Helpful Mom

I’m so excited, we’ve decided to take the kids to African Lion Safari next weekend.  I was doing research for a trip to Syracuse to visit a friend there and the zoo and found out that with Seneca Park Zoos membership the African Lion Safari this summer is 100% free as a reciprocal zoo.  You see I’m so excited because in the past the most off they offered was 15% off the tickets which run from $25-$30 per person so 100% off is an amazing steal not to be missed.  So off we go…

I’m such a huge fan of memberships and season passports, we have memberships nearly everywhere because it saves us so much money.  My kids aren’t huge fans of staying at home so we go somewhere nearly everyday, sometimes more than one place in one day.  Like Monday we are going to go to the library for a program, then they are going to the Y for an afternoon camp and then who knows what we’ll do before heading home for the day.  By the time we head home they are ready to settle in with a  movie and some cuddling.  Anyways we use our memberships quite a lot as you may have noticed and part of the reason we have the memberships is because of the reciprocal programs that we can take advantage of on vacations.  Last year we went to Virginia Beach and we were able to go to at least 5 different museums and they were all free using our science and zoo memberships.  Plus part of the cost of the memberships is tax deductible, they will usually send you a receipt telling you what amount is deductible.

We have gone to African Lion Safari a few times before and it’s one of my favorites.  We are big fans of animals around here and any chance to see them so up close is just too fun.  See the unique thing about the Safari is their drive thru wildlife park.  Our favorite is the monkeys who literally climb all over your car and hang on your windows.  But you also see lions, zebras, rhinos, giraffes, ostriches, and many more different animals from around the world.  You can either drive your own car through or pay to ride their buses for an additional fee.  We like to drive our own car so we can go at our speed and take great photos, but the monkeys like to eat the glue that holds the trim around the windows in place so if you are concerned about your cars safety the bus is the way to go.

They have numerous animal shows as well as play areas for the kids, including their new water park area.  The park is about a 3 1/2hr drive from Rochester and not hard to find.  We have done it 2 different ways in the past, either getting up early and driving straight there, spend the day and then drive home; or what we are going to do this time, drive to the falls, spend the night beforehand at a hotel and spend the whole day at the park before driving home that evening.  It just depends on the ages of your kids and their tolerance of long drives and how well they travel.  But most important to note is that African Lion Safari is in Canada so you do need passports for everyone in your family to be able to go.   Or if you only ever plan on going into Canada and Mexico you can opt for the less expensive ID card.  Either way be prepared.  And have fun.