I’d suspected my daughter, Dana, was an animal lover, and when she was two I ran an experiment, aided by some rubber Flintstones
characters, to prove it. I watched her pick out Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm and the other humans and fling them across the room, then hunker down
on the rug to bond with Dino and Hoppy, the kangaroo-reptile hybrid. Hypothesis proved.
As Dana grew, so did her passion for animals. (Not just cute, fuzzy ones: On a hike to a Swiss castle, she admired not the architecture
but the trail’s resident slugs, and, in an Easter photo, she poses with the garter snake she found during grandma’s backyard egg hunt.)
To indulge Dana’s creature obsession, we’ve taken many animal-themed excursions, from day trips to zoos and aquariums to the
Calgary Stampede, Alberta, Canada’s weeklong rodeo.
Here are some destinations to delight the faunaphile in your family:
Animal shelters: The dogs, cats and other creatures housed at shelters love visitors, and humane societies hold events to introduce the
animals to potential adoptive families. For years, I took my kids to a local shelter’s spring celebration. In exchange for pet food
donations, we’d enjoy an afternoon of animal-themed activities, crafts and stories. Another nearby shelter hosts an annual Holiday Open
House, with Santa-led tours, refreshments and trivia games. Even if you don’t bring a winged or furry friend home with you, shelter
visits, any time of year, can increase kids’ interest in and respect for animals.
Agricultural fairs: State and county fairs bring out the kid in everyone. Your admission ticket is a license to eat cotton candy, scream
your way through midway rides and cheer for metal-mashing monster trucks.
But animals take center stage. Fairs can include pig races; petting zoos; sheep-shearing; harness racing; cow milking; bull riding;
equine events; beauty pageants featuring goats, rabbits and llamas; poultry and livestock arenas. When the animals aren’t in exhibition
mode, you’ll find them resting in stalls that line most fairgrounds’ peripheries. Find fair listings at
WeekendEvent.com.
Dog shows: The American Kennel Club holds dog shows nationwide and, says the club’s Daisy Okas, “The public is very welcome. It’s a great
sport, whether watching or participating.” Okas says kids like conformation events, which judge entrants on skeleton, muscle structure,
body shape and coat, because nearly every breed, from boxers to bloodhounds, struts its stuff. For fast-paced action Okas recommends
agility events: “They’re the most entertaining to watch from a visual perspective.” Find state-by-state show listings at
AKC.org.
If you’re heading to the Big Apple, consider adding the granddaddy of dog shows to your itinerary. Celebrating its 133rd year in 2009,
the Westminster Kennel Club’s two-day February show brings thousands of canines and the people who love them to
Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden.
Zoo overnights: A zoo sleepover may be the ultimate slumber party. See nocturnal creatures at their lively best; enjoy crowd-free
communion with zoos’ most popular animals; share snacks, activities and camaraderie with fellow animal lovers; and wake up where the
wild things are.
Zoos nationwide – Philadelphia, Cleveland, Houston, Buffalo, Denver and San Diego to name just a few – offer overnight programs for kids
and families.
Special trips: Build a family vacation around an animal event or destination. Enjoy rodeo week in fun places like Cheyenne, Wyoming,
Houston, Texas or Prescott, Arizona. Perfect your riding skills at a dude ranch. Catch some sun in Pacific Grove, California and marvel
at monarch butterflies that migrate there for the winter. See seals at Oregon’s Sea Lion Caves or California’s Point Lobos State Reserve.
Whale-watch in New England or Washington state. Visit Assateague Island, Virginia’s wild horses (and book lodging a year ahead if you go
during July’s Pony Swim to nearby Chincoteague Island).
To hang out with critters of a different sort, head to the Bat Zone at Michigan’s Cranbrook Institute of Science where, says
Organization for Bat Conservation (OBC) director Kim Williams, you have “the opportunity to get up-close and personal with live bats
from around the world, including the world’s largest bat, the Malaysian flying fox, which boasts a six-foot wingspan.” For two days
each summer, the OBC hosts a bat festival, “an extremely popular family event,” says Williams. In the evening, researchers set up nets,
then catch, tag and release bats as visitors watch. “The public yells, ‘Ooh’ and ‘Ahh’,” says Williams. “They claim it’s one of the
coolest activities they’ve ever seen!”
Hmmm... Road trip to Michigan to see bats... Yep, Dana would love it.
About The Author:
Lori Hein is an author, a traveling mom and a freelancer specializing in travel writing. Her book,
Ribbons of Highway: A Mother-Child Journey Across America ,
takes you around the U.S., and her blog, Ribbons of Highway,
takes you around the world. Visit her professional site at at LoriHein.com.
* This article is available for your publication, for a F-E-E.
This article may NOT be reprinted without monetary compensation and written permission from the author.
For reprint rights or comments/questions about this article, please contact the author.
|
