Some of my fondest memories of my hometown, Cleveland, Ohio, are from days spent exploring the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The zoo is free to residents of Cuyahoga County on Mondays, making it accessible to everyone.
As a kid I spent many Mondays during school breaks gazing at the animals, learning to appreciate their strength and beauty. When my son was growing up frequent zoo trips were part of our family routine. There was so much to see that we never grew tired of visiting. Later the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo expanded by adding the Rainforest–a beautiful indoor facility that houses tropical animals and fish.
Because the zoo was so accessible, I took for granted that everyone has access to a zoo within easy driving distance. But I was wrong; not everyone does.
For almost four years I’ve lived in central North Carolina. Not long after we moved here I wanted to go to the zoo. I was surprised to learn that the zoo wasn’t in the immediate vicinity of the state capital. Instead the state zoo is about a two-hour drive west. It doesn’t seem like a terrible imposition. Yet, in four years I haven’t managed to venture there.
I’ve driven well beyond the zoo for a weekend trip to Charlotte or the mountains. I’ve even driven nearly five hours to Atlanta where I visited the phenomenal Georgia Aquarium (a must see if you visit Atlanta). And still I haven’t made it to the North Carolina Zoo. But this year I plan to.
Do you have a zoo or aquarium near you? Do you visit it frequently?
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo entrance photo courtesy of sfgamchick; some rights reserved. Parrot photo courtesy of schinkerj; some rights reserved.
I love zoos too, even though it’s sad to see animals in captivity. I like to think they’re in zoos because they’ve been rescued. The closest zoo to me is a couple hours drive too but we make a trip once a year.
Congrats on completing a-z.
Hi Jessica! Thanks for visiting. This was my first A-Z challenge and I’m pretty excited that I gutted it out. 🙂 On the zoos, you make a good point. I do wonder about the quality of the animals’ lives, living in captivity. I especially think this about animals kept indoors like the primates. Overall I would say the zoos and aquariums I’ve visited do a good job of giving them animals plenty of space and providing them with a engaging environment.