Late in April, the older girls had a day off from school, so we decided to do a family adventure. I had heard about the Salisbury Zoo out in Salisbury, MD, and discovered that there was a large playground right next to it. Even better, the zoo had a sloth, Stormy’s favorite animal. It was a bit of a drive for a small zoo, but we thought the playground, and even the rest of the park, where the zoo is located, would be fun to explore. We packed sunscreen and a picnic lunch, and set off.
The Salisbury Zoo is located in the Salisbury City Park. The address is 755 South Park Drive, Salisbury. There are plenty of signs to direct oneself to the right location, too. We found the playground first, but the lot there was full. We drove further down the road only to discover the zoo lot was also full. We ended up in an overflow lot near the zoo’s entrance. The Salisbury Zoo is free to enter, although a donation is suggested, and it is open from 9 to 4:30pm every day, except for Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Our girls were super excited as we entered the zoo, but their excitement, and ours, ebbed fairly quickly. We were able to see the snakes and alpacas, along with some peacocks, bison, flamingos, and a deer. The sloth stayed hidden, as did the red wolf, the otters, the beaver, the lynx, and more. The area where the monkeys were located was closed off because monkeys can catch Covid-19. We did see a Spectacled Bear, but the poor animal was just pacing back and forth. We all felt sorry for him. The zoo didn’t smell great, either, especially over near the lynx enclosure.
My girls were thrilled when we popped out on the other side of the zoo at the playground. It is a rather sizeable playground with a lot for the girls to check out, plus it is mostly enclosed so younger kiddos can’t make a break for it. There is even a neat little pavilion where you can get misted with water.
While the girls played, I received a phone call from one of my best friends who was staying nearby. Her two daughters are my older kiddos’ besties. She invited us all over to play, and my girls leaped at the chance to see their friends. We left the sad little zoo behind, and drove out to Ocean Pines where the girls got to play together in the water and sand for a good chunk of the afternoon.
We capped our long day off with ice cream for dinner at Vanderwende’s on our way home. The beginning of our adventure was not the best, but boy did it end on a happy note! Water, sand, and time with friends make for the happiest of adventures. As for the Salisbury Zoo, I wouldn’t recommend visiting, although, if you live close, the playground was cool, and the rest of the city park looked like fun. Happy trails!
