Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Afternoon at the Lazy 5 Ranch

For years I've heard about the Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, NC.
It's a drive thru zoo and it gets rave reviews.
My in-laws only live 20-minutes from there and they take our niece and nephew there at least once, maybe 2x's a year.
It's one of their favorite places.
So, when I heard a weather forecast in the 70's this past weekend, I suggested to Brad that we make the trek up there.
From Charlotte it was much farther than I expected especially since we live only a couple of miles from the state line.
It took us nearly an hour, but it was worth it.

We had been told by several people that we should opt out of driving our car through, and instead make a reservation for one of their wagon rides.
We chose the 12:45pm ride which allowed Shelby to take her morning nap and eat something before we left home.
Of course, she didn't want to eat much and something told me to pack a picnic, but I didn't do it.
Mom FAIL!!!
I will go with my gut from here on out when it comes to everything.

On to our visit....
She loved the barn area before we boarded our wagon.
She couldn't get enough of the wagon.
Once we took off we immediately saw animals everywhere!
First were the ostriches.
Gosh they were cute and ate right out of our feed buckets.
Seeing the people ride through in their cars made me glad we didn't choose that route.
I'm guessing it takes twice the time to get through the park that way, and the animals are right in the driving path.
To be honest, Shelby is still a little young for the park, but there were parts that she really loved!
Such as feeding the animals.
She wasn't scared at all, and got such a kick out of letting them eat the feed out of her little hands.
Just look at that smile!
(excuse her runny nose)
Daddy loved it too!
It was tough trying to get good pictures when on the wagon.
Juggling feed buckets, Shelby, a diaper bag and a big camera.
I think Brad did a better job capturing pictures than I did.
Cute picture.
Just wish we could have seen her face.
I try and keep a hat on her bald head when it's as sunny as it was this past weekend.
The biggest animals they have at the park are the giraffes.
Shelby loved this too!
About 3/4 of the way through the ride, Shelby got restless and hungry.
UGH...
Wagon wheels were about the only thing I had to give her at that point in time.
Generally they have a full snack bar with hamburgers, pizza and other food for purchase but they were having power issues at the park that day and all they were selling was ice cream.
So...
because Mommy didn't pack a picnic lunch, Shelby ate goldfish and ice cream for a meal.
I felt like a BAD Mom!!
She didn't seem to mind though.
Swings made it all better.

After time on the playground we headed to the petting zoo portion of the park.
Brad and I are such big kids.
We loved it.
It was such a fun day but we were beat!
We both agree, we'll be back when Shelby is a little older.


So, my tips for visiting the park?
* Pack a lunch and drinks
* Reserve spots on a wagon
* Bring lots of hand sanitizer and wipes from where the animals are licking your hands.

Lazy 5 Ranch Rocks!

7 comments:

Sarah O said...

Such a cute trip. I can't believe Shelby wasn't fazed at all by the animals. What a brave girl. You are a wonderful mom, look at the fun things you are doing with your daughter!

Anonymous said...

Love that picture of you and Shelby with the giraffe. So cute! And I love that you said "bring lots of hand sanitizer" - I'd be the exact same way, lol.

Ashley said...

Love your outfit! you look great.
This looks like fun. We don't have anything likes this- a drive through zoo. I laughed a little about the almost hour drive- Almost EVERYTHING around here is at least an hour drive. ha

starnes family said...

I absolutely love this. Such a fun adventure! And Shelby's outfit is darling!

Tricia said...

First off...love your outfit. That hat is adorable! Shelby definitely was enjoying herself, but I could tell the adults did too. :) We have a zoo like that about 40 minutes from the house and although I've heard it's great, I've wondered if I would be freaked out with the animals being so close.

Kate @ Daffodils said...

We used to call it the 'redneck safari' haha Such a fun place for the kids though!

Sara said...

You're a great mom! We all have those moments where we KNOW we should do something, but for some reason we just don't. I've gone off and forgotten diapers before!! Talk about a MOMFAIL. :)

Looks like a ton of fun!