier – just in case.
L was SO good. He talked to us as we walked around. We got him out at several of the exhibits so he could see the animals better. He was more interested in people watching. But he definitley enjoyed his breaks from the stroller. The humidity was at least 600% on Saturday.
When we first got there, it was actually cool outside and not humid. The zoo staff even told us that this meant the animals would be moving around more. But as the day wore on, the heat and humidity crept up and the animals became lazy.
We made sure to see all of the bear exhibits since that’s L’s nickname. The polar bear was definitely our favorite. He was only out walking around for a minute but boy was he majestic!
We stopped for lunch between North America and Africa. The options weren’t horrible but also not incredibly friendly to vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian diets. We used this as a cheat day. L enjoyed a banana, yogurt dots and pumpkin wafers. He did a lot of people watching in this time and liked seeing the carousel go around.
Next, we did the Africa part of the zoo. We showed Liam the lions and elephants and really wanted him to see the zebras and giraffes but they were too far away. We even walked down to the other end of the plains exhibit and by the time we got there, they had moved to the other end!
This was a very zoomed in shot of a solo giraffe as he marched to the other end.
We weren’t disappointed by the animals we did get to see, though. This elephant was HUGE. He moved so gracefully past us. Big L and I were in awe, little L was getting ready to go home at this point.
We stopped just before this exhibit to have a bottle and take a little breather. The zoo is HILLY and we were sweaty and tired. We made a plan to take the tram back to North America instead of more walking.
I packed water and thankfully they let us take it in! But if you purchase a water at the zoo, you can refill it for free at any of the food shops (or many water fountains they have throughout the park)! This was a must on such a hot, humid day.
I highly recommend making a day trip to visit the zoo. It’s a very educational experience and even if you don’t read any of the information about the animals, it is fun to watch them. The otters and seals were a blast to watch swimming and rolling in the water.
And it is 100% worth it to take your baby. We had so much fun and are so glad we got to experience it with him – even if he has no idea he went to the zoo and saw all the bears. Can’t wait for so many more adventures with this boy!
Ps he’s wearing his daddy’s NC Zoological Society shirt from when he was a baby! 💗
Now we’re just wondering when they’re actually going to get started on the Asia part of the zoo?! #wewantpandas #andtigers
Chapel Hill Baby 