Our summer is rather hectic trying to balance family, work and pleasure time. This is the first summer I have ever worked since having children and to say that they are unhappy is an understatement.
Audley and I have put a lot of thought into things we can do to enjoy family time together as well as visit our families who are six hours away. Recently we ran away for the weekend to Nashville where we enjoyed quite a lovely day at the Nashville Zoo with my parents, siblings, nieces and nephews.
We have always loved visiting the zoo and even though our kids are teenagers, the fun that comes with a zoo trip is still a joy to us all!
Before visiting the Nashville Zoo, it’s important to note that this is not the Chicago, Atlanta or St. Louis Zoo. The Nashville Zoo is smaller and set up as a beautiful park perfect for picnicking and strolling through. The zoo features an adorable wild animal carousel as well as a super fun playground area known as the “Jungle Gym”, just perfect for my little nieces who joined us.
Welcome to the Nashville Zoo
The day we chose to visit was absolutely beautiful and quite warm for a June day. But, this is the south so I honestly wouldn’t have expected it to be any other way!
I hope you’ll enjoy this little walk through the zoo with my family!
Ticket gate for the Zoo
An exhibit of tropical birds greeted us first …. absolutely beautiful without a doubt!
My girls and nieces … aren’t they all so beautiful?
And the boys …. they stayed as far away from the girls as possible, including for pictures.
With the day being so hot and humid (a typical Southern, summer day), many of the animals want to nap, but were able to enjoy almost all of the animals anyway. Several were quite photogenic and posed, just for us.
I’m a meerkat lover and this one just kept posing for me. Isn’t he a doll?
The kids loved the kangaroos & hanging out in their habitat; these guys were so awesome and would walk right up to you.
I’m a bird lover and the lorikeet habitat was one of my favorites. They would land on you if you had nectar for them to enjoy.
Several species of the cat family live at the Nashville Zoo
A much prettier version of the “pink flamingo” than I normally see in the south. hehe
The entrance to the Savanna exhibit where the elephants and giraffes live
- We never quite figured out WHAT kind of animals these were!!
After enjoying the animals, the smaller kids had a little fun riding the carousel and playing on the Jungle Gym playground. So much for everyone to enjoy and most relaxing indeed!
I love carousels … they take me back in time.
Entrance to the Jungle Gym
I loved all of the landscaping around the zoo, from the planters to the garden areas.
My brother’s company in Nashville has done a lot of work at the zoo (including a current project that should be finished in the fall). I think they have done a wonderful job helping create such a family space, just perfect for a fun day out.
My girls with my little niece, Kynlee in one of the small decorative garden areas.
As I said, this isn’t your major metropolitan area zoo, but still a wonderful way to spend the day with the family. There is plenty of space for picnicking and playing as well as relaxing trails to explore and even interact with so much of God’s creation. I definitely recommend the Nashville Zoo for an activity and part of a quick get-away.
Have a wonderful week!
Fiddle Dee Dee by Jennifer Jones 
gorgeous photos Fiddle Dee Dee! We have a similar small zoo just perfect for a stroll and picnic for a fun day. We took the grand-kids there for a great time. My son, is from Chicago, and he much prefers our smaller zoo than the Chicago zoo.
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Your family is beautiful. 🙂
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How fun!!!!
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Looks like a fun family day…you must be very proud of your brother for his part in such a beautiful zoo. I can tell that your girls love their cousins and vice versa. Those animals? All American men! =D
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What beautiful photos of your gorgeous family amd the zoo! Lloks like a really wonderful place to visit and spend a day. xo
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Beautiful family and beautiful photos! Loved meeting you at Haven and sharing dinner, even though we almost starved! 😉
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