I am an animal lover! My kids have no problem talking me into new pets. At one point we had 11 (2 dogs, a cat, a snake, 2 turtles, 2 parakeets, 2 hermit crabs, and a rat). Over the years we also had a couple chickens and a rabbit. We moved almost a year ago, and re-homed a lot of them. Now we only have 6 (dogs, 2 cats, and 2 ferrets). My kids and I also rescue every stray and injured animal we find. Once we found a lost homing pigeon and made calls for 2 days until we tracked him to an owner in Phoenix. He gave the kids a $20 reward for taking care of him for a week until he could come get him. We called him Compass (like on Curious George). Last week we stopped because we saw a goat by the street, so we drove to the back of the riding stable to tell someone so they could go get it.
So our love for animals takes us to the zoo often. We decided to buy a membership for the zoo. It is a super great deal, and anyone with kids should take advantage of it. At our local zoo, Reid Park Zoo, for about the same price as one or two trips to the zoo you can get a yearly pass. You have to name two adults and are allowed to add up to 8 children without naming them, so you can take your nieces and nephews or your kids friends. On our pass, myself and a friend of mine are named, between us we only have 5 kids, but we usually end up taking 8 with us when we go. You also have the option of adding "guest passes". That way if you have adults you want to take they are included too. So for $98, we got a family pass (2 named adults and 8 kids), plus 3 guest passes. The price has went up a little since I purchased mine, but not much.
https://www.tucsonzoo.org/store/become-a-member/
Plus you get discounts for the snack bar and gift shops. I always purchase the souvenir cups in the snack bar with my discount, and then we get $1.00 refills on drinks all year, as long as we have the cups. They also offer member discount on events like Zoo Lights and the Hallzooween. We went to the zoo lights last year on members only night, where it was free for members.
They have lots of great things that you can do with your kiddos that don't cost much, and make it a little more fun and memorable. A zoo key can be purchased for $2.50. It is used at the voice boxes near each animal habitat, to tell you a little about the animals. The zoo key can be used every time you go back.There are 3 penny grinder stations throughout the zoo with 12 different designs. They cost 51 cents each. I let my daughter get a couple each time we go. At the information booth, near the entrance of the zoo, you can purchase coloring posters for 25 cents each. When we were there last they had 7 different designs to choose from. Once a day on weekdays and twice a day on weekends you can feed the giraffes for $2. They also have a train just outside of the zoo that you can take a ride on around the park pond.
