Out Of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, Arizona!

 

I absolutely love animals & always enjoy visiting different animal spots. On one of the days of our recent weekend trip up north, we stopped by Out Of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, Arizona. I actually went to this zoo several times as a child when it was located near Fountain Hills, but they moved everything up north further to Camp Verde. Which actually works out better for the animals, as it is typically a bit cooler for them there than the previous location. While it was 85+ degrees down where we live, it was a nice cool 68 degrees with some wind on the day we visited. 

The biggest part of this wildlife park that I love is how huge the enclosures are for all of the animals. You'll get lucky and a lot of the animals will be in their favorite spots to lounge within view, and others will be kind of like a safari hunt where you'll need to look for them through out the enclosure. This sanctuary was originally started in 1988 by husband and wife Dean & Prayeri Harrison and their love of animals shows through out the park. Sadly Dean has passed away, but Prayeri is still a huge part of every day operations at the park! In fact she was at the park the day we were there greeting guests, helping answer questions and talk to everyone while they waited in line to buy tickets. Tickets might seem a bit pricey compared to other zoos/animal parks as they are almost $50 per adult, however this is a privately owned park and they have a lot of big cats, bears, etc to provide food to, so that is where the money goes along with the typical cost of operations. 

Another big plus about this wildlife park is that the safari ride is included in admission! A lot of other zoos we've been to charge extra for a safari tour, use of shuttles, etc. When you are on the safari you will be right up close to Zebras, Giraffes, and more. If you are lucky one of the two giraffes will come over and take a treat from your hand, or if you are brave enough to put the food in your mouth, they will give you a big kiss. 

As I mentioned before, the enclosures are quite large which makes the wildlife park a bit spread out. If you'd prefer not to walk the whole thing & want to get to the back section where a lot of the smaller enclosures are (lizards, snakes, birds, etc) there is a free shuttle that will take you back to the main area. You can also stop at one of four shuttle stops to be picked up to go back to the front gates when you area ready to head home. 

Out Of Africa has a large amount of big cats, you'll see quite a few lions, leopards, and wolves. You will also come across bears, porcupines, lemurs and more. All the staff are very knowledgeable about the animals & are happy to talk about them or answer any questions you have. They also feature a tiger splash show,  where you'll be able to see some of the trainers interreacting with one of their tigers playing with toys and jumping into a giant pool. Plus for an extra $5 you can feed one of the tigers (safely of course), the tigers looked like they were loving it! You can tell by the healthy coat and of course the little extra pouch under their bellies that they are well fed and well taken care of. All of the animals seemed content and happy. It was also nice to see that aside from one or two of the animals, that all of the enclosures had more than one in it which is great for socializing. 

They have extras you can add onto your experience as well, such as an extra tour, ziplining over the park, and animal encounters. This wildlife park is in Arizona & like much of the desert there isn't a ton of shade so remember to bring your sunscreen + a hat and possibly an umbrella along with water of course. All of the pathways are dirt and a bit rocky, some strollers will have no issue getting around but other strollers with the tiny wheels may have issues getting through the park. Wheelchair wise, I would say it is easier if you have an electric scooter vs a regular wheelchair. 

Stop by my Instagram or Tiktok page to see a short compilation of clips I took of the animals during our visit. 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. (Click on the name or locate it on the right-hand side of my page).

🟊 This is not a sponsored post, we paid for this ourselves. I just enjoy sharing awesome spots with my readers. 

Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ - A short review!

 

I've always been fascinated with the beauty of space and I have been a fan of science centers since I was young, so when we visited Flagstaff I knew I wanted to check out the Lowell Observatory. The Lowell Observatory is family friendly & they have an awesome area for small children that offers a lot of hands on science & space based activities. Even as an adult you might find a hands on activity or two in this room that you'll enjoy, like building a mini rocket and trying to shoot it through some hoops. 

A secondary room offers hands on activities that are for teens and adults from balancing two weights to make a chair spin without moving your body, or even a spot that has different things to smell there is quite a bit to do on the first floor. If you want to sit down for a bit they have a theatre that features a number of different presentations ranging from half an hour to an hour long. 

Outside you'll find a number of telescopes set up pointed at different planets & stars with a staff member next to it explaining what you will get to see, how to look into the telescope properly and answer any questions you may have. There are also a few buildings to explore which contain museum pieces, huge telescopes & more. Depending on what you decide to do while here and how quickly you walk around looking at everything you'll be here for one to four hours. 

If you end up getting hungry or want to grab something to drink, there is a café up front across from the gift shop. We had a lot of fun visiting & exploring everything the observatory had to offer. It was definitely worth the visit, and it was nice being able to enjoy the lovely weather while walking around the outside portion of the observatory. Everything was laid out to where things were easy to find, they had plenty of benches along the way in case you happened to become tired plus there were plenty of lovely photo opportunity spots. 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. (Click on the name or locate it on the right-hand side of my page).

Disclaimer-  Lowell Observatory provided us a discount in exchange for a review, no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Yuletide at Old Tucson!

 

Did you know there is an old western town in Tucson that was built in 1939 & is a movie set used in multiple movie scenes including moves like the Three Amigos & Tombstone and shows like Little House on the Prairie. That location is called Old Tucson! It is still open as a filming location & when there isn't anything being filmed there you can visit to explore the town or participate in one of their holiday events. On December 23rd, we took a road trip to Old Tucson to experience Yuletide the old west way. The tickets may seem slightly pricey however all of the shows & rides at the park are included in the price of admission & there is quite a bit to do. 

When you first arrive, the first show is the opening ceremony. You'll learn the story of how the "West Pole" came to be & how Santa made his secondary home Old Tucson. Santa is brought into town in a wagon & he welcomes everyone to Old Tucson with a tree lighting ceremony. However, things don't go quite as planned when Jack Frost shows up to try & ruin the night. Everyone at Yuletide is invited to help join in the festivities to chase Jack Frost away and show the power of Christmas Magic. 

For entertainment there are magic shows, stunt shows, trivia games for kids, live blacksmith demonstrations, The goofs on the roof which are two adorable elves that sit on top one of the buildings talking with all of the guests. There is also a horse drawn carriage ride where you can sing Christmas carols, a train ride that takes you around the circumference of Old Tucson allowing you to see some sights & buildings you aren't able to see from inside of the town. 

That isn't all, they had a small movie theatre playing classic holiday movies, a small maze for kids, skee ball, a carousel, face painting, a shooting range, photo opportunities & you can explore Jack Frosts layer to see what he has been up to at Old Tucson. If you are looking for a way to warm up in the chilly night there is hot chocolate for sale along with a few spots to grab food or you can head inside for some in doors activities like pictures with Santa, Story time with Mrs. Claus or write a letter to Santa. There is also a small museum with movies props from films/shows that have taken place there, two sweets shops and of course gift shops. 

As mentioned, there was a lot to do! We went from one show or ride right to another, they kept the schedule packed and well organized. We spent a few hours at Old Tucson & enjoyed everything they had to offer especially the stunt show. There were a few neat stunts, but that isn't what really made the show, the actors themselves are what made the show quite entertaining. While this event might be over for the time being, if you are close & able to travel to Tucson you should consider visiting this event at the end of 2024!

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" (Click or locate it on the right-hand side of my page) section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. This was not a sponsored review, we paid to get into the zoo ourselves. I enjoy being able to share spots like this with my readers who may not be able to visit in person but are still interested in learning more about these spots, or for anyone planning vacations in the area. 

Visit The Grand Canyon Deer Farm in Williams, Arizona!

 

I love animals of all shapes & sizes so when we have a chance to visit a new zoo, animal experience or new area to go hiking/exploring, I am all for it. I live in Arizona & as long as you have the paperwork for it the state has a large list of animals you are allowed to legally own which means there are several animal experiences & interactive ranches/farms that have unique animals for you to see. I have written reviews for a few locations here in Arizona in the past & today I will be sharing a spot called the Grand Canyon Deer Farm which is located in Williams, Arizona. If you are interested in what the other animal spots I've reviewed are, I will include them at the end of this post. This is a spot we paid to visit, it is not a sponsored post. The Deer Farm is easy to reach, it is just off of Interstate 40, so even if you aren't planning on staying in the area it is a fun spot to stop on a road trip through the area or during a day trip like we did. 

As the name suggests the Grand Canyon Deer farm is home to dozen of deer, however they also have a few other farm animals & a couple exotic animals as well that you get to see up close. The farm has a few species of deer including reindeer along with peacocks, a cockatoo, wallabies, a camel, a marmoset monkey, coatis, Zonkeys & more. You will be able to see & pet a few of the animals up close, the others are just for viewing. How much does it cost to get in? It is $16 per adult and $9 per child, the cost does not include food for the deer. Based off of our experiences at other animals experiences like this I would say the price is moderate in comparison. They also have encounter opportunities that can be purchased separate for example you would pay $30 per person to interact with the wallabies. I would recommend booking that part ahead of time to make sure you can get in. We had stopped by on a trip & had wanted to do the animal experiences but there wasn't enough staff on hand that day to do it so they were not letting anyone buy the extras. 

In total I would say we stayed for about an hour and a half, some of the spots we stayed at just a little bit longer than others. Wear close toed shoes as you will be walking through dirt & possibly mud depending on the weather and of course some animal poop. They didn't put any holes into our clothing, but just in case I wouldn't wear your favorite top while visiting. Some of the deer started nibbling onto our shirts if they weren't being fed fast enough. Most of the deer were very sweet while we were walking around feeding & petting them, a couple were slightly pushy but that is any animal when they want a snack. Depending on what time of the year you go, you might get lucky & get to see some baby animals while you are there. 

The farm is set up in a way that it is easy to do a self guided tour without assistance, the paths are easy to follow & all of the animals pens are set up along the trail so you can see them as you walk. One of our favorite animals to see was the mini Zebu cow! She was so sweet and soft. Another stop that was a favorite of mine was over at the Coati cage! I love how cute those little critters are, they are like a cross between a lemur and a raccoon & they are actually native to Arizona. I hope to one day be able to spot them out in the wild while hiking & exploring. 

It was a nice spot to stop, we enjoyed the bit of time we spent there viewing the animals & interacting with some of them. They also have a huge gift shop & indoor bathrooms available & they also have outdoor sinks so you can wash your hands after touching the animals. If you want to make your trip more of an adventure the deer farm is right up the road from the Grand Canyon Go-Karts (click the name to be taken to the review). It is also located just up the road from Bearizona which is a walkthrough & drive thru animal park. 

If you want to check out other animal experiences in Arizona here are some of our favorites! Click on the name of the attraction & you will be brought to the review I wrote for it.

★ Bearizona which is mentioned above is wonder it has bears, wolves, otters & more that you can see up close. 

★ Ghost Ranch Exotics out near Tucson offers up close encounters with a Kangaroo, Capybaras & more. 

★ The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is a mini zoo, aquarium, hiking zone and more where you get see a number of amazing animals + you can pay to feed a sting ray. 

★ The Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch near Tucson offers you a chance to feed & touch a number of animals including Donkeys, Rainbow Lorikeets, Deer, Goats, Ducks & More. 

★ The Phoenix Herpetological Society in Scottsdale gives you a chance to see gators, monitor lizards, otters, raccoons, snakes & more up-close. 

★ Odysea Aquarium in Scottsdale is home to hundreds of fish, but they also offer the chance to have unique encounters with a Sloth & with Penguins!

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" (Click or locate it on the right-hand side of my page) section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. 

Grand Canyon Go-Karts in Williams, Az!

 

The weather will slowly be starting to cool down here in Arizona, which means it will be time to start many outdoor adventures again without worrying about melting in the heat. I will be starting to share some great outdoor activities again to enjoy while the weather is nice & today I have a short and sweet review on spot for you. We recently visited the Grand Canyon Go-Kart track located in Williams, Arizona on a day trip we spent together. Earlier this month we decided to beat the warmer weather in Phoenix by heading up north to check out a few family friendly spots. This was the second stop of our day & everyone had a great time. 

It is easy to locate directly off of the freeway & is located a short distance away from lodging, food and other tourist attractions to visit. It is located at 1000 Circle Pines Rd. Williams, AZ 86046 they are open Thursday to Sunday. Rides are $15 for single riders or $17 if you will have a child in the kart with you. It is slightly more expensive than other kart spots we've been to, but I chalk that up to it being in a high tourist area. They will provide you with the gear you'll need to ride & they have both indoor and outdoor seating areas for those who would prefer to watch. Inside there is also a few arcade games, ice cream for sale and a bathroom. During our visit there were only two maybe three other families visiting so getting into the helmets and out onto the track didn't take long. You'll be able to be on the track for a decent amount of time before having to head back in. The staff was friendly/helpful and the property was well taken care of. They have punch cards so you can get points for each ride you purchase then after ten rides you'll get a free one. 

With a few of the other attractions in the area, you can make a fantastic day out with the family or your can book a hotel stay to make a weekend out of it. We've been to Williams several times & always enjoy visiting. In the past I have written a review of the one of the KOA's up there along with Bearizona, plus I will have some new spots soon! This was not a sponsored post, we paid for our experience ourselves, I just like sharing spots like this with fellow Arizona residents & fellow travelers looking for new areas to explore. 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. 

A must see destination in Arizona, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum!

I recently found my favorite museum that I've ever visited & I wish I lived closer so I could buy a yearly membership to it because I would visit all the time. My family & I wanted to go on a small vacation for the holidays instead of doing a bunch of gifts so I planned a mini vacation to a city in our state that had several attractions we'd never been to before, one of those spots is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It is so much more than just a museum it is a 98-acre zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum & art gallery. It is located at 2021 N Kinney Rd Tucson, AZ 85743.

It is a popular tourist type spot so I highly recommend getting there early to get a parking spot closer to the entrance, or if you don't mind a short hike there are parking lots a bit further back. We arrived shortly after they opened & the parking lot was already pretty full with a decent line at the ticket window. The line moved quickly & the staff were all very friendly, the place is big enough that even with the number of people visiting you didn't feel crowded or overwhelmed which is nice. It also helps in spots like this when everyone takes their turn to look at exhibits, etc. without cutting in front of others so that made everything run smoothly. The website states it takes about 2-3 hours to see everything & it is quite true, depending on how much time you spend at each stop you might be there for even longer. A large majority of the museum is outdoors so if you aren't a fan of the heat the best time to visit is in the winter/spring months to avoid the Arizona summer heat. We visited on a beautiful slightly cloudy winter morning & the weather was perfect for visiting. 

The aquarium didn't open for another ten minutes after we arrived so our first stop was to the reptile house where we were able to see a large assortment of snakes, scorpions, frog/toads and more. We even had a chance to see one of the staff members feeding the toads which is always neat. My favorite enclosure in the reptile house were the walking sticks (or stick bugs), I haven't seen one out in the wild since I was a kid & I love how they look so getting to see a bunch of them up close was fantastic. After exiting we went straight for the aquarium & got lucky because the only other person in it was a staff member doing a bit of maintenance on one of the tanks so we had the whole place to ourselves. There was an assortment of fish both native to Arizona & non-native species such as seahorses to watch swim. No matter what aquarium I visit, I always enjoy spending a few minutes in front of the seahorses, it is so cute to watch them float around & grab onto the seaweed/plants with their tails. 

Shortly after we left the aquarium it was about time for the birds of prey show they host almost daily, but we decided to use that time to check out a few of the other exhibits since could see that 90% of the visitors there that day were headed to the show. We walked around the cactus botanical garden a little bit & I snapped some photos of the wild birds along with the cactus on display. They have multiple gardens around the museum, you can grab a map before heading into the museum that will show you where everything is & label it so you know where you are. Next I wanted to visit the hummingbird aviary, you actually get to go inside & be in an indoor garden with the hummingbirds flying right next to your head. I've been in bird aviaries before, none of which have had hummingbirds and I love them so I was overly excited. We spent quite a bit of time inside of it watching the hummingbirds, relaxing on the benches talking a little & of course I was snapping photos the whole time. 

Right next to the hummingbird aviary is an art galley, the art work was gorgeous & most of it featured native wildlife or scenery and everything is available for purchase. There was also a small section with trinkets like postcards, 3D printed items & more. The restaurant they had there smelled amazing, so if you get hungry while there stop in for a bite to eat or visit their café for a snack + coffee. They have an underground animal area where you actually head underground to check out a few small enclosures to see critters that you don't typically get to see. Then we explored a bit more of the gardens & went to the bird aviary that has bigger birds such as cardinals, quail & more which of course I loved and we spent time at some of the benches just watching the different birds. 

In total you will go on a hike that is about two miles long, while viewing wildlife habitats set up along the way with animals such as javelina, bobcats, bears, wolves and more. They also have another underground section that takes you into a cave area & a mine where they have minerals on display. Just writing about the Sonora desert museum makes me want to go back again! There was so much to do & so much to see, it was quite the adventure. If we lived closer I would get a membership as mentioned, because it would be a great place to go for a mini hike for exercise while getting to see some neat stuff. They had some other great things to do, but if I talk about it anymore this post is going to be gigantic so if you are ever in the area you need to check this place out & enjoy it for yourself, you won't regret it. Admission is $29.95 per adult & $19.95 for kids - If you live in AZ & are a bit short on cash but still want to visit this museum they are part of the Culture Pass program through the Arizona public library system, you can visit your local libraries website to see which location has a culture pass for this zoo - the library allows you to "check out" 2 passes per family per month through their program (1 pass at a time) for free & each pass gets you two free admissions into where ever the pass is for. 

If you are looking for more adventures in Tucson type in "Things to do in Tucson" or "Things to do in Arizona" in the search bar of my blog, I have several more fantastic animal attractions and more in Tucson to share with you & when all done within a few days it makes for a action packed vacation. 

Which part of this museum do you think you would be most interested in? What would you want to see first? 

**This is not a sponsored post, my family & I decided to visit the museum while we were in the area and paid to visit the museum. I enjoy sharing some of the fun places we've been & things we've seen with my readers so they can enjoy it too if they get a chance.**

Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium in Tucson!

 

We recently took a mini vacation down to Tucson to check out some of the local attractions they have to offer, one of the places we decided to stop was the Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium. We always have a great time when we visit the Arizona Science Center so we were looking forward to visiting a new science center together to see what they had in store for us. It is located at 1601 E University Blvd Tucson, AZ 85721. This science center is part of the University of Arizona so it is on the same grounds as the school buildings & does not have any designated parking so you will have to get lucky and score on of the free street parking spots or parking in a close parking garage. They have maps on their website that shows where parking is available near the center. The building for the science center is smaller than our local science center but you can hardly tell as there are so many fun things packed into the two floors of the center that you'll be entertained the entire time you were there. Along with the science center they have a Planetarium that runs shows through out the day, we had a few other places we wanted to visit during our trip so we skipped the planetarium show until next time we visit.

The first floor of the science center features a large exhibit on sharks with life sized recreations of how big their tail fins are, interactive quizzes, digital boards where you can build your own shark, real taxidermy shark eggs, bones and more. There is also a large area featuring the Wild World of Bugs where they have more interactive spots, plenty of educational information, some dead bugs on display along with some live bugs you are able to hold upon request. My son & husband were able to hold one of the beetles they have available to touch, it was so cute and seemed pretty used to being held. Last but not least the first floor also has a section dedicated to the solar system with some pretty neat information & a wall that has a bunch of cans with various weights in them to show you how much they would weigh on the different planets. 

After you've looked at everything on the first floor you can head downstairs to visit another level of hands on activities and exhibits. The bottom floor has tons of fossils & minerals plus tons of fun puzzles you are able to sit down and complete, some you are able to work on by yourself & some were meant for two people so you can have fun together. Some of the puzzles were a challenge so you might find it best to work together as a team to complete them & if you need any help a staff member is always in the area to lend a hand or ask questions. 

We enjoyed taking our time looking at everything this science center has to offer, in total we spent a little over an hour and a half at the center doing puzzles, reading the educational materials, and looking at cool things. On your way out you can pop by the gift shop if you want to pick up a souvenir. The Flandrau Science Center is $12 per adult & $8 per child ages 3-15, the Planetarium is a separate cost however they have a discount if you buy the two combined & if you are an EBT/SNAP card holder you can show your card along with your ID to receive your tickets for just $3 each. If you are looking for more adventures in Tucson type in "Things to do in Tucson" or "Things to do in Arizona" (You can also click the link) in the search bar of my blog, I have several more fantastic animal attractions and more in Tucson to share with you & when all done within a few days it makes for a action packed vacation. 

**This is not a sponsored post, my family & I decided to visit the zoo while we were in the area and paid to visit the zoo. I enjoy sharing some of the fun places we've been & things we've seen with my readers so they can enjoy it too if they get a chance.**