We were so excited to finally reach Illinois after a three hour detour and then an additional hour drive. Unfortunately, we were in for the most boring, flat, ugly drive ever once we crossed into Illinois along US-36.
We were so grateful to finally arrive at the Scovill Zoo in Decatur, IL and to get out of the caravan at last! It was only our first out of three destinations for the day. What should have taken only three and a half hours ended up taking six hours. Way too long to be trapped in a vehicle. Thankfully, the Scovill Zoo is so tiny (only 15 acres) that it only takes about an hour to walk through and enjoy.
We decided to take a ride on the Z. O. & O. Express Train. Be aware that it is only a 1-mile track and costs $2.50 a person. The ride ends before it even seems to start. My kids enjoyed seeing the animals especially the cheetahs and screaming through the tunnel.
One of the highlights of our visit was the baby red-necked wallaby. This little joey had just started leaving its mother's pouch a day or two before we arrived. We were lucky enough to see it on the first day this little joey had shown itself to the public. It even started nursing in front of us.
We passed a peacock pacing around the bumper of a zoo truck trying to intimidate its own reflection. Braxton loved seeing another giant tortoise.
The golden lion tamarins were adorable and very curious when the kids walked up. The capybaras and lemurs were very active.
The kids loved the reptile and amphibian house. Braxton was pretending that this python was like the snake in Harry Potter and that he could speak parseltongue to it. Then he acted out the scene where Dudley taps on the glass, ends up falling through and the snake escapes its exhibit.
They have a few larger animals: a lonely zebra, two camels and two cheetahs.
We had to wait for the train to come by so the little ones could check it out.
Another highlight was the baby groundhogs. They were so adorable. At one point a black bird landed near it and was checking it out. The mother and another adult scared it off. Baby groundhog was almost lunch.
The kookaburra reminded us of our friends in Australia.
Braxton loves bald eagles so when we saw this at the end he got so excited.
Last, but not least was the wolf. He waited all day to see it!
All in all the kids enjoyed the Scovill Zoo and the time spent out of the vehicle. It is clean and the animals seem well cared for.
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