Memphis Zoo Start of Summer Trip

We had been planning a get-together with The Whitten’s for a while, and a trip up to Memphis for a day at the Zoo was also on our list of to-do fun before the weather turned wicked hot on us. We decided to purchase the family membership, saving $6 off our day’s trip, plus we can plan many other trips now as we get the bonus of free parking and admission for the next full year. There are other associate zoos and aquariums we can also visit at a discounted fee. It was win-win for us.

Everyone met up shortly after the Zoo opened its gates and off we headed…

the Komodo Dragon was HUGE! Good thing the various lizards and what-not out in our woods aren’t that size!

large Koi

large wild boars

the penguins were out and showing off

I roamed around online gathering things for our visit…like a Zoo Passport shared by We Wilsons (and we were even able to mark off the T-Rex drawing, LOL), some Zoo Scavenger Hunt pages

They just opened a new exhibit called Sting Ray Bay…yes, those diamond-shaped blobs under the water there are actually sting rays. The video we took shows them much better, but trying to capture a clean shot while they whisked back and forth was difficult!

The birds were a bit of a challenge as well, the camera didn’t mix well with the slight glare off some of the caged displays

it was a bit hot….but then, it’s summer in Mississippi and every day is hot imo…

The otters agreed with my estimation of the day apparently…they were tucked inside their nice cool log

…another set of ‘Grandkids for Grandma’ shots, LOL…

the Giant Panda’s were showing some attitude, they definitely wanted to be outside in their yard and not inside on display

 

a hitchhiker from the China Gardens area

 

The rhino proved a difficult photo op as well…though I did get a decent behind the scenes shot, LOL

the Chilean Flamingos were a gorgeous coral color

Emily just about decided to go home with Mark and Leigh-Ann…Leigh-Ann had carrots!

…and as we missed having Dad along, we picked out a few photos just for him

 

As Leigh-Ann said….We went. We saw. We conquered.

…and then, within the hour, she was at home posting photo’s online and I was sitting in bumper to bumper, stand still traffic on the lovely I-240 trying my best to escape the chaos that makes up the big city of Memphis, TN. I am country. The City kicked my bumper definitely. Did you know the City has a weird tar kind of smell to it? Give me fresh barnyard and mowed grass scents any day!