For this week's post, I am going to continue to write about my upstate New York visit. While visiting Binghamton, our friend informed us about a nearby zoo where the famous April the Giraffe lives, along with her family. If you are unfamiliar with April, she is the giraffe that everyone was obsessed with last year because of her lengthy pregnancy. Over 1 million people followed her pregnancy progression through the zoo's livestream. Anyway, we decided to visit this zoo since April and her family do live here, as well as is considered home to hundreds of other animals.
Location
Again, I did visit the Animal Adventure Park while visiting my friend in Binghamton, which is about 4 hours up from central Long Island. However, the Animal Adventure Park is located in the neighboring town of Harpursville, which is about a 25 minute drive from Binghamton. The zoo is located in an isolated, almost desolate seeming area, so do not be alarmed if it seems that you are heading in the wrong direction. It kind of just appears out of nowhere, but it truly is nice, clean, friendly park.
Perks of this Park
Honestly, one of my favorite parts about this zoo was how it was not overwhelmingly crowded, as well as how it was the perfect size. The zoos I have been too are often way too crowded, causing you to not see or interact with the animals as well. If anyone has ever been to the Bronx Zoo, you know exactly what I am talking about. However, this park was not too busy, allowed you to really get up close and personal with many of the animals, and was not too large that it caused you to be exhausted by the end of your visit. I believe it made my overall experience better, and I was really able to interact with numerous animals without getting in the way of others, or feeling rushed to move onto the next exhibit.
As I previously mentioned, I truly enjoyed how up close I was able to get to numerous animals at this park. The zoo allows you to buy a cup of pellets for a cheap price (I believe it was only $3), which feeds a large portion of the animals, and you can also buy a bucket of more pellets, carrots, grapes, and lettuce for other animals (the bucket was $10). Almost every exhibit allows you to feed, pet, and interact with the animals, which I found to be great since many larger zoos do not allow this interaction process to take place. Additionally, while you would think it would cost more to be able to interact with these animals on a more one-on-one basis, it only cost $14 for admission. It really is a great deal!
Side Note: This camel was the sweetest thing ever! Who knew camels are so gentle when eating from your hand?? You can clearly see my excitement in the photos.
April the Giraffe
Lastly, I found being able to meet and feed the giraffe family at this park to be an amazing experience. I have never been to a zoo where you are able to feed, interact, and take pictures with giraffes without it costing a ridiculously high price. The one requirement this park had was that you only feed the giraffes carrots, which was super cheap to purchase at the stand next to this exhibit. The workers also taught us how to take selfies with the giraffes (peep mine with April!), which was fun. I wish I was able to post my video of my experience with the giraffes on this blog, but since I cannot, be sure to check out my Instagram page if you are interested. Being able to interact with the giraffes was an amazing experience, and I highly recommend that everyone does this if given the possibility to do so!
Animal Adventure Park provided a zoo experience like no other. While it is not the biggest zoo, they provide a great hands-on, interactive experience with the numerous animals they have for you to meet! For more information about the animals located at this zoo, as well as the other experiences they offer, visit the Animal Adventure Park website.
Many more posts to come(:
~Ashley
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