The Zoo

We took the kids to the zoo. We got an annual pass with parking. The zoo charges right at the gate for parking and admission.  At first, we were kind of confused, but then I actually think it's a pretty good concept. There were picnic tables in different areas, so patrons could come and go from the zoo and eat at the tables if they did not want to eat in the park and they did not have to worry about getting a handstamp for reentry.
The zoo kind of reminded of an amusement park when we walked in. There were photographers who wanted to take patron pictures in front of a green screen and there were tons of souvenir shops. The zoo had plenty of buildings to duck into in case of inclement weather, which was good because it started to rain. Thank goodness it did not last too long. For the summer, there is a dinosaur exhibit. We were not sure what to expect, I was thinking just statues or something. However, while waiting in line, we could hear loud rumbling noise (think Jurassic Park) and they had some cool dinosaurs. DD decided after seeing the first one, she did not like dinosaurs anymore, LOL.  The displays were awesome, they were animatronic! There was a huge T-Rex and some spitting dinos too.
We saw some animals that they do not have at the VA zoo, which was neat. Some of the animals included were bears (including polar bears), moose, camels, tigers,  and seals. There was also a play area for the kids.  Like the VA zoo, there was a farm section, however this zoo actually milked the cows and showed a display. The zoo also had a sky ride, train ride, pony rides, camel rides, and a zipline. We did not do any of those on our first trip, but we plan on checking them out later. Well, except maybe the camel ride. We ended the day with some yummy ice cream.
Since we got the annual pass, we plan on going a lot. I think it will be neat in the winter.

T Rex

Tiger

At the playground

Polar Bear