It was about 700am yesterday (Saturday) morning when both kids crawled into bed with us, signifying they were ready for the day to start. We lifted Izzabelle out of the hotel crib and she joined us, too. Mornings together in one bed are some of my favorite family times. It just feels right to be laying there together, talking, laughing… it’s, well, family.
Yesterday was set up as our longest day of driving. That meant, from the get-go, that this would be a tiring travel day.
We awoke to yet more rain as the Southeast continues to be drenched. Tybee Island was no different. The rain was falling, which ruled out a morning walk on the beach that we had hoped to sneak in before getting on the road. But that was ok. We had complimentary breakfast at the hotel. The kids filled their tummies. It’s nice that, on the whole, the assortment of fruit and donuts and muffins is exactly the kind of thing the kids like. Of course, I’d like eggs, maybe some waffles, but as long as the kids get a full meal in, that makes road travel much easier.
So I pulled the Jeep under the covered hotel entrance and we packed back up, hitting the road about 10am.
Around 1pm, we hit Columbia, South Carolina, home of the Riverbanks Zoo. The zoo was particularly packed for a rainy Saturday afternoon. Luckily, we arrived between downpours and managed to stay dry.
As part of our zoo-pass fun and traveling with our kids to other zoos and evaluating them, Melodia and I made our mental lists of likes and dislikes as we explored this zoo.
The zoo had some attractive exhibits, a good zoo store, and a few things for kids. We typically avoid all playground areas like the plague, as they are usually too small and overpopulated on a trip to the zoo.
The store’s are of interest to us. With our annual zoo pass that we purchase from the Buffalo Zoo for $100 per year, we get in free to about 100 zoos in the U.S. We like buying the pass, and consider it our donation to the zoos. When we’re at another zoo, we’ll typically shop in their zoo store and allow the kids to pick out something for themselves. While zoo stores are admittedly overpriced and many times feature all of the same content of other zoo stores, we consider shopping at the zoo store our way of donating to that particular zoo. Thus, we don’t concern ourselves with it too much.
We interested our kids in Schleich animals at an early age, and while we prefer those to Safari Limited, since most zoos carry Safari (and some Schleich), that’s our typical zoo contribution. The kids add an animal to their collection. They love it, and we like their growing collection of a hundred-plus animals. We’ve really gotten bang-for-the-buck out of those animal purchases over the years.
Well, I mentioned earlier that we made our list about the pluses and minuses of the zoos we travel, so here’s the other side. I had too major thoughts really.
One is this, and it applies to many zoos, zoos should quit trying to bill themselves as kid-friendly places to go if their exhibits cannot be seen by an individual under 42-inches tall. This is my number one pet-peeve related to zoo travel. Too many zoos have created enclosures that kids cannot enjoy without being lifted up by their parents. Zoos, here this, you are NOT kid-friendly if kids cannot enjoy your exhibits at their level. You are adult friendly, so stop all your advertising, or invest in changing the way animal exibits are set up!
Some zoos do this really well, and we’ve mentioned them before. Our Erie Zoo trip showed us that. And when Melodia posts about the NC Zoo, that’s something they do well, too. But it’s extremely frustrating for me as a dad that a little person cannot walk up and see the Lions in all their glory. Why don’t people try standing on their knees when they imagine the creation of these things?! I often get down to my son and daughter’s height so I can see the world as they do – and sometimes, depending upon the place, it’s very disappointing. If adults weren’t there to point things out, it’d be like just another walk for the kids, and they’d have missed many of the animals.
So the Riverbanks Zoo fails on the kid-friendly side in my opinion… because having a play area, a few statues to climb on, and a zoo store, don’t make a zoo kid-friendly, being able to see the animals as a kid, at kid-height, is the number one requirement in my book. I want my kids to run up to the next exhibit, “Papi, come over here; papi, look at these x. Wow!” Rather than, “Papi, lift me up; papi, what’s in there?” Zoo’s and those who work in them should shutter everytime they here a kid in their park utter one of these phrases!
My second critique: there was almost no place to sit (which couples with my
third and final critique below. But seriously, it felt like we were at the cattle call of zoos– just roll everyone on through. Quick, look at this, then keep moving. Why in the world zoos choose not to create seating for extended viewing time of their animals and/or for families is beyond me. One would think, that according to solid marketing principles, the goal would be keep your customers attention as long as you can.
We bought ice cream (Go Dipping Dots!) at a Kiosk station along the exibits but we had no place to sit with the kids and enjoy it. Translated, eating ice cream while standing as a 4- or 3-year-old and trying to beat “the Melt” isn’t fun. Like my critique here, it just felt like “hurry up, hurry up.” And I’m back to the kid-friendly zoo notion. The Riverbanks Zoo just failed to be a family friendly place, and probably should be avoided by families traveling the country looking for such zoos and experiences for their kids.
One final critique: why do zoos, parks, and other things create expansive out of the way loops to direct their traffic? I think it’s funny at any zoo when there is about only two ways to walk the zoo, clockwise or counter, and that the travel time between exibits is more for avid hikers than zoo-goers. The one exception, here? If the zoo’s enclosures are so expansive that they dictate longer walks between them. I’m 100% ok with a hike when it’s because animals are living on acres rather than square feet.
Melodia and I try not to push that question too much in front of our young kids, but we certainly feel at times, touring some zoos, that we’re looking at animal jails – and probably should be sad for these creatures. Again, some zoos do it right – the wildlife wilderness are of the NC Zoo demonstrates that, and I’ll gladly trek the distance with my kids knowing that the elephants, rhinos, and others have so many acres to wander.
To recap, it was fun to explore a new zoo and see what they had to offer, but other than checking another zoo off the list, we weren’t overly impressed with the layout and design of the Riverbanks Zoo. Still, it was worth the trip.
After heading out, we stopped at a China Buffet for lunch. Then, we drove to North Carolina. This was our longest day of traveling, and we really felt it. As we use this trip as a test trip for future fun with the kids, we’ve been compiling our list of how we’d like to road trip. Two items now on that list:
- Travel in 2-hour or less stints, 120 or so miles between sites of interest
- Stay in places for 2 nights, so that there is one day of non-travel between sites (this has been especially key in places where we’ve really enjoyed the hotel we have been in – and of course, in those with much to see and do; but the main issue is having down-time, having the ability to relax and not always feel on the go — this trip has necessitated the on-the-go feeling, because we’ve got a time limit in which to get home, but it’s also reminded us that we want a more leisurely pace when we can)
In the evening, we made one more stop before arriving at the hotel. The REI store in Greensboro, NC. I love REI, and look for chances to get into their stores when on the road (like I do for Chipotle’s).
Melodia and I long for more outdoor (hiking, backpacking, camping, rock climbing, fishing, kayak/canoeing, etc.) time, and stores like REI, Gander Mountain, Bass Pro, Eastern Mountain Sports, etc. always allow us to “dream” a little. And the kids love exploring them, too, especially all the tents and boats set up. It’s like a playground for them.
We had one of those surprise finds at the REI tonight. We’ve been wanting to buy a couple of kites and have some fun with those for the kids. REI had a couple of kites, albeit a bit pricey, that were the traditional triangle, built out of ripstop nylon and complete with their own small carry bag. So we bought them for the kids. We’re hoping for a windy opportunity on the trip so that they can fly them before we arrive home. We also picked up a few more clothing items for ourselves and the kids.
We arrived at our hotel about 900pm that night. This provided for one final story – one which I’m not sure if I find funny or am upset about. Time will tell, and I guess I could write it down, either way in our Chronicles here. We checked in and took the kids to the room. Upon opening the door, and old man flew up out of his bed in full karate-chop hand action, making a startled sound. His wife still in the bed.
Now I am sure this is a good reminder to them and to us all about the deadbolts on hotel doors. Had they had the deadbolt on, the fact that the hotel just assigned us to their room and gave me their room key would have been nothing other than an inconvenience to us both. But since they didn’t and we were walking into their room, it was quite, well off-putting for both parties.
It was also the type of thing where the kids were have asleep and this stranger jumping out at us in the middle of the night in a strange place quickly woke the kids (and could have sent them into crying and possible nightmares), so that part upsets me.
What is perhaps even more off-putting, is that the front desk staff of the Hampton Inn, Asheboro did little in the way of apology for us. In fact, their customer service person behind the counter almost acted more annoyed (both at the co-worker who might have created this situation and at the notion of having to rebook me and reissue new room keys). It took the utmost of restraint not to reach across the counter and drive my point home, if you know what I’m saying.
Seriously, we don’t train people in quality customer service anymore. We don’t. And you get what you pay for. And as long as corporate America exists and thrives, there is no need for customer service. Seriously, it doesn’t matter if they please me or not, most hotels, airlines, cruises and other travel-industry items are booked based on one key factor, price. As long as customers remain loyal to the price more than anything else, the Hampton and any other travel-industry business, need not worry about customer service. Bad service at the hotel, they need only lower the rates below their competitors, and they’ll secure customers.
It’s sad, isn’t it? But this is the way it is. Since I teach customer service to college students, and worked in it for 2 years with an airline, I’m reminded of it often.
But I would have appreciated a little more empathy from behind the counter. I wasn’t asking for a free night, I wasn’t even asking for extra pillows, but it sure stunk to feel like her apology was uttered under her breath and that she was annoyed – annoyed, my kids were almost asleep… now, they’re wired and on-guard for anymore surprise karate-chopping old men that this hotel might have to offer! And as a result, weren’t back to sleep until after 10pm. Annoyed? come sleep in my room now, I’m mean, come wait for the kids to settle back down so you can fall asleep.
Now, on the plus side, I will say that the beds at the Hampton were so fluffy and comfy, that it was great to ease back into them after such a long day, albeit an hour later than expected.
Totals for the day, about 6 hours on the road and 340 or so miles.
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