Traveling With Kids : A Day at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

I visited the location in this article as a guest of the Columbus Zoo.

On our first week of summer we traveled to Columbus, Ohio with the kids to experience one of the many fantastic offerings the city has for families. We got a chance to get our walk on, enjoy the sun and see so many breath taking animals all in one spot!

Where was this? If you are following me on Instagram you might have guessed that we visited the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium! If you are not following me there, you should be! I am getting more active there and sharing lots of my adventures!

We visited the Columbus Zoo on a perfect June day. As soon as we arrived and decided on a path, we were able to take in the sights of the Black Rhino enjoying his morning munch.



The mom in me swooned over the swans with the eggs in their nest.



My son and I loved the Camels!


The sheer number of exhibits and animals at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium makes it well worth the trip to the city,




 The elephants were lovely!

The flamingos made a great group to photograph!



We have visited the Columbus Zoo numerous times over the years. I am never disappointed and I am always very impressed with the continuous effort to make this one of the best places for families to visit for a zoo experience!



This guy stole my daughters heart and attention. She was amazed with him!


I wanted to share a few tips with you to make your next trip to the Columbus Zoo even more enjoyable, if you are traveling with the kids.

Make sure your children wear comfortable shoes. There is a lot of walking and this is a good thing! Kids will get plenty of activity and hopefully sleep wonderfully that night, but folks, do you really want to be carrying a 20+ pound child for several miles?

If your kids are not accustomed to walking very far, take them on a few walks around the block as preparation for the Zoo. 

Pack a few drinks and snacks for the kids to sustain them in between meals and exhibits!

Sunscreen! Enough said!

Bring a pack of travel Baby Wipes. Even if the kids are a bit older these are so handy for freshening up in the summer!

Make sure your phones and cameras are ready for lots of great photo ops!

Grab a map, if the kids are really little, like mine are, decide what exhibits are most important to see and aim for those first, seeing what you can on the way. You never know how much a small child can take in terms of walking in the summer sun.

Take advantage of the play areas for the kids. Give them a break and a chance to let loose. You can rest on a bench and bask in the sound of happy children at play for a little while!


Have you ever visited the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium? If not what is your favorite Zoo?

A Car Show With the Kids

My little boy likes Super Heroes, trains, dinosaurs, sports and of course CARS! Anything with wheels is a hit with Roo!

While we were strolling around at a little community event in Galion, Ohio my son was delighted to see a car show! He strolled among hot rods, classics and styles we had never heard of!

Holy Smokes! It is the Bat Mobile!


                                                     My guys went into a trance ...


                                        Even I had to admit this was quite a sight of a car.



                                     These are the kinds of cars that little boys dream of.



Imagine the delight of both of my kids when we found the Mystery Machine! We are just starting our interest in Scooby Doo so this was.... Ah-Mazing!





Then we ran into a really great Micro-Bus. My husband was wide eyed and tye dye dreaming for a few minutes over this one.




I loved that seeing this in our little town. It was like a mobile part of history that we got to show our kids. They are little, but someday I will show them these pictures and maybe trigger their memories of this day when they want to learn about the 60's!




Isn't it amazing how out of the blue you can find things like this in the smallest towns? While I am not a "car person" I love sharing in experiences that my kids are interested in and experiencing the magic and joy of it through their eyes.

When was the last time you took your kids to something like a car show? Did they enjoy the experience of seeing so many cool cars?