Boo! Haunts and More Return to the L.A. Zoo's Annual Halloween Event

"Boo at the L.A. Zoo" is back, and we brought the Franklin Avenue Blogger Kids to the zoo last weekend to experience spooky caves, a “Graveyard Safari," themed crafts, live music, strolling characters, pumpkin carving, animal feedings and more.



The Blogger Kid was particularly impressed by the pumpkin carving demonstration. He spent time watching (and helping) a regular pumpkin (above)...



... turn into a Minion-themed pumpkin.



Arts and crafts include do-it-yourself bats and spider webs.



Zoo statues get into the Halloween spirit. Not seen here, but seasonal feedings of pumpkins for plant eaters and carcasses for carnivores also take place on select dates.



The Saturday we attended, we watched the lions eat some carcasses. Other feedings include jaguars on Saturday, October 10; elephants on Sunday, October 11; the black bear on Saturday, October 17; the tiger on Sunday, October 18; snow leopards on Saturday, October 24; and Komodo dragons on Sunday, October 25. On Halloween, the one-year birthday of Rosie, the Zoo’s baby hippo, will be celebrated.



"Professor Johnson the Organ Donor" performs a Halloween-themed musical revue with "silly songs and sing-alongs."



More from Professor Johnson.



A new Graveyard "Safari” hay bale maze is stocked with "tombstones" and silhouette cut-outs of skunks, possums, raccoons and other creatures.



The Graveyard maze is a great spot for photo ops of the little ones.



The "spooky caves" in the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo was a particular treat, as the pre-existing caves made for the perfect setting for a haunted experience.



"Boo at the L.A. Zoo" takes place from now through Halloween between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily. Traditional trick-or-treating at the zoo takes place on Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25 and Saturday, October 31.

Admission to the Los Angeles Zoo is $20 for general admission (ages 13 to 61); $17 for seniors (ages 62+), and $15 for children (ages 2 to 12). No ticket is required for children under 2. Admission for Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association members is free. Parking is also free.

Watch this for more details:

FRANKLIN AVENUE IN BANFF: A Week in the Canadian Rockies

Last month I returned to the Banff Media Festival in beautiful Banff, Alberta, Canada, in order to moderate several panels. The highlight, as I wrote here, was my chat with "Late Late Show" host Craig Ferguson. But outside of the TV festival, I also brought the family up this year, in order to share the beauty of the region with them. And it didn't disappoint. The weather may have been overcast, but the mountains, the lakes and the nature still thrilled our city bones. It was a week the Franklin Avenue kids won't forget. Some highlights:


A bird's eye view of the magnificent Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.


Elk on the side of the street in Banff.


Vermillion Lakes, outside of Banff.


Banff's farmers' market.


Buffalo Dawgs and Buffalo Smokies.


The Buffalo Smokie.


Two rivers run through Banff; here's one of them.


The Blogger Kid on horseback.


Deer on the side of the bike path in Banff.


The Banff Gondola ferries passengers up the side of Sulphur Mountain.


View from the top.


Moraine Lake.


More of Moraine Lake.


The Franklin Avenue boys take in Lake Louise.


More of Lake Louise.


Lake Louise, with the Fairmont hotel overlooking it.


I figured it would be cool, but unlikely, that we'd encounter a bear (from a safe distance, of course) on our trip. But sure enough, as we were driving on the freeway back to Calgary, we spotted this little guy on the side of the road (behind the fence). A quick u-turn and we got close enough to snap a few pics.


So I guess this sign is pretty accurate.


A trip to Canada isn't complete without the required stop at Tim Horton's. We waited until the very last day of our stay up north to finally enjoy a donut the way Canada intended. And here's a shot of the Tim Horton's located at Calgary's airport.

Last year, I wrote at length about The Town of Banff; the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel; the Banff Gondola Ride; and some Canadian Food Finds.

Two Paws Up for the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

We had just visited Legoland in June (pics still to come -- sorry, it's been a busy summer and I'm backlogged with blog posts), so for our August trip to San Diego, we decided to take the boys to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Armed with discount entry coupons via Groupon (of course!), we chose the standard African Tram Safari for our entrance -- which included, beyond roaming the park and seeing the caged exhibits, a tram ride through the park's massive open-air wildlife field, where giraffes, rhinos, antelope and more roam free. For more money, you can tour the open-air exhibit via a personal cart; watch the cheetah run up close; take part in a jungle ropes obstacle course; ride a zipline through the park; ride Segways around the park; spend the night in a tent camp; and more.

But the standard entrance and tram ride was just fine for us, and I think we got a good fill of the animals and exhibits. Opened in 1972 as an off-shoot of the San Diego Zoo, the safari park is nearly 3 square miles of exhibits broken up into sections, including a "gorilla forest," "lion camp," "elephant valley," "Condor Ridge" and more. The open-air "Asian Savanna" and "African Plains" are only accessible by tram or other safari tour vehicle. For kids, there are interactive water play stations, petting zoos, a jungle gym, a carousel, giraffe feeding, and more.

One of the highlights was the cheetah run, which featured the fastest land mammal sprinting up close. No children were eaten. For Blogger Toddler 2.0, I think he'll never forget standing just on the other side of window from a sleeping lion. Eventually the lion woke up, took one look at the toddler -- yes, they made eye contact -- and then immediately went back down.

Some pics from our visit:

First Look at the LA Zoo's New Elephants of Asia Exhibit

The L.A. Zoo's Elephants of Asia exhibit definitely adds some weight (yes, pun intended) to what's still a rather small facility. (I'm still waiting for the new reptile house -- the boys will be the right age to enjoy it once the snakes return to the L.A. Zoo.)

The elephant exhibit right now contains just three elephants -- two older females (former circus elephants) and one younger male, with more to come. Divided into sections, the Elephants of Asia also celebrates countries where elephants roam -- including China, India, Thailand and Cambodia. More:

Behind the Thai Pavilion and located within the center of the exhibit is the Elephant Barn. Modeled after a Thai structure, the barn encompasses 16,600 square feet and provides infrastructure to support the Zoo’s exceptional level of veterinary care and animal husbandry. A specialized ultrasound unit and walk-through articulated sling squeeze ensures keeper and animal safety as the animals undergo medical examinations. Overhead walkways in the elephant barn enable the keeper teams and behavioral researchers to observe the animals without intruding on their natural socialization. The barn is capable of holding up to eleven adult elephants of any age or herd composition including bulls, cows, calves, and aged animals.

Read all about the exhibit here. Some pics from our day at the zoo: