Yesterday we attended the annual Boo at the Zoo event at the Oakland Zoo. Kids wear their Halloween costumes and participate in a bunch of fun activities. It was a hot day today (back into the 80’s), so I talked my son out of wearing his thick, black ninja costume.
The highlight for my 5-year-old was the Spooky Scavenger Hunt. The children are given a booklet with five riddles to figure out. If they can figure out the riddle and find the table near the animal enclosure, they receive a treat. For example…
“On the plains of Africa, I graze.
My stripes resemble a maze.
I snort like a horse.
But I’m not, of course.
I can run a really long ways.”
My son had no interest, but the children had the opportunity to participate in a parade and attend a live magic show. Other special activities included face painting, a treat factory (where children could make snacks for the animals), and many, many tables throughout the zoo to teach children about conservation and wildlife.
The Oakland Zoo has a Rides Area which we generally avoid like the plague, but I had a bunch of ride tickets that are about to expire at the end of the month. So we used them…
We finished up our visit with a little “trip” to Australia on the Outback Express Adventure Train. The Eastern Wallaroos are adorable…
Boo at the Zoo is being held again today. If you live in the Bay Area, and you have a little one, I recommend you check it out. Great fun!
hike.wander.wonder 
Love the Zebra!
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Thanks! I love his mohawk and his mouth. 🙂
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the photos look awesome honey!!! so glad you guys had a great time! so far the kids are sick. 😦 Veronica had a fever spike at 103 when she got up Friday morning. Suuuuucked!!! Mom was in town for a total of 4 days…. 😦 and we only got out of the house one day. Saturday. and of course, gotta think about how long the kids would last… especially since neither of them were feeling well. So we decided on Fairyland. Rob hadn’t been there yet. We parked way over at the boat house. on the way back to the car, we cut thru the Lake Merritt Gardens right there. Have you been there? It was nice 🙂 too bad the bonsai garden had already closed. i would’ve loved to see that.
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I hope Veronica and Jack are feeling better! Last year, we attended Fairyland for their Halloween event, and, yes, it was so crowded, we had to park half way around Lake Merritt. Now that I’ve attended both events, I can say I like Boo at the Zoo a bit better. I’ll leave Fairyland for quieter days!! And, yes, we’ve been to the gardens… just a few days ago, I was thinking I need to go back there soon. Our Fairyland membership expired :(, so we haven’t been out there much the past four months.
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love the zoo! 🙂
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Us, too!
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The first photo looked like someone was off to a construction site.
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Doesn’t he look like he’s on his way to work? That was his Halloween costume from two years ago, and it’s received a LOT of playtime since then.
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