An Inexpensive Trip to Mesker Park Zoo

Kathy and I took our two youngest Grandkids on a day trip to Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville yesterday. The Zoo is less than an hour away (only one bathroom stop away for 3 and 5 yr olds). We purchased the tickets on the Value Connection to save money.

The weather was great and the temperature was perfect for the afternoon visit to see some very interesting animals.

I remember taking our kids and our oldest Granddaughter to Mesker. The zoo was always nice but with the new Amazonia building it is better than ever. The zoo has also added a new administration building, café, gift shop and dining area. The entrance is new with the location moving around the corner right next to the amphitheater.

We arrived around 12:30 along with hundreds of others on Spring Break Staycations. The zoo is so big that it really didn’t seem crowded.

The big hits of the day were the Jaguar, giraffes, monkeys, the hippo and Tiger. We also took the time to check out the old Monkey Boat, the wondering peacocks, and the Enchanted Kids area complete with rope swinging bridge and slide.

The hills were tough on this old man and the kids rode in the safari jeep stroller that holds two. (At $3 rental for the entire day it’s great deal).

After the Zoo we stopped by another “wild spot”, Hooters. The food was good. Kid’s specials and a lunch menu that doesn’t end till 3pm held the cost down. It was a fun place with lots of noise and excitement. 5 yr. old Lexie decided she wanted to be a Hooters girl. Not sure how her Mom is going to take that one.

Now for the cost: We bought the family 4-pack of tickets from Value Connection for $20. Lunch at Hooters was $27 (I had a $10 gift card from Christmas). $3 for the stroller and $3 for 16 photo stickers and a quarter tank of gas. Grand total was less that $70. Not to bad for an afternoon of memories that will last for many years.

Compare that to 1 person, 1day tickets to Disney at around $80 each. So I am smiling all the way to the bank. The only concern for the entire day was Lexie being a Hooters Girl but then again maybe she could get ole Grand Dad a discount.

If your family wants a wild time without spending a ton of money, try Mesker Park Zoo. We saw little kids, teenagers, Moms and Dads, Grandparents and a few adults who were just taking a stroll thru the park for exercise. Everyone seemed to enjoy watching the animals. Or were the animals enjoying watching the humans?

You can buy admission passes to Mesker on Value Connection heard at 8:30 each morning on 1490womi. For just a few dollars more than the cost of one day’s admission you can buy a family season pass. Check is out when you go over.