TrixiRoulée…DotCom!

Sometimes, you just gotta be a kid.

When it comes to zoos, aren’t we all?

Knowing that I would need a break from information (and boy was I RIGHT! So much information YET to read from this weekend), I planned a trip about half an hour up the road in Knoxville to the Zoo.
…and I looked ahead. I knew this part of my trip was going to be the most expensive part and I was right.

Honestly, the admission and parking prices could have been much worse. They weren’t awful. But it was a bit more than “FREE”…
Was it worth it?

Yes.

There were several things that really impressed me about the Zoo Knoxville. The one that REALLY sticks out was how CLEAN it was. Now, it IS only the first weekend of March…so that might have something to do with it…
Definately one of the cleanest public places I’ve ever been to, though.

And it’s very VERY kid centered. If it was June and I was only 50 inches tall? I’d have it MADE! There was a splash pad area, a petting zoo, and a very large play area all within the gates of the Zoo.

There was also a LOT of walking. A LOT. But that’s one of the things that make a zoo a zoo, I think.

Not all of the animals were out, of course. I got to see one of three elephants briefly…one of three giraffes briefly…zero zebras…and lions through the glass. I do understand; their natural habitats are much warmer than 53 degrees (fahrenheit). There was – again – a LOT of information on the animals and their lives both in what would be their natural habitat and their habitat at the Zoo.

The Zoo itself is separated into and “east” and “west” section. One section is mostly African animals. The other is mostly Asian animals.

On the Asian side, there were red pandas…monkeys…birds…a tiger…
…there’s also a rope bridge, which is pretty awesome actually. Oh! And there’s a carousel.

I’m not gonna lie: I KNOW I saw more animals than that today. For the life of me though I don’t remember them all. I spent a LOT of time reading information (*shrug* I’m a reader. Don’t expect less lol).

Totally worth the drive and the admission price. Absolutely. And I’m glad that I planned a day of walking – and got the nice weather for it! – after a day of complete information overload.

And now, I’m off to watch Oppenheimer…because, why not? I also have a list of documentaries on things from Oak Ridge and the Manhattan Project. I’m just starting with the latest piece from Hollywood…

Go. Explore. Smile.