Last week, my wife and I took our twins to the Louisville Zoo for "The World's Largest Halloween Party!" If you haven't been, the zoo cordons off one long path and setups up several trick-or-treating stations along the way. Along the way, you pass about 1/3 of the animals that they have. Additionally, they have several employees dressed as characters to interact with the kids.
My kids decided what they wanted to be Word Girl and Mr. Huggy Face earlier in the week. (Actually, my daughter decided and my son went along with the theme because he liked the monkey costume). Regardless, they were both excited to wear their costumes someplace other than the living room.
At 5, the kids have the trick-or-treat part down pat. Last year, they were a little tentative and my daughter seemed to enjoy ringing doorbells more than getting candy. This is no longer an issue. Each time we neared a station, their eyes would light-up and they would start trying to drag my wife and I towards it.
Despite the impressive costumes, our children weren't particularly interested in the characters. My daughter tends to shy away from strangers and my son just didn't seem to care. However, many other kids were thrilled to see everyone from Shrek to Batman to Dorothy to Snow White. Each of the characters was extremely friendly and very patient while moms and dads struggled to get the perfect photo.
I would suggest getting there early if you want to see the animals. It took us about 1-1/2 hours to get through the park. By dusk, most of the animals were laying down or had retreated out-of-sight. Since this wasn't the primary focus for us, it wasn't a big issue.
Finally, the Halloween Express Train was a huge hit. The 'highlight' of the ride is supposed to be when the Headless Horseman rides up beside the train and canters alongside. From what I could tell, this seemed to spook the parents more than the children. My kids enjoyed the tunnels more than anything else.
There is one week left if you would like to attend.
October 23-26
- Thurs - Fri: 5-8p
- Sat-Sun: 4-8p
Tickets are $8.00 at the door. Discount prices are available online and at Meijer stores.
Oh I miss those Halloween Days when my kids were young! :-)
Liz, this is definitely shaping up to be a really fun year. Not only are both kids excited about getting dressed up and going trick-or-treating, but they really want my wife and I to go with them. Of course, at 5 they don't have a choice in the matter.
OMG the kids are adorable! How fun!
Wow, great reporting Erik. Cute kids btw. "Largest Halloween Part" I had to take a peek here!
Erik looks like the kids had a lot of fun. Halloween is one of my favorite holiday. Maybe because I am a big kid:)
How cute! This weekend I'm taking my two to "Boo at the Zoo" in the Quad Cities where I grew up.
Donna - It was a fun time. As I mentioned to Liz, the kids are really into Halloween this year, so it is fun to watch.
Greg - Thanks! Maybe not the 'party' you had in mind, but a good time was had by all.
Bill - I understand the feeling. I told to Liz and Donna that I enjoyed seeing the kids get into Halloween. After reading your comment, the truth is more likely that I am living vicariously through them.
LaNita - I'm sure that they will have a great time.
How very fun!!!:-) Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful kiddos with us, and the experience at that age is priceless. It's funny how adults do tend to get spooked more than the kids do by certain things... We have a haunted forest thing they do here, which truly is spooky, and the little one did it first when he was five. This scary ghost-like lady with blood stains all over came out from behind the tree wailing that she was lost, and my at the time five year old son grabbed her hand and assured he'd help her find the way. Needless to say the adults were the ones screaming:-)
What great memories for the little ones. (sorry for the minor highjack)
Your kids are adorable!
Inna - Seeing life through the eyes of little ones is quite possibly the greatest blessings of parenthood. At a minimum it helps offset the diaper changing, lack of sleep, and abolition of adult social activities. Your story is great and your comments are always welcome here. In fact, if you'd like to guest blog....
Winter - Not that I'm biased or anything, but I absolutely agree!
Looks like a lot of fun Erik. Hey, who was in the elephant suit? Must have been one big fella. And where was your costume?
John - That was me in the elephant suit. I've been working hard for a month now to make sure that I fill it out :)
Wow... luckily you have your kids standing in front of you. I would have never known you could fill it out. Very nice! Very life life.
Erik - you can reblog any of my posts any time:-)
Sounds like a great time! Darling kids! I didn't know you and your wife have twins! You deserve some kind of award for that!
How cool! Not only do you get to go to the zoo (which is AWESOME!!) but you get to dress up and go trick or treating too!?! I wish they had that at my zoo. The pics look like a lot of fun. Happy Halloween!!
Thanks for sharing, Nicole Weidauer
The Egerer & Weidauer Team, Keller Williams Realty North Seattle