Zoo Atlanta

Looking for something fun to do?  Last weekend I took our son to the zoo!  The best part of all....  FOR FREE!

Thanks to the Georgia Public Library, I received a family pass (free admission for 2 adults and 2 children) after checking out the "Zoo Atlanta Pass DVD."  It was that simple!  Anyone with a valid library card can take advantage of this awesome opportunity.  Visit your local branch, watch the DVD, return it and receive your free family pass.  *you have one week only to use the free family pass*  Find out more here.

It was a little chilly the day we decided to visit.

Flamingos

Unfortunately, "The Mexican" was still out of town.  I hate he didn't get to go with us.  Guess what this 3800 lb. elephant's name was.... Tara!  Oh well, too bad hubby wasn't there!  He missed a prime joke opportunity! (trust me, I know there would have been a joke!)

The lethal Cassowary.  One of our son's favorite birds.  Glad he was behind bars.

A Silverback Gorilla

Komodo Dragon

3 Banded Armadillo

 We were so busy having fun that we didn't have time to take pictures of all the cool animals we saw.  The Orangutans were cute!  One mama Orangutan was cradling her baby.  It was so sweet.  There were some joeys (kangaroos) hopping around.  Man! Their feet are huge.

The Giraffes are my favorite!  I read that next spring visitors will be allowed to feed them from a terrace.  Que cool!  I'm going to have to go back just for that!

Pandas

A mama Tiger playing around with her cubs.  Those teeth look scary!

Our trip to Zoo Atlanta was a lot of fun and very educational.  They had zoo keepers around every corner to answer any questions you might have about the animals.  We attended different "Wild Life" shows and learned tons!

We finished off our trip with a ride on the carousel.

What a fun experience! Oh, and NO animal attacks like our last outing!  Woo hoo!!!


All opinions are my own.  I was not compensated in any form for this review.

Fernbank Museum

Our son has been begging us to take him back to Fernbank Museum of Natural History.  He is a huge dinosaur lover!  Fernbank Museum has a year round display of dinosaur fossils, replicas of dinos, and tons of info on dinosaurs.  A couple of weeks ago they had an exhibit about Wildlife Rescue.  I figured it was the perfect time to take him considering he is also a huge animal lover!

We learned some cool things!  Did you know that when baby Condors are rescued, they are hand fed with a puppet that looks like their mother?  They do this so the babies will not become familiar with humans and retain their wildness.

We also learned about building underground tunnels for animals in heavily trafficked areas..  This protects animals by having a safe place to cross the street.  Kids were able to put on turtle shells and go in the tunnel.  They experienced what it sounds like with traffic crossing above.

We were too busy learning about the exhibit to take a lot of pictures.  We learned how animals are cleaned after oil spills and the tests they must pass before being released back into the wild.

We looked at x-rays of  animal injuries and learned about animal surgeries.  We learned of ways we can help endangered animals and sooooo much more!   For example, did you know that I weigh as much as a teenage Panda bear!  I had no idea I'd leave with this info!  You learn something new everyday.

The exhibit was full of interesting information that we did not know.  It was just as fun for me as it was for my son!

After the exhibit, we watched an IMAX movie titled "Born to be Wild."  It was about two ladies who have dedicated their lives to rescuing orphaned oraguntans and elephants.

DINO TIME!

Whoo!  That was just a taste of our  "dino" experience.  Even the floors in Fernbank have fossils in them!

Fernbank also has a newly renovated kids area that was AWESOME!  I hate we went there last because  my son was having so much fun playing and learning in "Nature Quest."  We didn't get the chance to visit the additional 5 permanent exhibits.  With so much to learn we needed an extra day!  Luckily it is not too far away.  I'm sure we will be back soon.




All opinions are my own.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.

Center for Puppetry Arts

I realize my blog is all over the place.  Unfortunately with "The Mexican" traveling so much for work I have less material.  I've decided to keep a notepad with me so I can jot down funny or interesting things when it comes to being married to my entertaining hubby.

In between humorous post about our life you'll probably see   "Spanish Friday" posts, "Multicultural Monday" posts, "What's on your Cellphone" posts, and "Things to do around Atlanta" posts.   I'm going to try to post at least once a week and keep things entertaining.

With all that being said  typed...

Hubby and I have decided to start having more family outings.  There is so much to do here in Atlanta.  Our son is such a curious child.  We want to feed that curiosity.

This past weekend we went to the  Center for Puppetry Arts.

 

Image credit: puppet.wikia.com

This is such an awesome place!  This is actually our 2nd trip.  We loved it so much the 1st time, we couldn't wait to go back.  

We bought tickets  to the performance "Space."

Image credit: www.puppetry.org

Once we arrived we went upstairs to make our very own space puppet. (this activity is included in admission price)  They had stations set up with supplies and instructions on how to make your puppet.

After making our puppets, we learned that they glow under a black light!

Next on to the museum.....

The center has an awesome museum dedicated to the art of puppetry.  You are able to view  many different styles of puppets and how they work.

This is an example of "shadow" puppetry.  

This was a giant praying mantis.  A "rod" puppet.  We were able to give it a try.  It was so huge!

This is a mechanical puppet on display which was pretty cool.  It looked like a trash can until it opened up then it reminded us of a Pterodactyl.

There was also a Jim Henson exhibit.  I'm a huge Sesame Street and Muppets fan!  Cameras were not allowed so I was unable to take any pictures of the life size replica of Big Bird, Kermit, and all my favorites.

SHOW TIME!

This play was amazing!  We learned all about space, the planets, the sun, the moon, gravity,  our galaxy, and so much more.  It was very educational.  I learned quite a few things I did not know.  It was full of music, an awesome light show, rod puppets, shadow puppetry, and black lights.  The pupeteers  were extremely talented.  What I especially liked was after the performance the puppeteers came out on stage and explained how their puppets worked.

We left knowing tons more about space and the art of puppetry. Not only did our son have a blast, but hubby and I did also.  I highly recommend checking out the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta Georgia.  We can't wait to go back.

All opinions are my own.  I was not compensated in anyway for this review.