The zoo

My family loves going to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. Compared to others zoo it's not the biggest nor does it have the most variety of animals, but it's well laid out and a great walk on a nice day. Last week when the kid were out of school we took them to the Africa section - we love that part the most - and yesterday we signed them out of school a little early to go back and walk through the North American section of the zoo.

One thing that surprised me was how crowded it was. I thought that most people would have cleared out by mid-afternoon but they were still there. There were all kinds of people there from all walks of life and it was a little tough at times to get a good view of the animals in their environment.

This is a zoo where the animals are placed in a habitat that is as close to natural as their real home. There are trams that can shuttle you to different parts of the zoo but for the most part there are pathways that take you to each exhibit and it can turn into a fairly long day. The zoo provides several concessions areas complete with all the burgers, dogs, french fries, etc., one would expect at a ballgame as well as the famous Dippin' Dots ice cream. Not to my surprise, the concessions were the most crowded attraction that I saw.

What humored me the most was how people are people. The animals were either taking naps or going about minding their own business. The people were traveling in herds, jockeying for position at every turn. Kids were crying and screaming at their parents that they were tired or hungry and parents in turn were fussing back. Kids were running off the paths and through the woods, ignoring the pleas of their parents to stay with them. The playground in the North America section was so crowded I'm not sure if an ant could have squeezed in. Yes, it reminded me of the mall on a Saturday night.

The animals seemed oblivious to all the chaos around them. I guess when you're an elephant, bison, or giraffe and the zoo comes to visit you everyday, it's not so exciting anymore.