Karina Bland
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 4 2007 6:21 pm
Children are fascinated with animals, whether they are cute or cuddly or scaly with big teeth - the animals, not the children. Bring their Animal Planet favorites to life by visiting these great places to get close to animals:
Monkey Village at the Phoenix Zoo
Where: 455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix
Details: (602) 273-1341 or www.phoenixzoo.org
Kids can pretend they are exploring the rainforest, listening to the chattering of monkeys and the rustling of leaves in the trees as they pass through the habitat of the zoo's Squirrel monkeys. Walk along the pathway and monkeys peek through the trees beside you or walk on ropes above your head. Visitors can wander the exhibit, which stretches across 10,000 square feet, daily from 8 a.m. to noon. Visitors aren't allowed to touch the monkeys, but if you're still, they sometimes come nose-to-nose with you. Just don't stand still for long under the ropes or you'll get peed on.
Wildlife World Zoo
Where: 16501 W. Northern Ave., Litchfield Park (8 miles west of Loop 101 or 6 miles north of Interstate 10)
Details: (623) 935-WILD or www.wildlifeworld.com
This is the largest collection of exotic animals in Arizona. Tiny tamarins and marmosets of Central and South America look more like Beanie Babies than real monkeys. There are 325 species on these 50 acres. And unlike most other zoos where the "Do not feed the animals" signs are everywhere, here red gumball machines spit out a handful of pellets for 25 cents. Feed the goats in the petting zoo, the koi in the ponds and even the giraffes with their foot-long black tongues. You won't even need the zoom lens on your camera.
Pets Inc.
Where: 3201 S. Mill Ave., Tempe
Details: (480) 966-7910 or www.petsincco.com
This is a great place to see reptiles and any possible pet that lives underwater. An indoor pond holds a large selection of plants, turtles and koi, and just about half the store is aisle after aisle of glass tanks, holding every water creature imaginable. The other half of the store is dedicated to the kinds of animals that make most people's spines curl: snakes - some really big ones! - lizards, spiders and more. The staff at this family-owned operation is knowledgeable about the creatures they carry, even answering questions for school projects. Only problem here is that the animals are actually for sale, so your kids might get some big ideas about bringing home one of the big ones. Steer them over to the cute little African dwarf diving frogs instead.
Out of Africa Wildlife Park
Where: about 90 minutes north of Phoenix on Verde Valley Justice Center Road. From Phoenix, take Interstate 17 north to Exit 287 (Arizona 260 toward Cottonwood). Turn west, going over the freeway. Go west 3 miles on Arizona 260. Turn left on Verde Valley Justice Center Road. Follow signs to the park entrance. About 90 minutes north of Phoenix and 30 minutes south of Sedona.
Details: 1-(928)-567-2840 or www.outofafricapark.com
Come nose to nose with big predators such as lions, tigers, panthers and hyenas as they prowl their natural environment. Watch Bengal tigers and other big cats interact with caregivers by romping and splashing in a pool. An anaconda goes nose to nose with kids brave enough to peer over the fence at the huge snake. Elevated platforms offer perfect views of the animals and great photo opportunities. Time it right and you may even get to feed raw meat to a hungry carnivore.
Ponderosa Stables
Where: 10215 S. Central Ave., Phoenix
Details: (602) 268-1261 or www.arizona-horses.com
See the beauty of Arizona's Sonoran Desert like they did in the old days - from the back of a horse. Take a guided horseback ride on the trails of South Mountain Park and see desert animals like bunnies, quail and roadrunners along the way, as well as a few Native American petroglyph sites. Kids ages 2 through 5 can ride double in the saddle with an adult. Kids ages 6 and up get a horse to themselves. Even better than a trail ride, saddle up the family for a breakfast ride or steak cookout at sunset.
Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum
Where: 2021 N. Kinney Road, Tucson. From Interstate 10, take the Speedway Boulevard exit and head west. Turn right onto Kinney Road and follow it for about 2 ½ miles.
Details: 1-(520)-883-2702 or www.desertmuseum.org
This world-renowned zoo also is a natural history museum and botanical garden, all rolled into one. Exhibits re-create the natural landscape of the Sonoran Desert so realistically that you find yourself eye-to-eye with mountain lions, prairie dogs, Gila monsters and more. On the museum grounds are more than 300 animal species and 1,200 kinds of plants. Get even closer to the animals, including the otters and bighorn sheep, and go behind the scenes to learn about animal care through the museum's "Walk With a Keeper" program.
Grand Canyon Deer Farm
Where: 6752 E. Deer Farm Road (25 miles west of Flagstaff on Interstate 40 at Exit 171; 8 miles east of downtown Williams).
Details: 1-800-926-DEER or www.deerfarm.com.
A buffalo roams and the deer and the antelope play at the Grand Canyon Deer Farm. This isn't one of those places where you feed the animals through a fence, stretching in hopes of a pat or scratch behind the ears. You actually go into an enclosure with the deer. Zip up your purse and hold your $1.50 plastic cup of pellets high above your head because the deer swarm you. Along the trail through another gate is a fenced-off area for the less-friendly animals, such as the huge bucks and massive reindeer. Still, you can pat them through the fence. The sign on the llama pen is educational (they are members of the camel family from South America) and helpful (they spit when annoyed). There are plenty of other animals, too, from piglets and goats to exotic birds.
Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary
Where: 1403 Heritage Park Road, Prescott
Details: 1-(928)-778-4242 or 1-877-778-6008 or www.heritageparkzoo.org
All the animals have a story to share and lesson to teach. Most are incapacitated and rescued from the wild or from unsuitable captive situations. They include a tiger who was kept as a pet in Texas; a black jaguar who came from another zoo after his mother rejected him; a black bear whose mother was mistakenly shot by a hunter; an orphaned mountain lion who was found as a kitten in a burn pile in Montana; and a gray fox who was rescued from the Aspen Fire in Tucson where she stayed to protect her newborn kits but irreparably damaged her feet. Formerly known as Heritage Park Zoo, this is a non-profit wildlife sanctuary, dedicated to the conservation and protection of native and exotic animals.
Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Where: U.S. 60 at Milepost 223, 3 miles west of the historic copper mining town of Superior
Details: 1-(520)-689-2811 (recorded event info) or arboretum.ag.arizona.edu/
Take a walk at the arboretum and see a ground squirrel hop across the path, a Harris's hawk lands on a saguaro limb, and a lizard doing push-ups on a rock. More than 230 bird and 72 terrestrial species have been tallied over the years as both permanent and migratory residents. In addition, 3,200 desert plants grow within the arboretum, some in specialized gardens like the Hummingbird-Butterfly Garden and Cactus Garden. Arizona residents consistently vote for the arboretum as "Best Day Trip."
Schnepf Farms
Where: 24810 S. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek
Details: (480) 987-3100 or www.schnepffarms.com
Kids can learn about how crops grow and where their vegetables come from before heading over to the farm's petting corral. They can brush the goats' wiry coats, chase chickens, pat a sheep, horse and donkey, and milk a pretend cow but see a real one.
