Pro tip: the zoo's reptile house vs the petting zoo - which one actually gets kids laughing more?

I took my niece and nephew to the city zoo last Saturday and noticed the reptile house was dead silent while the petting zoo had kids howling at a goat stealing a bag of chips. The reptile house had cool facts and glass tanks but the petting zoo had chaos and mess. Do you think structured exhibits or messy interaction zones create more laughs for visitors?

2 comments

2 Comments

grace_campbell13d ago

took my kids to the zoo last month and the petting zoo was way funnier. a goat tried to eat my daughter's hair tie right off her head and she screamed laughing. the reptile house just had them staring at snakes not moving. messy chaos wins every time for getting real laughs out of kids.

taylorc4013d ago

Yeah, that "staring at snakes not moving" line got me. I took my own kids years ago and the reptile house was basically a nap room for them. But the petting zoo? That was where all the comedy happened. I actually got my shoelace untied by a very determined goat, and of course I tripped trying to get away from it. Grace, you're right - the messy chaos is what makes those trips memorable. The kids don't care about the educational part, they just want to see an animal do something silly. That hair tie story is going to be one of those family legends she tells at Thanksgiving for years.