Create-Celebrate-Explore

San Diego Zoo Koalafornia

A couple of days ago we were invited to attend a preview of the new San Diego Zoo Australian Outback exhibit Koalafornia which opens to the public tomorrow (Friday the 24th of May) after the opening ceremony at 9am.

You are going to love this new exhibit. As an Aussie who has visited the koalas, kangaroos and wombats at the Zoo for years, I am so happy to see they have a much larger 3-acre space now.

We were taken on a guided tour of the new exhibit by Zookeeper Rick. 

We began our tour learning about the one-of-a-kind totem poles, wandered past the birds, new wombat and wallaby enclosure, past the gift shop and Sydney's hangout (which is a great place to stop for lunch), and then into the Koala Exhibit.

El Capitan Canyon, Goleta California

A couple of days ago I shared a recap of the fun Epic Play Date we were invited to attend at Dos Pueblos Ranch in Goleta, California. As I mentioned, we decided to take the kids camping for the weekend.

I made a last-minute booking at El Capitan Canyon which was only a 7 minute drive to Dos Pueblos Ranch. El Capitan Canyon have a variety of accommodations available including safari tents, yurts and cabins. I decided I wanted to give the kids a 'camping' experience, or should I say 'glamping' experience, so I reserved a Safari Tent.

At El Capitan Canyon there is a market, hiking trails, complimentary beach cruiser bikes, a playground and pool. There are also numerous other activities such as a summer concert series,  yoga, story-telling and massages.

Orange County Great Park

I've blogged very briefly before (or should I say, shared photos) of the Great Park in Orange County.  I attended an Instameet - you know an Instagram meet-up, where you spend hours snapping Instagram pics of cool things, with even cooler people.

Anyway, after attending that my kids had been wanting to go there and ride in the big orange helium balloon.  So after scouring their website and choosing the perfect date, watching weather forecasts and wind speeds for two weeks, we settled on going last weekend.

The weather report was wrong, it rained all the way there, and it was too windy for the balloon.  Thankfully though I'd chosen a date where there were loads of other activities going on so that there would be plenty to keep the kids busy.

We started our day going on the carousel a couple of times, ventured over to the park where there is free sports equipment to use in the grass area, and then wandered to the Terrace Lawn where the Bark in the Great Park was just gearing up. There were dog safety talks for kids, a Disc Dogs demonstration, a doggy fashion show, and lots of dogs attempting to make their way through obstacle courses. Of course there were crafts too. From there we headed to the Farm and Food Lab where they were telling the Three Sisters Garden story. The kids then made little seed packets and brought home corn, squash and bean seeds to plant.

Lastly, we headed to the Farmer's Market for some fresh fruit and veggies, shaved ice and kettle corn. I love food trucks and I tried the yummiest Chicken Bacon Fries for lunch. They were so good. Really!

Build It Workshops For Kids

I was recently introduced to a new kids workshop that has opened in Southern California called Build It Workshops.  Add it to your list of places to take the kids, they will love it.

Admission:

    $12 per child - $10 for additional siblings

    Daily Build - additional fee of $3-$15 depending on the project (non-members)

    5 Visit Pass - $50

    $1 military discount available (with identification)

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

On my bucket list this year (and last) was to take the kids out to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park during wildflower season, which is generally between April and May.  Unfortunately I missed it last year, it's tough trying to co-ordinate schedules with wildflowers, they don't tend to tell you when they are going to bloom, especially in the quantities that one sees in photographs from that area, which is really quite annoying.  So, we decided to just try our luck during Archaeology Weekend. 

Unfortunately there hasn't been a lot of rain this season so there weren't masses of flowers just begging to be photographed, but we did manage to come across a few wildflowers, particularly on our 3 mile hike.

There are a number of hikes you can take throughout Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and the visitor's center is a wealth of information.  We were supposed to take a guided hike to Bailey Cabin in the Hawi-Vallecito Cultural Preserve, however it was cancelled due to the guide being ill.  So, while the kids made paddle and anvil pottery outside, I popped into the visitor center to chat to a volunteer who gave me information and maps for a couple of great hikes that kids would love.

The hike we settled on was the Borrego Palm Canyon Nature Trail which is approximately a 3 mile round trip.

Before I share photographs and more information about the hike, I want to share a few photographs of the pottery, which was a special hands-on project for Archaeology Weekend.

San Diego Zoo Safari Park's Butterfly Jungle

Yesterday the kids and I were treated to a sneak peek of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's Butterfly Jungle, which opens to the public tomorrow, March 16.

You might remember that we took the kids to see the Butterfly Jungle last year too, and this year, the butterflies are just as spectacular.

 

Dates: Butterfly Jungle is open from March 16, 2013 until April 7, 2013

Hours: 8am - 7pm

Address:  15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92027-7017

Note: Just like last year, once you enter the Safari Park, head to Butterfly Jungle and sign up for a time to return and visit with the butterflies. I recommend getting there early, signing up for a time slot and then wandering the park until it's your time to visit the butterflies.  This helps prevent over-crowding in the Butterfly Jungle and protect the butterflies. Don't forget to watch where you walk.

Contests: Visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park website and click on Butterfly Jungle.  They have some great butterfly contests going on, so if you are on Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook, head on over for more details.  There is also a kids coloring contest.

Tweet-Up: If you are on Twitter, RSVP to attend the Tweet-Up on March 17 at 9am.

 

Disclosure: The twins and I were invited to a preview of Butterfly Jungle.