Lowry Park Zoo – Tampa, Florida

I never paid much attention to animals growing up, not until I got married. Maybe it is true that marriage changes people. Maybe not.

My first time to visit a zoo was 22 years ago. I was only 8 and I was with my late maternal grandmother together with my aunt and her daughter. It was a trip that was what I think was a gift from doing well in school. I do not have much recollection from that memory but I remember a giraffe trying to eat my ice cream. That was surely something a child will never forget.

 

Fast forward and here I am in my early 30’s, writing about a zoo. Having had two cats changed my perception about animals. How I have grown so fond of them in a span of only 4 years! Sakura, our cat we adopted while we were still living in Japan, has been such a darling. Whenever I stare into an animal’s eye, I think of my Sakura; cows and deer most especially. I have lost count of the times when I heard myself, or my husband heard me, meowing to a creature that is not remotely close to a cat. For the record, I am not a psycho. :)

 

Lowry Park Zoo is a highly recommended place to visit especially with kids and maybe for the kids at heart. It is a 24-acre facility that houses more than 1,200 animals. The zoo especially exhibits the endangered and vulnerable species that are found in climates similar to Tampa Bay region like Asia, Africa, and Australia. Having my parents-in-law in tow, we arrived just before their opening time at 09:30 and we successfully toured the entire facility mid-afternoon. If you plan to visit in summer, make sure to bring extra clothes for your kids because the water play area and the fountain splash ground are irresistible. That will make the visit to the zoo unforgettable, more than a giraffe trying to steal an 8-year old girl’s ice cream.

 

 

 

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