Kaiserslautern Wildpark

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June 7, 2017 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

A great hike on a pretty day is the FREE Kaiserslautern Wildpark, across from the Quack restaurant, near the Volkspark.

There’s a little parking lot. It’s good to get there early, before the crowds.

Hiking trails meander all through the forest, under the train tunnel. We easily did a 3-mi hike in under 2 hours, stopping to see the animals and pet the deer.

There’s a little water fountain that is perfect to wash hands afterwards.

The first enclosure has deer and goats.

The goats were curious, but didn’t come close to the fence.

This one deer trotted right over to check us out and get petted.

Our favorites were the baby pigs!

There are also cows.

This fluffy Highland cow kept rubbing his face on the fence to be petted.

And there are several horses.

The two lynxes were sleeping, but we could see them in the bushes.

There’s a great viewing platform to view the bison.

There are benches and picnic tables all along the paths. It’s a great place for a picnic. We saw lots of families and couples enjoying the warm sunny weather. Some even had mountain bikes on the trails.

We enjoyed walking and listening to the birds and seeing the animals. I can’t believe it’s FREE and there’s not even a donation box that I saw.

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Naturwildpark Freisen

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June 7, 2017 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

Naturwildpark Freisen is a great day trip.

It’s probably our favorite Wildpark.

The bags of food actually last a good while if you’re careful and keep them away from the greedy goats!

This one followed us for a loooong time.

My son was thrilled to see his favorite animal: FOXES.

There are lots of goats and deer and pigs wandering around.

Liz met an emu. She came running from the far side of her enclosure to meet Liz. They were both thrilled with each other.

There’s a bird of prey area with vultures, owls, hawks, and African sea eagle.

There were lots of peacocks around, screaming and displaying their plumage.

We got see the otter get fed.

We were thrilled to see the kangaroo mom and joey!

There’s a monkey habitat.

It’s a nice walk around the park, seeing and feeding the animals.

Hours and Admission

Summer from 01.03. – 14.11.
Parking: 10.00 am until nightfall.
Closing time: 18:00

Summer Entrance fees:
Adults: € 8,00
Children (3-12 years) : € 5,00

Winter from 15.11. – 28.02.
Parking: 10.00 am until nightfall.
Closing time: 16:00

Winter Entrance fees:
Adults: € 5,00
Children (3-12 years) : € 3,00

There is no bird show in the winter months. Park is closed in December and January. Dogs are permitted, except in the falconry, on a leash. A visit in bad weather conditions (snow, ice, & wetness) is not possible due to accident risks. When the ticket office is closed, the park entrance fee is collected by employees in the park.

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Monkey Mountain

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December 1, 2015 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

Our whole family enjoyed a visit to Monkey Mountain, La Montagne des Singes.

This zoo is about 45 minutes from Strasbourg, so it’s a perfect side trip.

Information:

More than 200 Barbary macaques roam free in 60 acres of beautiful forest.

The visit lasts approximately one hour
The path is 800 meters long
No pets are allowed in the park
Popcorn given at the entrance is the only food allowed in the park
Feeding talks are about every 45 minutes

The guide at the entrance opens the gate and scoops out about a handful of popcorn for each group. There are guides posted around the park to ensure safety of both the humans and monkeys.

The boys were a bit nervous at first.

The kids enjoyed feeding the monkeys.

Only 1 piece of popcorn in a flat, outstretched palm.

The monkeys interested in eating perched on the fences and benches.

I felt like I was in my very own National Geographic special – up close with all these gorgeous monkeys!

I love how the babies get piggyback rides.

There’s a lookout point on a hill that gives a nice view of much of the park.

This little guy was all by himself, playing on the logs at the base of this tree.

These acrobatic monkeys romped on the ropes and tree. One fell in the water and looked mighty embarrassed.

These “teenage” monkeys displayed by shaking this sign and screaming.

I made sure everyone had fed the monkeys plenty before I had my turn. They’re very quick and gentle with soft fingers.

This was a memorable trip. The kids all loved seeing the monkeys up close and feeding them!

Opening times 2016:

Open every day from 19 March to 6 November. Also open on the 11, 12 and 13 November.

March*, April: 10.00-12.00 / 13.00-17.00
May, June: 10.00-12.00 / 13.00-18.00
1st July – July 10: 10.00 to 18.00
July 11 to August 23: 9.30 to 18.00
August 24 to Aug 31: 10:00 to 18.00
September: 10.00-12.00 / 13.00-18.00
October, November**: 10.00-12.00 / 13.00-17.00

* from the 19 March
** only from the 1 to 6 and on the 11, 12, and 13 November

On Sundays and Bank holidays, the park is open without a break at lunchtime.

Last entrance: ½ hour before the park closes

Prices 2016:

Adults 9,00 €
Children (5 to 14 years old) 5,50 €
Under 5 years Free

Monkey Mountain is about 2.5 hours from Ramstein and 3.5 hours from Spangdahlem.

See our entire Black Forest Weekend Itinerary.

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Karlsruhe Zoo and Botanical Garden

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November 2, 2015 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

We took the train from Landstuhl to the Karlsruhe Zoo.

The entrance had a lovely sundial.

We like giraffes.

Alex is OBSESSED with foxes.

Kangaroos!

Polar bear was posing for us.

The hippos were delightful!

The otters were our favorite!

Check out my video of the Otters!

My friend, Crystal, took some photos for her portfolio:

We had a great time at the Karlsruhe Zoo!

Entrance fees:

Adults € 7,50

Students €5,00

Children 6-15: €3,50

Opening Times:

Summer: 08:00 – 18:00

Winter: 09:00 – 16:00, 17:00, or 17:30 (check for closing times during the month you visit)

Getting there:

We took the DB train from Landstuhl and switched lines at Neustadt. It was fun for the kids and easy to not have to drive or find parking. Kids are free during the week! When we exited the station, the zoo was directly across the street. Watch out for all the trolleys! We all got ice cream at the train station before we boarded the train for the trip back. Only €1 for a cone!

By car, it’s about 1 hour from Ramstein and 2.5 hours from Spangdahlem.

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Lunch with a Zookeeper

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August 15, 2012 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

To celebrate our new year in science: Apologia Land Animals…

We took the girls to a special zoo day.

We had lunch with a zookeeper at Hogle Zoo!

They served the humans pizza and we got to ask questions and learn about animal enrichment!

Here are Tori and Katie with their warm-up activity: a word search and information sheets that Dad and I read to them about zoo careers.

Our zoo educator with a ferret

We even got to pet the ferret!

A zookeeper with a macaw.

Providing enrichment to the lemurs. We drew on their exhibit’s glass.

The girls really enjoyed drawing for the lemurs. They loved helping the animals not be bored.

We watched the zookeeper provide a snack in enriching hanging baskets.

It was fun watching their antics as they got their treats!

A fun touchy feely center

Then we were let loose into the zoo.

We bee-lined for the new Rocky Shores exhibit to see the seals, sea lions, and bears.

I think I love the zoo more than the girls!

The seals and sea lions are all rescue animals. One is completely blind and another is blind in one eye. Due to injuries by humans. So sad.

We got to review the differences in seals and sea lions that we learned last year in Apologia Swimming Creatures.

The polar bear was swimming and doing flips underwater. We watched him a long time. He was so funny!

He kicked off these rocks and flipped and just swam in a circle to the surface.

Hi there!

There are three grizzly bears rescued from Yellowstone.

Their mother had to be put down and they were rehabilitated and brought to the zoo.

The bears were romping in the water like they were still cubs!

We went to check on the tigers before we left and they were sleeping in the heat of the day. Maybe next time!

Visit Hogle Zoo and check out their education programs!

Admission:

SUMMER SEASON ( May 1 – September 30)
Adults	$14.95
Seniors (65 and older):	$12.95
Children (3 to 12):	$10.95
Children 2 and younger:	Free

REGULAR ( October 1 – April 30)
Adults	$11.95
Seniors (65 and older):	$9.95
Children (3 to 12):	$8.95
Children 2 and younger:	Free

Hours:

Summer Hours

March 1 – October 31

Gate:

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Grounds:

9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Winter Hours

November 1 – February 28

Gate:

9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Grounds:

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

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Hogle Zoo Field Trip

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June 2, 2012 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

Last week, our local zoo had a free military day.

Awesome. We were so there. We headed over to Hogle Zoo to see animals!

Alex really enjoyed seeing the animals.

Last year, he was a bit too young to understand why he couldn’t pet the animals. He especially loved the elephant and the cavy.

Alex loved the cavy so much that we had to drag him away. It wasn’t pretty.

Look how this desert cat came over to say “hello”! Alex wanted him.

The zoo opened a new café, The Beastro (haha), this spring with gourmet food and it was amazingly good. It was priced equivalently to Subway, which we considered buying and bringing for lunch, but when I looked up their menu and prices, I opted to get some fresh gourmet food and they offered %10 off and free drinks to military! Score!

COLD ice cream!

They have an awesome playground when you get tired.

Like, who could get bored watching animals? Well, the animals got bored with us and went to sleep about mid-day.

Alex loved the snake slide!

BIG egg

Alex loved the bridge and ran across it, back and forth.

I ain’t afraid of no spiders!

We can’t wait to return for the opening of their new exhibit, Rocky Shores.

We already have some events lined up on our calendar since Tori and Katie are studying Apologia Land Animals.

Who doesn’t love bears?

Visit Hogle Zoo and check out their education programs!