Naples Zoo

Naples has a wonderful zoo. It's a tropical setting and there are lots of activities in addition to just seeing the animals. K was a baby when we last visited, so this time he was able to enjoy all the sights and sounds. He loves all sorts of animals. When he sees one he becomes very animated, starts babbling a mile a minute and will continue to point at it until you acknowledge that you see it too.

There are a couple of Macaws right at the entrance. K didn't want to leave. I was worried for a bit that we wouldn't get to see any more animals.

After we extracted K from his perch, we took in the live animal show under the tent. We sat in the bleachers as they brought out different animals including a sloth, skunk, snake, owl and an ocelot (pictured below):

After the show we walked around the zoo. C & K loved being with their cousins Seth & Linnea who are on spring break from college:
Linnea getting a workout lifting K to see the Lions:

At one spot the zoo was giving Camel rides. Seth was planning to take C but then K started crying to join them. So J took a ride too. Seth unfortunately had the bumpy seat (I think his face says it all):

There was also a station where you could feed a Giraffe. After buying the most expensive lettuce in the state, you were instructed up to the rope to hold out your hand. C is usually a bit skittish around animals but to our surprise, she willingly stuck out her hand and let the giraffe take the lettuce from her. K needed a daddy lift to get close enough:

K was fascinated by the Bear and watched him for a long time enjoying a large ice cube:

The only part of the zoo we missed was Monkey Island which requires a boat ride. Unfortunately the wait was too long and the kids were starting to melt.

However before we left C insisted that we visit the playground at the zoo. All of these really cool animals to see and all C wanted to do the entire time was go down a slide.