http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW Travels and Journeys... Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:27:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Copyright © 2010 Footsteps heather@heatherdugan.com (Heather Dugan) heather@heatherdugan.com (Heather Dugan) posts 1440 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW 144 144 Footsteps Travels and Journeys... Travel, outdoors, adventure, Heather, Dugan, stories Heather Dugan Heather Dugan heather@heatherdugan.com no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/2009/11/20/wildlights-wild-nights/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/2009/11/20/wildlights-wild-nights/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:23:22 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=2965 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/2009/11/20/wildlights-wild-nights/feed/ 13 0:59 I'm not normally a fan of rushing the seasons. We avert our eyes from displays of school supplies until at least mid-August and roll ... I'm not normally a fan of rushing the seasons. We avert our eyes from displays of school supplies until at least mid-August and roll our eyes at the Valentine candy that usually appears next to mark-down Christmas candy canes. Let me enjoy Thanksgiving before we so quickly move on to Christmas please... However... The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's Wildlights display nudges us toward Christmas without steamrolling over our Thanksgiving holiday.  We attend the members' preview night most years and do a leisurely wander through the annual dazzle, exhaling autumn and breathing in the goodness of being a family. The nightly holiday display runs through January 2, 2010, excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (5 - 9PM, Sunday - Thursday and until 10PM on weekends).  Regular zoo admission and parking prices apply for non-members. More photos and information to come... Ohio, The Columbus Zoo Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/2009/08/02/in-town-tourist-midwestern-moose/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/2009/08/02/in-town-tourist-midwestern-moose/#comments Sun, 02 Aug 2009 11:10:34 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blog/taking-the-kids/in-town-tourist-midwestern-moose/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/2009/08/02/in-town-tourist-midwestern-moose/feed/ 10 1:44 The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has almost as much variety in the parking lot as it does in its exhibits. Last week, a ... The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has almost as much variety in the parking lot as it does in its exhibits. Last week, a casual glance at license tags showed visitors had driven across county, state and even country lines for a visit to the Zoo and its adjacent Zoombezi Bay Waterpark! One distinct benefit of having a family Zoo membership is that it frees us to explore the vast park at our leisure. We can ditch the "do it all in a day" mentality and search out what we're most interested in on any given afternoon, knowing that there really is a "next time" for any missed exhibits.The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium currently offers 90 acres of exhibits and habitats and is in a seemingly constant state of expansion and improvement. On Friday we were interested in one of the older sections, the North American Exhibit. The North American section includes grizzly bears, black bears, bison, bald eagles and wolves among its residents. We took a ride on the miniature train that circles the "continent" for tradition's sake and then headed in to find the moose herd. A big-antlered guy disappeared when it was photo time, but we were intrigued to watch one of his female cohorts trot over to us and then kneel down to resting position. She looked terrifically awkward as she made her way, knees first, to the ground... ...but was quite content in the shaded grass. Moose can weigh anywhere from 600 to over 1300 pounds. Males grow antlers made of keratin, the tough insoluble protein also found in human hair and nails. These antlers can weigh over 70 pounds, are regrown annually -and when shed in December or January, are a calcium source for rodents. 1 Adult/3 Children, Ohio, The Columbus Zoo Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/2009/06/13/in-town-tourist-an-island-adventure-at-the-columbus-zoo/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/2009/06/13/in-town-tourist-an-island-adventure-at-the-columbus-zoo/#comments Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:02:44 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blog/in-town-tourists/in-town-tourist-an-island-adventure-at-the-columbus-zoo/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/2009/06/13/in-town-tourist-an-island-adventure-at-the-columbus-zoo/feed/ 13 1:39 We didn't have much wandering time, but The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium always has options for as many minutes as we have to spare. The Columbus ... We didn't have much wandering time, but The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium always has options for as many minutes as we have to spare. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Visitor Information and Map We opted for a stroll through the "Islands of Southeast Asia". Komodo dragons, orangutans, gibbons and Asian small-clawed otters captivated our attention -as did the hungry carp in the Scioto River at the western edge of the zoo's park land! The zoo has six such regions spread over 90 acres with another 10 acre exhibit, "Polar Frontier", set to open in the near future and a 70 acre African Savannah in the planning stages. Its 586 acre holdings also include Zoombezi Bay Waterpark and the Safari Golf Club. We were surprised to learn that a Komodo dragon can consume 80% of its body weight in a single meal and that while they typically eat deer and pigs, smaller Komodo dragons are also on the menu! The Asian small-clawed otter exhibit is one of my favorites and is popular with other zoo guests as well. These animals are ultra-social and enjoy one of the better "playgrounds" that includes a waterfall perfect for long slides into the pool below. Energetic gibbons, sedate but facially expressive orangutans... we've visited the zoo so many times that we tend move in a focused manner now, passing by crowds in favor of familiar favorites. I'll be sharing more about the Columbus Zoo throughout the summer as we make periodic visits. Next we hope to see Beco, an Asian elephant born on March 27th of this year, in "Asia Quest"! The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Visitor Information and Map The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (Powell, Ohio) Acres and Acres of Animals! Hours of Operation: 9AM -6PM (Memorial Day Weekend - Labor Day) 9AM - 5PM (Labor Day - Memorial Day Weekend) Open until 8PM on Wednesdays (6/24 - 8/19) Admission: $12 (ages 10 - 59); $7 (ages 2 - 9, 60+), Free (2 and under) Parking Fee: $5 Group Discounts/Season Passes available, Admission Specials Phone: 614-645-3550 Address: 4850 West Powell Rd, Powell OH 43065 Directions: From Interstate 71, travel west on 270 West to Exit 20 (Sawmill Rd). Turn right and travel north (Sawmill Rd becomes Sawmill Pkwy). Turn left onto Powell Rd (SR 750); zoo entrance will be on the right after approximately one mile. Zoo Website View Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in a larger map 1 Adult/3 Children, Ohio, The Columbus Zoo Heather Dugan no no