(3-30-19) On the first warm, sunny Saturday in months we drove to Asheboro, North Carolina to visit the world’s largest natural habitat zoo.
Situated on 2,600 wooded acres you’d think that overcrowding would never be a problem. We stood in line 30-minutes just to get in the gates and then spent a good part of the day observing the backs of people’s heads. There was a phenomenal amount of parents with baby strollers and rambunctious kids to dodge while hiking the 3-mile loop to view North American and African species.
We violated two rules of good zoo visiting practices. We chose a splendid break in bleak weather that fell on a Saturday and arrived in the afternoon. A great deal of the animals were sleeping or hidden away from view.
My favorite critter was this backstroking Polar Bear.
We talked with a lot of locals and they seemed as amazed as many of the animals at the record volume of visitors that showed up to gawk at them.
With all the human hubbub and afternoon lull in the animal action there were still lots of cool creatures to observe.
Watching wildlife do their thing is a major part of the amusement zoos have to offer.
The habitats were spacious, often held compatible beasts and included realistic touches, like these termite mounds.
We may not have chosen the most opportune day to experience this zoo at its best, but it was great fun and the people watching was a huge part of the overall show.
We felt a little overwhelmed and famished when we left the zoo and headed into Asheboro. A Belgian Stout at Four Saints Brewery and then Pulled Pork Nachos at the Flying Pig Restaurant were just what we needed to chill down for the 2-hour drive back to Charlotte.
We detoured briefly to check out Denton, NC on the drive home. This Denton girl fit right into the small-town atmosphere.
The sun was setting when we got to the Taylorsville Solar Farm. With 4,224 photovoltaic cells this place can light up 150 homes and probably a zoo, too.