Southwick's Wild Animal Farm

Last week (okay, I know I'm supposed to recap more of July, but forgive me, I'm skipping around anyway) we brought the kids to Southwick's Wild Animal Farm - Alex has called it "The New Zoo" for some time now, because it is (or, rather, was) the NEW zoo as opposed to the OLD ZOO.  It was Tuesday.  I was heading off to work and they were heading off to have all the fun.  So at the last minute, I called in to say I was taking a mental health day, and that was that.

The best part of Southwick's is their deer forest.  You buy dried corn and bring it in with you, and the deer are all out and about and many of them come up to you to mooch food.

Julia adopted this one.  This deer was apparently the greeter - it met us at the gate and escorted us into the forest to meet all the other deer.  Julia fell in love, and walked like this, her hand on the deer's back, for quite a while.  After we'd fed deer for a while...

Julia started walking away with her buddy...

When asked where she was going, Julia replied "I'm bringing her back to her mom!"

Julia dropped her new friend off right about here, and that was that.

Later on we went into the farm animal pen...it's mostly an assortment of goats.  There were a couple of llamas in a separate pen, and a rabbit in a hutch...but the goats were the ones ready and waiting for food when we got there.

There was a little barn at one end of the pen, and more goats hanging out in the shade inside.

Julia headed straigh in to join them...

 

But wait...

Hey little guy, why are you all alone?

You wait right here...

HEY!  He can't find his mom and dad!

Once we reassurred her that the goat's parents were around somewhere and that he was okay, she went into the barn to greet all the other goats and make sure they all knew where their moms and dads were.

She's very sweet like that.

Alex, meanwhile, was thrilled to see the rhinos...

And he was so impressed, he directed me to take one more picture to remember them by...

(keep in mind he's a five-year-old boy)

Yep.  Rhino poop. 

Makes the whole trip worthwhile.