Fossil Rim Trip - Any tips

[movingex]

I'm taking my 10 & 11 year old kids to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center on Thursday. If anyone has any tips on how to get the most out of the day let me know.

How much time can you kill at the Wildlife center and the Dinosaur Valley State Park? I am planning on going on Thursday and spending the night and staying as long on Friday as needed.

I'm just taking the kid's point & shoot cameras as I don't know if there is any need for anything else.

Any tips appreciated.

[Imagebuffet]

LOL! You could spend all day at Fossil Rim! I was in a hurry, so I just drove around the trail one time and shot photos from my car. But, you can feed the animals (if you buy the food pellets from the visitor center) and you can watch the rhinos. The view from the highest point in the park is beautiful. They also have free-roaming giraffes, antelope and ostriches and some caged cheetahs. Figure on a few hours at Fossil Rim, at least. I also advise you to ignore the other idiots and obey the signs that remind you that these are wild animals, and not to let them in your vehicle. A guy in the car ahead of me allowed a wildebeest to stick his entire head inside the driver's side window. Not smart!

I spent an hour or two at Dinosaur Valley State Park. Really, how long do you think you would spend wandering along a creek, finding giant dinosaur footprints? Now, the park probably will be more crowded this Thursday than it was when I visited, as I go during the off-season. Of course, you can camp in the Park, too.

[Westx]

One thing I would say is leave the P&S at home and take your good camera. You might regret it if you don't. Lots of things to take shots of.

[L Stegall]

Your kids will have a blast. If you have food you purchase to feed the animals, don't worry, they will come to you, so P&S will be fine (or not, saw Wes's post - I just mean you won't need a big zoom)! And some will be insistent about it. Last time we went, we took my brand new car and one rather pushy Zebra tried to bite my side mirror and then tried to stick his head in the car and to nibble my leather headrest as I was frantically trying to roll the window up (and I didn't have it down all the way either). There is a pretty vista from a point mid-way around the Park and it's a great place to stop and have a picnic if you want. I'd get there as early and or as late as possible for the animals to be as active as possible. The cheetahs are behind fencing - hard to get good shots of them and the rest all have big tags on their ears, so hard to photograph without having those tags in the shot. Still, the kids love it and it's a fun drive.

[Imagebuffet]

Originally Posted by L Stegall

Your kids will have a blast. If you have food you purchase to feed the animals, don't worry, they will come to you, so P&S will be fine (or not, saw Wes's post - I just mean you won't need a big zoom)! And some will be insistent about it. Last time we went, we took my brand new car and one rather pushy Zebra tried to bite my side mirror and then tried to stick his head in the car and to nibble my leather headrest as I was frantically trying to roll the window up (and I didn't have it down all the way either).

Yeah, the animals will be pushy about getting a free hand-out, even if you don't buy any food. I am a cheapskate, so I did not buy any food. I got cornered more than once by a gang of young punks, and I didn't think they were going to let me go! I also kept my windows rolled up almost the entire time. Those guys do want in the cars!

[trac76002]

Originally Posted by L Stegall

Your kids will have a blast. If you have food you purchase to feed the animals, don't worry, they will come to you, so P&S will be fine (or not, saw Wes's post - I just mean you won't need a big zoom)! And some will be insistent about it. Last time we went, we took my brand new car and one rather pushy Zebra tried to bite my side mirror and then tried to stick his head in the car and to nibble my leather headrest as I was frantically trying to roll the window up (and I didn't have it down all the way either). There is a pretty vista from a point mid-way around the Park and it's a great place to stop and have a picnic if you want. I'd get there as early and or as late as possible for the animals to be as active as possible. The cheetahs are behind fencing - hard to get good shots of them and the rest all have big tags on their ears, so hard to photograph without having those tags in the shot. Still, the kids love it and it's a fun drive.

Lots of the animals are pushy :P The ostrich chased our car on the way out

[CaptainTom]

Last time I was there with a fellow TPF'er I got a face full of Zebra DNA.
For some reason my passenger thought it was hilarious.......

[shutterfire]

Originally Posted by CaptainTom

Last time I was there with a fellow TPF'er I got a face full of Zebra DNA.
For some reason my passenger thought it was hilarious.......

ROLFLMA Tom was that DNA coded with sputum,feces or urine?

we went to an animal park in Gentry Oklahoma a few years back. I had a brand new Volvo S70 the first year it came out. Anyway they had free roaming baboon's and spider monkeys. Thought that my daughter would really enjoy this. My Wife happened to have a few apples in the car with us and cut them up into itty bitty bite size morsels. I opened the sun roof a little bit and next thing you know I had 30 monkeys on my car sticking there hands through the sun roof to grap a piece of apple. Then it got scary when we ran out of apples. They started pulling on the windshield wipers and were defacating all over the car. In fact 2 of them were having coitus on the trunk. I had pardon the expression "Monkey Sh*t" all over my car. The worst part it was a hot summer and the nearest carwash was 30 miles away. Nothing like trying to get baked monkey crap off a new car. Lesson learned never fed the monkeys after that.

[lscottpht]

I highly suggest, if it's not booked and if you can do it money wise, to stay at the Safari Camp which is part of the Lodge at Fossil Rim. We have always stayed there, and the kids and adults LOVE it! It backs up to the park, so you can sit and watch the animals come up to the watering hole in the evening. They also roast marshmallows and have a DELICIOUS buffet breakfast. The rooms are made to look like tents, but they are actually solid and have a nice bathroom in them. It usually books out way in advance, so they might have availability in the lodge part, which is still nice. The nice thing about staying there, too, is that you can do the tour in their flat bed trucks with benches of the park before the park actually opens. I think it's around $30pp for that, but HIGHLY worth it! They take you to parts that you can't drive to, as well, on the normal tour. Anyway, the kids love Fossil Rim and the petting zoo, as well as Dinosaur Valley. The footprints are in the water, so bring swim shoes and swim suits. It's not very deep. Have fun! It's one of my fave places!

[CaptainTom]

A zebra sneeze is a sneeze you'll never forget...

[toverman]

We've done Dinosaur Valley State Park and it's a lot of fun, especially if you've got kids who are even remotely interested in dinos. Actually haven't been to Fossil Rim, it's on my things-to-do-before-we-move-away bucket list, though.

Kind of like going to Palo Duro was on my list before leaving West Texas, but I've got to go back and do that.

[movingex]

Just what I was hoping to get.

Thanks again.

[Imagebuffet]

Originally Posted by CaptainTom

A zebra sneeze is a sneeze you'll never forget...

Could be worse. The signs warn against standing within 30 feet of the rhinos' butts.

[lscottpht]

Oh, here's the link to the Safari Camp: Fossil Rim Wildlife Center

[jtillery]

If you can get a truck and let the kids ride in the back, they will have a blast. I would get there as soon as it opens. With the truck, there is a good chance the giraffee will come up and eat out your hand. The ostriches and zebras can be pushy. I had one reach in and turn on my blinker..tapping a zebra on the nose might get you nipped at. If the sheep are on the bridge be prepared to stay a while, they arent moving till you throw enough food out there. Make sure to bring a picnic lunch for the half way point, the eatery is pretty expensive. The kids should have a great time, my nephews are still wanting me to take them back.