Find Your Own Petting Zoo

I know everyone doesn't have a cow or chicken in their backyard, but you would be surprised who does these days! That is why finding your own petting zoo is easier than you think. When we were visiting our Grandma and Grandpa in Idaho we had a pretty easy time tracking down some four-legged, fuzzy creatures. (It's Idaho, so it is kind of a no-brainer.) Here are a couple of quick searches I did for some major cities where I have lived or love to visit. Most of these petting zoos are a part of a zoo, but others are at farms and several of them are free. If you have others you love, please add your own suggestions in the comments! Neighbors with an array of animals can be just as fun as a petting zoo too!

• New York City Petting Zoos
• Orange County Petting Zoos
• Phoenix Petting Zoos
• San Francisco Petting Zoos
• Seattle Petting Zoos
• Utah Valley Petting Zoos
• Washington D.C. (and suburb) Petting Zoos

This location is probably familiar to most Idaho Falls locals, Reed's Dairy. We didn't have time to go to the zoo on our way out of town, so we figured this would be a quicker (free) stop. In addition to the dairy cows, they have a couple of farm animals nearby that they allow visitors to pet.

Besides learning the names of animals and the sounds they make, I've found allowing Audette to be around animals helps her learn to be gentle and kind. Especially at this age, kids can become aggressive and not understand their own strength. "Gentle" and "soft" are words we are teaching Audette on a regular basis, but with animals, the idea seems to connect more readily when she can pet and interact with them. Seeing her around any type of animal makes me want to find a pet for Audi, but for now we will just visit them.