The Coolest Zoo EVer

Have you ever been to a zoo where you can see all the animals up close and even hold them in your arms? We have! This weekend the kids and I drove down to spend the weekend with Ryan in Arkansas. We decided we needed to do something fun on Saturday so we went to the Wild Wilderness Drive Through Safari in Gentry, Arkansas.

First off, they have a very long drive through safari area filled with all kinds of animals. We saw deer, elk, gazelles, ostriches, emus, long-horn cattle, antelope, wildebeest, zebras, camels, water buffalo, american buffalo, orangutans, hippos, bears. tigers and more. Their rules state that you must keep your windows up at all times and not feed the animals. We were rule keepers but, thankfully, those around us were not. The cars in front of us and behind us were feeding the animals, which brought them all right up to our car windows. It's pretty crazy when you can see their noses right up against the glass. There were a few times when the kids were actually a little scared at how close and friendly the animals were. The emus were big-time beggars and right up in our faces several times. The kids (and adults) loved it! It was an amazing experience. At one point we had a camel in the middle of the road staring us down. Another time, an emu was right up against Halle's window and Ryan quickly rolled the window down for a second on purpose. I've never seen Halle move so fast (to get away). It was hilarious. We regret that we didn't get that particular moment on video. Ryan did get lots of video footage on his iphone to document our trip.

After the drive through area, we parked the car, bought our bags of animal food and headed over to the petting and feeding areas. I just kept thinking it couldn't get any more amazing and then it would. First we hand-fed giraffes and little deer of some sort. Then we went over to the red kangaroo petting area. This was my favorite part of the zoo. The kangaroos are all in this big fenced-in area and they just hopped around and let us pet them. I was surprised at how incredibly soft their fur is. One of the best surprises was when we were petting a beautiful red kangaroo and a little joey peeked his head right out of her pouch. I think it was a magical moment the kids and Ryan and I will never forget.

After feeding a few more goats and animals, we wandered over to the baby area of the zoo where they house all their baby animals. We got to go in the cage and pet some sleeping baby lions. Yes, you read that right--baby lions!! There was also a 2-week-old baby liger in the same area that we weren't allowed to touch due to its newness. After the baby lions, Ryan, Addy and Halle went into a cage with a baby ring-tailed lemur (who was sporting a teeny-tiny diaper)! It immediately climbed up on Ryan's shoulders and starting licking his neck and ear. It was really funny. Addy and Halle also got to hold and play with it for a few minutes (definitely the highlight of the day for Addy). I went in the cage with them for a short time and was surprised at how soft yet clingy it's little paws are, almost like soft little suction cups.

We finished up the trip with seeing a few more baby animals and an up-close look at a 16-foot albino boa constrictor (that was just hanging out under a picnic table with no supervision). I'm sure I'm leaving something out. There were too many incredible details to remember them all. Thankfully, we have lots of video footage as proof. Hopefully, this post will lure many of you to come visit us once Arkansas is our permanent home so you can experience this incredible place.

P.S. Sorry I'm technologically challenged and don't know how to edit these videos down. Believe me, they're worth watching, though.