It’s that time of year again—spring has sprung, and zoos around the country are celebrating a baby boom! One of the annual traditions at Budget Travel is picking the cutest zoo babies in America, and it’s no easy task. We couldn’t choose between these three adorable newborns. So please help determine a winner and Vote Now for 2012’s Cutest Zoo Baby!!
Take a look at the 35 Cutest Zoo Babies of 2012. They were all born within the [Read more…]
What kind of zoo visit can you have in a snow storm? A surprisingly fun one, actually. Especially at a zoo which is open year round as the Columbus Zoo and Aquariumis.
The morning we decided to check out the zoo, we pulled into the parking lot as some small flurries started to fall from the sky. As we found our parking spot, the snow storm picked up. We bundled up and began our trek. The zoo was very quiet in terms of visitors and also animals. We did a quick walk through a few exhibits, but unfortunately most of the animals were not out and about. We saw the gray wolves which were out and very active. Also, the interactive barn was open. The sheep and goats were very happy to see others walking about. Our main objective was to see the polar bears in their new enclosure.<br/>
Their [Read more…]
Little Toot is an adorable dolphin adventure, perfect for couples or families. If you are in the Clearwater, Florida area and you are looking for a great way to spend a couple of hours, I can’t recommend Little Toot Dolphin Adventure enough!
Little Toot is a small dolphin sightseeing boat tour in Clearwater, Florida.
The Little Toot is the only Dolphin boat that can go into the shallows as well as the Gulf to ensure more Dolphin sightings and closer Dolphin contact. GUARANTEED to see dolphins or your next trip is FREE! Plus, since it has a “tug boat” quality, they can create waves that the dolphins like to play in.
My kids had so much fun. Not only was the boat itself just too cute (nothing ordinary, it looks like a little tugboat right out of a children’s storybook) but the crew was as nice as can be. There were passengers of all ages aboard, and nothing was overlooked, from comfort (there was a place to purchase drinks and snacks and the seats were shaded- Florida is HOT!) to safety. Don’t worry about a thing- just enjoy the ride, and find yourself a dolphin or two!
The scenery was lovely as we sailed along- seeing [Read more…]
When planning a visit to Clearwater, Florida, no trip would be complete without a trip to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. While it has been a Clearwater institution since 1978, it recently became quite famous for one reason- a little dolphin named “Winter”.
When little Winter was only 2 or 3 months old, she became tangled in a crab trap line, wrapping her into a “C” shaped position and (in short) killing her tail. Her peduncle (The lower trunk, extending from the dorsal fin to the fluke. The peduncle is very muscular and generates the power that propels dolphins through the water at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour) was ruined, and needed to be amputated.
Found in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, several rescues collaborated to save her and bring her to Clearwater. None of them thought she would live, she was very young and small, and her injuries were very severe. While not a malicious attack, and purely accidental, she was still very stressed and this was very damaging to her and her hormones, which can have long term effects- as was having to be formula fed. Winter had no mom to protect and love her. She was named Winter because that is when she was found- in December of ’05.
She was with humans 24/7 for continues care, quality control, treatment, etc. After about 6 months, several cautious surgeries, weaning onto solid food, and the first prosthetic tail ever made incorporating a joint- Winter was placed with an older female “companion”, [Read more…]
Dolphin Tale Adventure” on Wednesday, December 14th. The new
attraction is located in the heart of Downtown Clearwater’s Cleveland Street District in the Harborview
Center and features an authentic behind-the-scenes experience of the major motion picture about the
Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s famous tailless dolphin, Winter.
The grand opening will be held on December 14th at 11:15 am and comes just in time for the movie’s
DVD release on December 21st. “Winter’s Dolphin Tale Adventure” is both fun and educational and will
include re-built scenes, movie images, and a variety of actual props from Dolphin Tale, all donated by Alcon
Entertainment. The adventure also includes two mini-theaters, an interactive children’s play area, Winter’s
true tail history, a new and expanded retail store and more.
Guests can purchase tickets on location or at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) where combination
packages to both attractions will be sold, including free Jolley Trolley transportation linking the two.
Admission is only $9.95 for children 12 and under, while the special combination ticket to both CMA
and “Winter’s Dolphin Tale [Read more…]
Dogs express bravery and courage in so many ways – whether out of loyalty for their owners or just intuitively. The bravery exhibited by the search and rescue dogs of 9/11 has brought moist eyes to millions of people around the world. The rescue survivors can be seen in this slide show from the NY Times. We’ve all noticed the occasional story on the national or local news of some heroic deed performed by man’s best friend. Write a few words about a brave dog you’ve known or owned. It needn’t be something dramatic or heroic but just some unselfish [Read more…]
How many of you make funny noises at your kids just to see that quizzical reaction from them? You know you do, don’t ya? In a store you look at them and make a funny noise to get them to laugh or even just cause you want to make a funny noise and have an excuse? Well, for once you will have a good excuse for making funny noises at your kids. Curious Critters is a new book by David FitzSimmons. This book has some of the most incredible looking animals around in such large format and sharply defined pictures you will want to pick them up and pet her/him. Pictures of frogs, goldfish, possum, snakes and birds all look like the colors were turned up to an 11, maybe even 12. Amazing!
There is one other component to this book, the little blurbs written about the animals. They almost always, for each specific animal, have a part in them where you make an animal sound. Be it a Kee-eee-arr of a blue jay to the snap of the Ohio crawfish. This makes this book so much fun to read to kids it should be illegal. Making silly noises and getting a giggle is the best, pair it with a silly face while doing it and you are golden. Then leave it out and have your friends pick it up thinking its an animal photo book only to get a giggle out of them about the musings written for each animal.
Enjoy this wonderful book!
