Someone must have taken away their credit cards, because these rhinos aren't charging.

Every so often we like to remind our readers that we aren’t the only families out there — we may not even be the cutest.

That’s right, I just said that rhinos are cuter than people. Deal with it.

This mother and baby white rhino duo were spotted sharing some quality time at the Whipsnade Zoo in Whipsnade, England. That’s what mothers and babies do, and not just in Whipsnade.

With summer approaching you may find you and yours on the road or opting for a staycation — either way, don’t forget to support the zoos in the area. It’s true that zoos get a bad rap in some circles, and there are those that deserve it, but a lot of them are doing great things to help restore animal populations, and that’s a good thing. Also, cute.

This post is part of our Friday Family series.

Photo by Martin Pettitt via Flickr

Animals run wild in Tampa

Despite being part of the Tampa Bay area and very close to several famous beaches, the city of Tampa, Florida is surprisingly devoid of an actual beach.  But don’t let that stop you from taking the kids for a great family vacation.  After all, what do kids love as much, if not more than, the beach?

Animals!

And Tampa has tons of opportunities to get up close and personal with all sorts of wildlife.

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Sculpture of Roman Goddess Diana surrounded by a pond

Revel in nature’s fall colors at Brookgreen Gardens Harvest Home Festival on October 24-25.  Enter the scarecrow building contest, try pumpkin painting or opt for hay rides, basket-weaving and pottery demonstrations while listening to live bluegrass music. With the lush Brookgreen Gardens as the setting, your fall vacation will be filled with beauty.  Covered with palmetto trees, hydrangeas and expansive lawns, Brookgreen Gardens resembles a swampy Garden of Eden.

Nestled between Myrtle Beach and Pawley’s Island, the 9,200-acre outdoor museum and National Historic Landmark boasts sculptures, gardens, fountains, marshes, swamps, an aviary and a zoo.  This place is so massive that admission tickets are good for seven consecutive days. I recommend devoting a day to the Harvest Home Festivalactivities and another for the sculpture garden and lowcountry zoo. Read More »

I hate zoos.

I blame it on the fact that my mother adores the cheap entertainment that staring at animals provides and insisted on spending most of my childhood wandering from one animal exhibit to another.  You can only watch monkeys eat bugs off one another so many times before you start to become apathetic towards the miracles of the Animal Kingdom.

But even I, along with my two kids, enjoy the heck out of The Central Florida Zoo.

This is what "enjoying the heck out of the zoo" looks like.

Although I’m certain the Brevard Zoo would argue that they have equal claim to the name, The official Central Florida Zoo is located in Sanford, Florida.  As Google Maps will tell you, it’s located on Highway 17/92 – but the entrance is easy to miss with the small sign and massive overgrowth of roadside vegetation in the area.

The zoo is small.  It doesn’t begin to compare to a larger attraction like the San Diego Zoo.  And maybe that’s why my family enjoys it so much.

You may only spend a couple of hours walking along the clearly marked paths, or your kids could spend the entire day participating in hands on demonstrations and petting live animals that the staff bring out.

Petting a very old turtle at the Central Florida Zoo in Sanford

The zoo is located in Florida, which means the ample shade, air conditioned buildings and water attraction for the kids are especially appreciated in the hot summer months.  (Yes, water attraction.  Let the little ones wear their suits to the zoo!)

Another added feature exclusive to Florida zoos is the massive alligator and crocodile exhibits.  Bring hot dogs!  The crocodile displays are equipped with tubes that you can send food shooting through so that you can watch the animals snap at the airborne meat.

The zoo is open year-round, seven days a week (excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.  Admission is $10.95 for adults, $6.95 for kids over 2, and FREE for kids under 2.  Which means my family of four can enjoy the Florida weather for less than $30 – including the cups of Cocoa Puffs to feed the lamas in the petting zoo!

Feeding goats cocoa puffs in Sanford, FL

Photos by Britt Reints