San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers and the San Francisco Zoo

At the beginning of the summer we sat down as a family and discussed what we wanted to do.  We pretty much accomplished what was on the list, with the exception of going to the zoo.

So the weekend before the start of school we took the kids to the San Francisco Zoo.  We also were able to squeeze in a run through Golden Gate Park.

The run through Golden Gate Park has become one of our favorites, especially since we ran the San Francisco Marathon last month.  We took the kids through a really neat tunnel that we discovered on the marathon.  On the other side of the tunnel was this beautiful pond.

After we had spent some time we moved on to the Conservatory of Flowers.

One of the highlights of this run is the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers. What makes it special this time of year is that they have a beautiful Dahlia garden. The different sizes, textures and colours are a feast to the eyes. It makes a great place to turn around in the park.

So after our run we took the kids to the zoo.

It has been awhile since we have been to the San Francisco Zoo.  We have opted instead to go to the Oakland Zoo, partly due to the proximity, partly due to how it has been upgraded.  While the visit to the zoo was nice, it came apparent that it is showing its age.

We have always loved seeing the gorillas. It was fun  watching the mother gorilla play with her adopted baby.  The Alpha was fun to watch as he looked out at the people watching him.  He seemed as if he did not want to be bothered by the baby.

The Savannah paddock is nice, especially seeing the Giraffes and the zebras. 

The lemurs were out frolicking.


The kids had a great time. They also loved the bird exhibit in the Petting zoo.  The golden eagle has gotten so big.

Overall it was a very nice day.   On the way out, kids, Beth and I very tired headed back to the car for the drive home.  On the way out of the zoo, we were treated though to this Doggie Diner Head.  It kind of stands out like, huh, whats that doing here.  There is a story behind this head.  Click on the link for the story.