Boo at the Zoo 2013

After we had such a great time last year at Boo at the (Bronx) Zoo, we decided to go back again this year with the Wyatt Family.  Unfortunately, the dads had to work so Susan and I braved it alone; we did learn our lesson from last year though and drove so that we wouldn't have to deal with the subway/bus on the way home.
We got to the zoo a little after opening, fixed up our costumes and headed inside - it was a beautiful fall day and we were all excited to look at our maps and figure out what to do first.

Once inside, we headed straight to the Haunted Hayride since we had to wait the longest for that last year - unfortunately, we quickly realized that there was no haunted hayride this year but instead a Dinosaur Safari.   It was ok though because the safari was pretty fun and the kids seemed to love it, especially Dylan and Lillie.   Dylan was dressed as a Storm Trooper and of course, needed a weapon so he had brought his gun to the zoo. 

It came in handy on the safari because Lillie and Dylan decided Dylan would protect us from the dinosaurs. 

 Lillie kept telling Dylan "Shoot him - he is coming" when we approached a dinosaur except for the baby dinosaurs and then she would yell "Don't shoot, that is just a baby".
 

 
Thanks to Dylan and Lillie, we made it safely through the safari and reached our first treat station and the Dino Dig.  

During lunch, the kids made crafts (pumpkin and witch masks) and then we went to the hay maze, where Susan, Parker and I took a break while the rest of the kids ran around (after a "minor" meltdown over taking a picture during which my kids basically beat each other up). 


 could it be any more obvious that my boys did not want to take these pictures? 

There was no Haunted mansion this year but the kids were actually happy to look at the regular zoo exhibits.

 
 
We did take the monorail (both Susan and I agreed it was the best monorail ride ever - all of the animals were very visible) and when we came out, a show, Beasts of the Magical World, was about to begin so we sat down.  To say the kids were in to the show would be a total understatement - THEY LOVED IT!

Sadly, our day ended on a sour note - the kids had been looking forward to going to the Children's Zoo ALL DAY and when we finally got there, it was closed!  I am sure that they are making some great renovations for next season but I felt bad that the kids were disappointed.   At that point, we called it a day and headed back to the city.   Overall, we had a really fun day and it was a great way to kick off the Halloween season.  Thanks Wyatt Family for sharing a great day with us and we hope we can do it again next year!