Lions and Cheetahs and Baby Pandas, Oh My!

Earlier this year, we asked the girls where they wanted to go on vacation this summer. We told them they could choose the destination (within reason, of course) and we'd happily start making plans. We gave them a few suggestions- back to Smoky Mountains, touring a different national park, like Yosemite, explore New York, visit a new theme park... Nope, they didn't want any of that. Mariah was itching to go to Canada simply because of the new baby pandas that they recently bred at the Toronto Zoo. Thus, our entire vacation was based around getting a glimpse at Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue.

We arrived at the zoo as soon as it opened and figured that as the day went on, the line to see the pandas was only going to get longer. So, our first stop was the panda exhibit. We did stand in line for about 30 minutes, but thankfully it wasn't too hot that day and most of the wait was indoors. After seeing this little bugger, the wait was definitely worth it!

While the pandas really are the main attraction, there were plenty of other beautiful animals to admire as well. And a few not so beautiful animals too. Like this ugly camel that I simply loved.

There are plenty of spots for fun photo opps too! The girls happily hopped on the statues to have their photos taken.

There were extra activities to participate in, like zip-lining over the zoo, but we didn't participate in that. It took us about 3 hours to get through the entire zoo, so we still had plenty of the afternoon to explore more of Toronto. Thanks to those sweet little baby pandas, we were able to plan out an entire week long vacation that was packed with amazing adventures. Be sure to come back over the next few weeks to get a glimpse of more family friendly things to do in Toronto!

What is your favorite exhibit at the zoo?