Spend Some Time at Zoo Miami This Summer

My 19 month old daughter absolutely loves animals.  Some of her favorite books are animal based.  She points to certain animals on each page that interest her and I'll tell her what each one is.  It's important to educate yourself about all of the animal species in the world, especially because there are so many.  Scarlett loves dogs and birds the most.  What better place to take her to than the zoo? She can be up close and personal with her animal friends!

Zoo Miami is the largest and oldest zoological garden in Florida, and the only tropical zoo in the continental United States.  With over 280 acres that feature 900 animals, there will certainly be an exhibit that everyone will enjoy! Your children will be delighted to see elephants, lions, prairie dogs, rhino's, various birds, and so much more.  Cool off in the splash pad after you and your family have lunch.  You'll love the lush green atmosphere that provides you plenty of shade while you take in everything Zoo Miami has to offer.  Why not go with your children today? 

My husband and I took Scarlett to Zoo Miami for the first time today.  Since she's so interested in animals lately, so I knew this would be an opportunity she wouldn't want to pass up!

From the minute you step into the zoo, there's signs to direct you to specific exhibits and employees walking around who can guide you.  We checked out a fish exhibit and the Asia Birds of Prey first which Scarlett loved.  She enjoyed seeing the birds swim around and even got up close and personal with the turtles! It's great that they have the tanks so low so children can be eye-level with the sea animals.  There were plenty of birds for my little one to learn about.

We saw many fantastic animals along the way including elephants and rhinos! It was stunning to see them so up close.  I liked that their enclosures were large and spacious for them to have ample room to live in.

Although it was very hot out, I do feel that the trees helped to cool us off and provide shade.  The zoo atmosphere feels like being in a jungle! I loved all of the bamboo trees and lush green and flowers.  What beautiful landscaping!

One of the highlights of the trip for Scarlett was the petting zoo.  She got to pet a goat and absolutely loved it.  You should have seen the smile on her face! When it was time to move onto the next exhibit, she did not want to leave.  All of the animals are in pens and just waiting to interact with you. 

The one thing I noticed about the zoo was how clean it is.  Since it's so large, you can only imagine how big the cleaning crew is to keep it clean! The landscaping is so nicely maintained and everything looks perfect.

Since the zoo was so big and we were on a time constraint since my daughter is so young and naps, we couldn't see everything.  We had such a fun time with what we did see though.  We ended the trip with lunch and a splash pad visit.  Scarlett went nuts for the splash pad and loved her time there.  Of course it feels great to cool off from the heat too! 

We really enjoyed our visit at Zoo Miami.  There's truly something for all ages at this park, and you could easily spend a whole day exploring.  Buy a family membership and come back time and time again!

*DISCLOSURE* Thank you to Zoo Miami for providing us with complimentary admission in order to facilitate this post.  All thoughts are strictly my own