I love taking my kiddos to zoos. Back in October, my mom and I took my daughter and son to the Indianapolis Zoo in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Indianapolis Zoo is a zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden located in White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis. Five distinct areas of the zoo offer homes to approximately 250 species of animals and more than 2,000 varieties of plants together in simulated natural habitats.

 

 

I really liked the layout of the Indianapolis Zoo, which is organized around the concept of biomes, or areas of the planet with similar climate, plants, and animals. As we entered the Ocean biome, my kids had a blast looking at the fish, dolphins, sea lions, and seals. I especially enjoyed watching the two walruses. My mom even tried to pet a dog shark, but the toothy fish were being uncooperative that afternoon.

 

 

Of all the animals at the zoo, my mom and son both like the flamingos best. My son sat and watched the pink birds for a good ten minutes. I also found the flamingos extremely fun to watch. I had never been so close to the birds before. The enclosure was so up-close-and-personal that I could have reached out and touched a sleeping flamingo. I personally also liked watching the grizzly bears partake in some seasonal pumpkin smashing and apple bobbing. My daughter liked all the animals but also said that the tigers were her favorite.

 

 

One of the most impressive features of the Indianapolis Zoo is the International Orangutan Exhibit. Built also as a research hub to help orangutan conservation, the exhibit feature a 90-foot-tall viewing atrium and a series of cable highways that allow the orangutans to travel throughout the zoo at their leisure. My family and I even got to see an orangutan climbing on the cables, which was super neat, to say the least. I could have sat under the exhibit for hours, watching the orangutans swing from cable to cable outside in the open.

 

 

If you find yourself traveling to Indianapolis, I highly recommend checking out the Indianapolis Zoo. For more information, visit the Indianapolis Zoo website.

 

Image Credits

Dog Sharks at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Penguins at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Polar Bear at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Ring-tailed Lemurs at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Flamingo at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Vultures at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Crane at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Giraffes at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Rhinos at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Zebras at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Wildebeests at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Elephant at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Grizzly Bears at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Tiger at the Indianapolis Zoo 1 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Tiger at the Indianapolis Zoo 2 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Tiger at the Indianapolis Zoo 3 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Toddler Playground at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
International Orangutan Exhibit at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson
Crocodile Statue at the Indianapolis Zoo © 2015 Heather Johnson