My Favorite Thing to Do on Vacation: The Oklahoma City Zoo

Vacation is defined by dictionary.com as a period of suspension of work, study or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation or travel. It is a beautiful word, and I look forward to vacations. I will dispute the suspension of work, since I am a mother, which is a job all by itself. However, I do look enjoy concentrating on the job that is the most meaningful to me. I love to spend time with my family, and if we plan trips on our vacations, there is a certain order in which I like to do things. As an example, I will describe the trip my family took to the Oklahoma City Zoo and all of the reasons I love that destination.

On the first day of vacation, I like to let everyone sleep late and have a nice leisurely breakfast of donuts or some easy meal like that. I think that a lazy day is the best way to recharge. For example, we have a lot of family board games, and a game of monopoly or checkers is a fun and relaxing way to pass the time. While the kids are playing, I prefer to relax with a book. I am interested in so many forms of literature, so I do not have many requirements as to the genre. All I ask is that it is absorbing enough to keep me reading, but I also want to be able to put it down when necessary. Rereading a book is usually the best way to go. Basically, I just want our family to have a day together with no chores or places to be.

The second day of vacation is when the chores are tackled. I might tackle some projects on that day, but all I really want to do is get the house clean and the laundry finished. If we go to the zoo, I usually make it an overnight affair. I have a sister, grandparents, aunts and cousins that live within a reasonable distance of Oklahoma City, so I like to make time to visit all of them, if possible. This day is the perfect time to confirm reservations for a hotel, and to plan make certain what kind of money, clothes and other items we may need to bring. There is a wonderful website, www.okczoo.com, with directions, a list of hours and admission prices, and there is even a map of the zoo among other things. I also like to know the weather forecast. I pack the bags and have everyone lay the clothes in which they want to travel, so we can pack ahead of time and only have to put our toiletries in the bags the next morning. I am a cheapskate, so I also get an ice chest prepared and put all of the food and drinks that we need into it, and I put a bag or two of ice in it before we leave. I also make arrangements for somebody to feed our dog.

The third day of vacation is when we get up early and prepare the last minute details before we leave. After we get everybody some portable breakfast, like toaster pastries or granola bars, we get settled in the vehicle and begin the trip. Oklahoma City is roughly four hours from our home, to the west. As we travel, we make minimal stops, and thanks to the ice chest in the back, we are able to avoid spending too much money on drinks and snacks, and we can make sandwiches while in the vehicle. My husband likes to do the driving, so he eats his sandwich while we are at a rest stop, just to be on the safe side. We play games with the kids, such as many license tags we see from other states or the alphabet game with the signs on the road. We sing with the radio or have conversations. I know it probably is not good to admit this, but I do have a portable DVD player that we can break out when the kids get bored. Cartoons to the rescue!

We take that day to visit with my grandparents who live in the heart of Oklahoma. They will let my cousins and aunts know that my family is there, and we get to visit and enjoy each other's company. I love to do this, since everyone's life is so busy, and travel is not easily afforded in this economy. Usually, we will stay there until we are ready to drive to the town where my sister lives and check in to our hotel. I call or text her and let her know where we are and our room number, so she can come see us in the morning. My three kids would terrorize her five cats, so I definitely feel better having her and/or her husband come to the hotel with her to see the kids. After our visit last year, we now know that the hotel in which we stayed has an indoor pool, so we will be sure to bring out suits in the future. Since it is quite late by the time we get there, we get everyone and everything inside and ready for bed. The kids are not difficult to get to sleep as the travel and playing at my grandparents' house takes its toll.

The next morning, my sister calls as soon as she is up and joins us at the hotel. We are happy to offer her breakfast and just spend some time catching up. If she brings her husband, it makes the kid to adult ratio lean in our favor, and he is a great guy who is terrific and fun. He is also incredibly smart, so he and my sister are good for each other. After some time has passed, we get ready to leave the hotel. We get to move everything back to the car, and the kids are usually not thrilled about this part, but they are excited to go to the zoo. My sister goes back to her home, and we begin the one and a half hour drive to the Oklahoma City Zoo.

Since the zoo is open until five, we like to arrive around one o'clock in the afternoon. If we eat sandwiches in the car, we are able to get there while a lot of people are settling down with their families to eat from one of the many concession stands. I bring bottles of water and some snacks in the bag, although I will buy everyone a treat like cotton candy. How would it be fun without it? We really do not bother with any of the fancy trappings. We rent a double cart for our sons, so they can ride when their legs get tired, and we skip the trains in favor of walking and enjoying ourselves at our own pace. There are many wonderful exhibits, and it is so much fun to view these exotic animals.

I love the big cats, and the Lion Overlook is fantastic. I always forget how big they really are until I see them at the zoo. The lions are beautiful, and the snow leopard is so cool. I love the panthers, too. Since black and yellow panthers are the only native cats to our country, I'm glad to see the yellow ones at the zoo. The gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans are always fun to watch. The herpetarium is not my favorite, but my kids would not let me skip it. The snakes are impressive, even if they gross me out. Lizard and other reptiles or amphibians are fine. I just do not trust animals that have no legs. I love to look at the bears. There are bears, Mexican Gray Wolves, bobcats, flying squirrels and many others. I love the pachyderms, but unfortunately, the elephants are not in residence, at this time. They are currently part of a breeding program at the Tulsa Zoo, which is also a great zoo. Well, the rhinos make up for that. We all like the owl barn and the black-lit bat exhibit, so we get to see the bats flying. Also, I love the aquatic area. There are so many species on exhibit, and the water part is so relaxing. There are all the animals that you could want to see at this zoo. There are giraffes, seals, gators, tortoises and too many other animals to name.

I could continue for hours about the exhibits, but this article would never end. I love the information that is available about the animals. There is an option at the zoo called Zoo Keys that allow you to insert the key into a box and get more detailed information about the exhibits. There is a beautiful carousel with endangered animals for the kids to ride. Also there are other rides and ways around the zoo that can increase the fun. It depends on how much money you would like to spend. There is a wonderful gift shop on the premises, and if you have more time, money and energy, you could go next door to the Oklahoma Science Museum, but that will probably wait until our next visit. It looks like a lot of fun, if the weather is not good for a zoo trip, this place looks like it would be a good second choice. After we leave the zoo, we get everyone comfortable, get some dinner and start the journey home. We are tired but satisfied, and we have all had a wonderful experience. The drive seems to be endless, but after we get home, we are all glad to arrive at a clean house and go to bed.

Being able to visit my family and take my children to a fun and educational place is a great way to spend a vacation. I love the time with my family that lives in Oklahoma, and I love the travel time that is spent with my husband and kids. I am grateful that we are able to do this, since money has been so tight. I think we are going to make this a yearly trip, since we have had so much fun in the past. The Oklahoma City Zoo is worth the drive, and it is a perfect vacation destination.

Sources:

www.sciencemuseum.org
www.okczoo.com
Personal Experience