Just Off Magazine: Papi

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Monday, May 23, 2011

Cool Zoo

**Note: This post originally published on May 11th but was lost when Blogger was having some issues. Although Blogger seemed to be restoring lost posts, this post never made it back up, leaving me wondering about whether I need to find a new server as well as a means of regularly backing up the blog. Any suggestions welcome.

Freddie and I are *so* thankful for the NOLA heat and humidity on this visit. I appreciate the sweat beading up on my forehead and back more than I thought possible. With the temperatures being the warmest they've been since our arrival last week it was a perfect day to spend at Cool Zoo, Audubon Zoo's version of a small "splash park."

The boys, Papi included, had no idea what they were getting into. Mama had done her research, of course, so I figured this would be a good way to spend the morning before the crowds arrived. I also knew once we were here there would be no turning back to visit any of the animals, which was perfectly fine. We'll check in on the animals on another visit.

The park consists of sprinklers shooting from the ground as well as several overhead "buckets" dumping water. There is also a giant white alligator in the center with slides wrapping around him. The alligator's mouth fills with water and every few minutes is heavy enough to dump the full bucket on everyone below. I thought Freddie could have easily been knocked off his feet by the blast of water but he managed to remain standing or get quickly out of the way each time.

Ian on the other hand reveled in the deluge.

Papi took the kids to "wait" for the bucket to dump.

This stunt reminded me of his climbing into the Zephyr Roller Coaster car at Pontchartrain Beach with Christian and me when we were kids but quickly hopped out as the roller coaster was inching off, sending us on our first Zephyr ride solo. Same old tricks.

Freddie was a too timid to climb the stairs to go down the slides but was more than happy running around and around and around, literally non stop for three hours. He probably would have made the trek up had I held his hand and gone down with him, but that wasn't in the cards this trip. Ian, being a grown up three and a half, did go up a few times, but I think he was more content running through the spray with Freddie.

Freddie had a smile on his face the entire three hours we were there. I loved seeing him have so much fun. He also slept more than he's ever slept. I had to wake him from a 3+ hour nap and he was obviously still tired and not ready to get up. Bedtime came quickly and he was out without issue for 12 hours. I may love that even more than the big grin he had for the 3 hours at Cool Zoo.

This was a great morning. We're looking forward to the next visit.

A few details:

Cool Zoo admission is an additional $5 on top of zoo admission ($15/adult, $10/child 2-12 years), or $4 for members
Everyone entering Cool Zoo must pay admission, even if you are just sitting on the sidelines
Supposedly no snacks are allowed, but lots of mamas had their bags packed with goodies and treats
Concession stand had the usual hot dogs, corn dogs, french fry fare. We had $2 fries, $2 kids soda which included a refill, and $1 bag of cheetos (which Freddie inhaled). None of the prices were terribly outrageous and seemed in line with what I expected to pay.
Bring a towel. Lots of mamas seemed to be in their swimsuits and cover ups parked at the tables for the day. Freddie could have stayed longer than the three hours we were there and probably wouldn't have even noticed if I'd left.
We were there for 10 am and the crowd was thin. It picked up some as we were leaving a bit passed 1, but was not crowded. I imagine the crowds will be heavier during the summer and on weekends.
A great addition to the Audubon Zoo. I would be here quite a bit with Freddie if we were still in the neighborhood.