Inspiration Wednesday: Meaningful gifts, week 1

Checking out the grubby hands on their way - Kristin Burns

When I first mentioned the Queens Zoo to my husband, who grew up in Flushing, he seemed to remember they had some squirrels and maybe a dog. Ha! Luckily either his memory is bad or the zoo has vastly improved from his childhood.

We have visited the zoo with our daughter and my parents. Walking from enclosure to enclosure, it's a nice little circle with lots of trees and places to rest along the way. I loved watching the sea lions swimming & pumas lazily checking us out. But the real star is the petting zoo.

Curious sheep - Kristin Burns

The staff couldn't be friendlier. I'm hoping to check it out again this year now that my daughter is walking and can terrorize follow the animals better. I love that she can begin learning about the right way to treat animals and how important taking care of our planet is to all living creatures.

Zoos can get pretty crowded in NYC during the summer, but the Queens Zoo is open year-round. This month it looks like they are giving the bears presents every weekend. How cute is that?

Andean bears get Holiday Gifts - Suzanne Bolduc ©WCS

Why not give a zoo membership to the animal lovers on your gift list too? The annual membership includes admission to the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park, Prospect Park, and Queens Zoos. A family of four can have membership for as low as $120 - a lovely gift that gives back to conservation and wildlife.