Hi, friends! A few weekends ago (pre-winter blizzard, pre-school craziness), Allen, Conor, and I drove down to spend a day the Denver Zoo. It was Conor’s and my first time there, and as you can tell from our overly smiley car picture below, we were all really excited to spend a day outside with the animals.
On road trips, Allen and I typically make it a point to stop at food joints we wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to try on a typical day. So as a fun detour, we stopped at one of our favorite doughnut shops in Denver, VooDoo Doughnuts (last seen here). They have some of the craziest looking donuts with toppings like fruit loops and an assortment of different candy bars. You really can’t go wrong with any of their fun combinations!
After om nom-ing our doughnuts down during the last little bit of the car ride, we finally made it to the Denver Zoo. And boy was it a beautiful, stunning, and perfect day.
The brown bears were some of my favorites of the day. Contrary to the second picture below, the two bears were extremely active and fun to watch as they growled at each other in a playful manner and stood up tall to scratch their backs on the rocks.
And can we talk about how beautiful these flowers are?! I mean, the ground keepers of the zoo did a fantastic job on the gardening-front. The floral arrangements throughout were absolutely stunning, and I couldn’t help but periodically stop to take them all in.
Next up was the giraffes and rhinos. No visit to the zoo is complete without visiting them, right?! I’m always in awe of the giraffe’s beautiful patterns and coloring, and their oh-so-long necks of course.
The rhinos were definitely a crowd favorite (I’m looking at you Allen and Conor). Allen was really intrigued by the rhino’s skin and how closely it resembled a knight’s body armor. I’ll admit it was pretty incredible!
Highlight of my day? Seeing the new baby gorilla! I mean, how cute is she?! I just couldn’t even handle it. And the momma gorilla kept patting the baby’s back and rubbing down the hair on her head. It was the most precious thing I’ve ever seen. I was the epitome of the heart eyes emoji all the rest of the day.
More beautiful blossoms to fall in love with. The colors were seriously outstanding! I’m so glad Allen stopped to capture these brilliant pink blooms between attractions.
Hello Mr. Polar Bear! He just wanted a little sip of water after lunch on this lazy Saturday afternoon.
The penguins always hold a special place in my heart too. Back when I was growing up, our city held a fundraiser to bring penguins to the Tulsa Zoo. There were giant ceramic penguins painted in all bright colors and patterns sprinkled throughout the city as a part of the fund-raising effort. So anytime I see penguins, it always reminds me of my childhood and how excited our city was to bring penguins there. This little guy below was just too cute, no?
We stopped to take a group picture in one of the rainforest houses. I went with a very safari-esque look with my favorite striped maxi and fedora hat (last seen here), so I loved how the trees in the background made it look as if we were actually out in the wild exploring. Hahaha!
It’s a jungle out there! So glad I have these two crazy animal to go through life with. But in all seriousness, I love these two guys! They are my absolute favorites and I wouldn’t have such a a great life without them in it.
Chama, chama, chama, chama, chameleon! I think this guy was a little skeptical of me taking his picture…but he was just too beautiful not to!
I loved how open the rain forest area was–there were beautifully-colored birds flying all around us!
And how neat is this cactus plant?! I quickly became mesmerized by its pattern and ever-repeating leaves. Yet another example of the gorgeous plants you’ll find around the zoo.
Another favorite of the day for me was the tropical aquarium house. It’s no secret that I love color, so you can understand why this was a favorite of mine, no?
This detailed shot of the sea anenome that Allen captured is stunning. The little Nemo’s swimming among them were fun to watch too as they zoomed in and out of the tendrils, as if playing with one another.
Can you spot the sea horses? And the slithery eel in the next picture?
Overall, we had such a blast at the Denver Zoo! And these pictures are just the tip of the iceberg as far as all the different animals we saw. If you are in the area and haven’t been, you need to make it a point to go on the next open weekend you have. It is seriously so much fun, especially when it’s gorgeous out and you want to spend a full day outside. And it’s a great option for any age–young or old!
Some things to make sure you remember, if you do end up going to the zoo this summer–plenty of sunscreen, sunglasses (and a hat to keep the sun off your face), a nice camera (and good lens) for pictures, and comfy walking shoes.
We spent the entirety of the day at the zoo (think: 10am to 5pm), so naturally we were starving by the time we made it back to the car. And funny story, we literally made it inside the car doors just as it began to pour down raining. So it was pretty impeccable timing on our parts. (I like to think we planned it that way. 😉 ) Allen and I had wanted to take Conor to Biker Jim’s Dogs (aka: the raddest hot dog joint) for awhile, and being in Denver already it seemed the perfect opportunity to take him there post-zoo fun!
This was my first time trying an Elk sausage and I surprisingly loved it! If you ever go to Biker Jim’s Dogs I’d highly recommend trying something out of your comfort zone. Odds are it won’t disappoint. I’ve been there three times now and tried something different each time. If you’re looking for a topping suggestion–I’d go with the Biker Jim’s classic that comes with cream cheese and grilled onions. I know it sounds weird, but trust me…it. is. so. good.
What about you? Did you do anything fun last weekend? I’d love to know!
In case you are interested, here is my last weekend recap. As always, feel free to leave comments below! If you’re interested in getting posts sent straight to your inbox, subscribe in the sidebar with your email. Or follow along on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Bloglovin’.
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