McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park

I was so happy that I came across this little gem of a park before we left and made plans for a visit. We spent a relaxing day exploring the park together. The kids started by playing on the two playgrounds: an adobe village and traditional playground before we made our way to the carousel, model train exhibit, museum and miniature train ride. It was another beautiful, blue sky day in the valley with lots of sunshine & smiles!

Love this photo of Degen!

The kids rode in the cattle car their first trip on the train.

The Bil Keane memorial.

The large model train exhibit was amazing! The kids loved looking at all the miniature landscapes and passing trains!

The railroad museum includes FDR's presidential Pullman car.

Kyrie loved the little rooms in the Pullman car.

Our last stop before we left the park was for ice cream, of course!

Our little clown in his ice cream 'make-up.'

On a Camel Near Camelback

Well, you can't very well go to the desert and NOT ride a camel! The kids were most excited because the zoo offered camel rides. It was one of the first things we did when we got to the zoo, and the experience made the day extra-special!

Phoenix Zoo

We took advantage of another beautiful day with a visit to the Phoenix Zoo! We had no trouble getting there bright & early as the kids were up around 5:00 in the morning, still adjusting to the 3-hour time difference. And, since the sun rises early in the desert, we couldn't give them much reason to head back to bed...yawn! 

The PHX Zoo has a nice layout with lots of animals & attractions that we don't have at our zoo. We did about half the zoo in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. The zoo is made for the heat, so there are three different areas where kids can get wet and cool off. Two are splash pads (one just for little kids) and the other area is a tree house with a shallow stream flowing beside it.

The kids liked watching these prairie dogs during our lunch break.

There were turtles swimming & sunning in the ponds around the zoo.

The petting zoo is a favorite no matter where you are.

The kids practiced milking a cow at the farm animal exhibit.

We stopped for a cool treat in the afternoon!

The kids had a lot of fun pretending to drive this jeep into the jungle. Kyrie's face in the photo below is one of my favorites!

The kids enjoying the splash pad, which is positioned around a cave structure with tunnels and slides to explore. Lots of families bring swimsuits for the kids. We did not, but they were dry by the time we reached the front gate to leave!

Degen making the case for drinking lots of water!