It was the beginning of summer and my 5-year-old was reading all of the books in the house. Including a Christmas book about a baby hippo. We had read A Very Fiona Christmas before but not a lot. My boy loved the story and I asked if he remembered that Fiona was real. He was shocked! I told him about what I knew and that she lives in a zoo. I had to double-check and was excited to confirm that she was right in our own state, just a few hours away at the Cincinnati Zoo. So, we went there!
The Cincinnati Zoo is quite big and full of amazing animals. We went on a mission to find some hippos, but we loved everything before and after. We stayed right up until closing time and still wished we could have been there longer.
My 5-year-old loved using the map to follow along the path to Hippo Cove to find Fiona and her family! The first hippo we spotted was mama Bibi (who was still pregnant with baby Fritz). She was just hanging out with her backside to us for a bit while the fish were having a snack (aka cleaning her).
After a while, papa Tucker came around and caused a loud ruckus to let his presence be known. Then, Fiona appeared! Let me tell you, you don’t realize how big hippos are just from online videos alone. Fiona herself was quite big, but nothing compared to her mama and papa. It was amazing to sit back and watch them move about, sit underwater, and peek up at the top.
Our favorite animals to see were the orangutans, bonobos, giraffes, rhinos, and bald eagles.
Some of the must-sees, according to my children, include:
Fiona and her family
Dip n Dots
Carousel & Train rides
Cheetahs
Giraffes
Check the schedule when you arrive to be sure you make it to the Cheetah Encounter. Plan to feed the giraffes. Take a break to eat at the Base Camp Cafe which is located perfectly near the Safari Train Station so you can take a break to eat and then enjoy a ride around the track. There are multiple stops for Dip n Dots also!
Before you go, be sure to check out all of the extra experiences that will be available on the day of your visit by going to www.cincinnatizoo.org.
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