New Orleans part 2: The Audubon Zoo

After the fast paced action at the aquarium, we were all going to take our time at the zoo and enjoy all the exhibits. We arrived at two o'clock only to discover that the zoo closed at four. We couldn't believe it! Closes at four? The Jackson zoo stays open longer than that on a Saturday! Oh well; with optimism and a quick step we venture into the expansive New Orleans Audubon Zoo.

We were greeted by a very large fountain as soon as we entered the park.

It was a very nice place. Everyone enjoyed all of the animal exhibits, even Elizabeth.

They had all kinds of animals but Owen's favorite at the zoo was the mice. He loved watching them run on the wheel, sniff at the glass and play around.

The other big hit was the kids play area, "Lion Rock". Lion Rock had a layout of a stack of flat rocks for the kids to step and climb up until they got to the top where a lion statue rested, overlooking the crowds.

It also had a rope bridge that led down the backside of the hill until it ended in a massive web for kids to climb and play on. I lost count of how many trips up and down Owen made on this.

After we were rushed out of the zoo at four o'clock, we took the kids back to the hotel while we tried to make a dinner decision. The kids fell asleep immediatly. After we decided where to eat, we tried to wake Owen up but he was so tired he never woke up. So, we loaded up our sleeping kids and walked a few blocks to "Mothers". It was while we were standing in line that Owen regained conciousness. He still wasn't ready to mingle with anyone though.

We eventually ate a great meal of red beans and rice and po' boys and went to bed. No one had any trouble falling asleep.