Zoo # 7

Yep.  That's right.  Today, the kids and I went to our 7th different zoo.  Today we drove to the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, FL.  It's what I would consider a smaller zoo.  But what it does, it does well.

The first thing I want to say about this zoo is that it's volunteers are GREAT!  They are knowledgeable, friendly, and seem to be everywhere.  Some of the volunteers are very attached to the animals they work near.  For example, one of the giraffes is being moved to Richmond, VA and the volunteer talking about the giraffes started to choke up when talking about the move.

Another thing about this zoo that I really like is that it has a lot of hands-on areas for the kids.  When we first walked in, there was a woman holding a bearded dragon that the kids were able to pet.  They also have an area where the kids can pet a variety of sea creatures.  And for a small fee, you can buy food to feed various animals around the zoo (giraffes, birds, deer, alligators).  Oh, and they have hand sanitizer in abundance for after your animal encounters.  I came prepared but it's nice to know they thought of it. 

Unfortunately, there was one area that we were not able to take advantage of and that's a small water park.  I heard they had a place where the kids could get wet, but this was more than what I thought it would be so we were not prepared.  I think from now on, I'm going to come prepared just in case (especially in the South).

The beauty of a small zoo is that you don't have to trek across acres and acres to see all the animals.  The animals seemed to have plenty of room, but at the same time I didn't feel like I walked for miles (which some zoos do).

We move to the West side of Florida on Friday where we will visit zoo #8 in the next couple of weeks.  It's so exciting being able to see so many different places!