Yesterday our family of 7 visited Brookfield Zoo (located outside Chicago) just in time for the Zoo members preview of the Great Bear Wilderness. According to the Zoo itself, "This National Park-like experience is the largest exhibit ever undertaken at Brookfield Zoo." This area includes a bald eagle, bison, wolves, and Bears in vast landscapes and a 3,600-square-foot underwater viewing area. When the bears swim, zoo visitors can go nose to nose with giant wet polar bears (thankfully through a very thick pane of glass).
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| One of a few wolves we saw in the Great Bear Wilderness area |
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| This is no small bear |
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| This bear isn't tiny either |
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| We brought bears home too |
After a stop at the gift store for plastic bears, it was time to head off to tour the rest of the zoo. This was our 22 month old twins first zoo visit, so there was much to see. Our older 3 children led the way to their favorites. We visited tropic world and found that the twins don't care much for Gorillas but do like the little monkeys. We also checked out Pinniped Point, the home of the sea lions. Additionally, we visited the Childrens' Zoo, the Hamill Family Play Zoo, Kids' Playground, The Swamp, and Habitat Africa to name a few.
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| A Gorilla from Tropic World |
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| Pinniped Point Resident |
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| Underneath viewing at Pinniped Point |
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| Penelope the Pig found in the Childrens' Zoo |
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| This big boy is a Swamp Resident |
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| Declan loved the Geese found in the Childrens' Zoo |
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| Declan and Cordelia found a great place to kick back in the Hamill Family Zoo Area |
Towards the end of our day we stopped for ice cream to eat as we hit the last of everyone's list of "to-dos" at the zoo. Declan, who normally has a rather unending hunger, proved just how tired he really was when he fell a sleep in his stroller mid ice cream eating. Even a transfers to the car and to the house barely woke him.
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| Ice Cream and Tigers and Bears = Zzzzz! |
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Brookfield Zoo's Great Bear Wilderness officially opens on May 8, 2010. However, Members can preview it May 2-5th.
