![]() I might have been out the door before 9:00 AM, but don’t trick yourself into thinking I had managed to have lunches packed (or the dishwasher emptied, or a load of laundry in the wash or dinner in the crock pot)! I was on time, but not SuperMom! □ Okay, actually, I was late for a 9:00 meet up. When she listed off the food deals, my wheels started turning. While our kids were playing, my friend Katie casually mentioned that it was $2 Tuesday at the Zoo. I’m pretty sure if kids dream of heaven, this is what it looks like! My kids are really into sports this year, so they especially liked playing in these areas! My kids LOVED it here! My 5 yr old has asked to go back multiple times! It is a really great place for kids to run around and get out all of that extra energy! Besides the many sets of playground equipment, there are basketball hoops, soccer goals, trampolines and a log cabin! Not only are you getting a major discount, but 50% of the price you pay gets donated to a charity chosen by Recreations Outlet! All other play times are $6 per child during the week, and $8 per child on the weekends. So what makes this a $2 Tuesday? On Tuesdays ( AND Wednesdays and Thursdays) from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM, Recreations Outlet has charitable play, where admission is $2 per family (that includes up to 3 children). ![]() In full disclosure, my family received a pass to visit for free, but it was 100% coincidence that I already had the playdate on the calendar with a friend for the coming week! Serendipity! ![]() When the temperatures dropped, and my now 2 year old was a steady-enough climber, I put it back on my list of places to visit. Then summer rolled around and we spent a lot of time exploring outdoor parks. I heard about Recreations Outlet last year, but I just felt that my newly one year old was not a good fit for large playground equipment. You know what else is crazy? I actually arrived at Recreations Outlet around 9:15 AM! Usually, it’s a good day if I’m getting out of the house at 10:15! It’s amazing how much that extra hour adds to your day – enough time that you would actually consider going to the zoo afterwards! Their solitary rhino looked particularly lonely.I know, this is crazy, right? Who does two full-fledged outings in one day, let alone one morning? But hear me out, because I think you might want to, too! Insufficient space for larger animals and insufficient numbers of non-solitary animals: The elephants did not look happy, standing in front of the closed doors leading to their indoor enclosures and rocking back and forth. People stand around scanning an enclosure for an animal that isn't there. What is *not* normal or understandable is that there are no notices to let people know. This is normal for a zoo and completely understandable. Missing animals: Many animals were not on display. There are not enough tables or benches to support the number of people. ![]() Insufficient tables/benches: If you want to sit down to eat, or rest, good luck with that. The $11 souvenir cup (not dishwasher safe) comes with free refills (day of purchase only, $0.93 refills on subsequent visits on the same year) but a refill will require a 15-20 minute wait in line. Even the vending machines are $4 for bottled water. Since wagons are allowed, "safety" seems to be a euphemism for "If you have to carry the cooler all day, you're more likely to say forget it and just buy $4 bottles of water instead. Coolers are allowed, but only up to 14", and coolers with wheels are banned for "safety" reasons. Additionally, you're looking at extortionate pricing throughout the park. Price: Tickets are pretty high for a zoo (~$25/person) plus $10 for parking. Most of the animals looked well cared for, and the zoo is absolutely huge, you cannot possibly see it all in one day.
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