One of my very favorite things about the summer is Nana Camp and this past summer, my mom wanted to take the kids to check out Noah’s Ark. The flood is coming y’all. Get building.
Actually it’s not unless you live in DC or Cedar Rapids. (On a very serious note – to all my friends in those regions…please be safe!) But back to this summer activity….we went to check out Noah’s Ark. Noah’s Ark is an animal rehabilitation center in Locust Grove Georgia and it was so cute. Now that the weather is FINALLY starting to cool down, it would be amazing to check it out.
My mom packed a lunch for us and immediately we were swarmed with chickens and ducks.
All the kids were a little freaked out at how aggressive these birds would try to snag their crackers. It was like in Finding Nemo where the birds were all squawking MINE! MINE! MINE!
You really had to guard your lunch. And yes….we got in trouble because the kids would throw down their crackers in fear and then the birds would eat it. Apparently that is a big no-no.
This might be my favorite picture of the day….Max had no idea what to do….and I was hoping that the duck wouldn’t grab one of his little nuggety toes. They look pretty delicious to me 🙂
You can go on the tour for free if you just want to walk yourself around the paths. That is what we decided to do….but first we made a donation. Apparently these animals are a lot of rescues….and there are even exotic animals like tigers…but they cost a lot to feed and care for. So I’m sure they value every little bit of contributions. They have a page on ways to help if you are interested. Here is the link. This isn’t sponsored or anything….just a fan.
Also….Big Bird’s cousin thanks you 🙂
The kids never saw an ostrich before and when we explained how big their eggs were, their eyes were so big!
Ostriches really are funny looking aren’t they? Maybe they will make it big one day in the world of decor. Like the next flamingo 🙂
Will was really excited that a dragonfly landed on him and he was dying for me to take a photo….
They have more than just exotic animals – they also have farm type animals which makes it really fun.
Weston loved the ‘orses’ – we explained to him that they were a donkey and he was looking really hard before he said “NOPE. Dat’s a ORSE. a ORSE mommy.”
I’m hoping their were no snakes in that hole!
When we attended, there was a big article about how we should definitely go see the Noah’s Ark BLT. They had Bears, Lions, and Tigers. Apparently…Leo the lion has since passed away. It’s kinda surreal to know that he was there when we visited and then only two weeks later, he was gone. It makes this place feel very different than a zoo….more important somehow because some of these animals are literally fighting to stay alive.
Which makes sense too….we had a hard time getting a photo of the lion so we settled for getting lots of the very active bears 🙂
Weston and Clay especially liked the monkeys and lemurs. My mom did too….we now call her the queen of the jungle if that indicates how she interacted with the primates. She might have been cussing them all out in their language….I guess we will never know 🙂
We also learned a whole lot about white tigers….which are beautiful yes but have a legit ton of problems since they are basically inbred animals. I never knew that! They also are born with siblings that are golden usually which are killed because the white tigers are the ones that breeders pick out. It’s so sad! I was reading the poster outside the fence and realized what I was about to say out loud and just stopped talking completely because I didn’t want Will to hear…..and he was like “WHAT MOM!? WHAT HAPPENS TO THE OTHER TIGERS?!” I hate that. I know he is only little once and I try to protect his little ears from bad things like people breeding animals just to kill them. I can’t imagine trying to tell him about kids getting abused or other terrible things.
On a lighter note…this guy reminds me of Jeremy on date night….
After it was all said and done, the kids voted that they loved the birds the best. I think it was because some of them could talk.
Also because they could actually see them without a zoom lens 🙂
When we were done, LJ was asleep, Will didn’t want to leave and the other kids were ready to cool off. It ended up being a really memorable time and I am really glad we went because these kinda facilities are really important.
And if you are interested in other Georgia activities, check out this roundup I did of all my favorite spots. Happy exploring y’all!
Looks like a wonderful rescue facility.
Just want you to know though, I think that’s an emu, not an ostrich. Emus also have big eggs, but they are a deep green!
I think that’s actually and Emu, not an ostrich. Go Aussie!
So cute! Although, that bird looks an awful lot like an Emu to me. BUT I think Anthropologie used to have the cutest little Ostrich stuffed animal, so maybe they’re making their way into the decor world afterall 🙂
I’ve wanted to go to Noah’s Ark for a while now, how sad that Leo passed away! It seems like a wonderful place, and your recap makes to want to go even more. I think that might be an emu though, not an ostrich? 🙂
What a sweet nana! I actually saw her with some of your boys and your sister’s at chick fil a, on a nana camp day! I had seen your Instagram post and then saw them later that day. I’m also the one that saw your sis in Kroger but didn’t say anything..celebrity sightings everywhere!
Sorry but that is not an ostrich it is an emu!
Hi from Australia Katie. Love reading your blog and the way you share your life and beautiful family with us. Your first pictures are of an Australian Emu (not an ostrich!) They are a really unique bird aren’t they? x
WHAT?! I am in total shock right now.
xo – kb
WHAT?! WHOA YOU ARE BLOWING MY MIND.
xo – kb
Ahhh! Next time just say hi! They totally get it a lot and they love it 🙂
xo – kb
Yup – another Aussie here and that’s an emu. Very cool to see one on the other side of the world! I had one run across the road in front of me last week. Ha ha #onlyinaustralia
This a great (super fun) comedy song about emus that I thought your kids might enjoy. It’s catchy so you might find yourself singing it for a while 😀 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx3P7t_0_NM
Another beautiful post. Thank you.
Hmmm, that’s a cool place! Might have to check it out sometime. I love the Maxi Knight pic too…”don’t eat my toes!!!!”
Just wondering…am I the only one that isn’t able to see your text unless I highlight it? It seems like it is in white or something? It wasn’t that way last week and now it is. Maybe it’s just me!
Thanks!
I’m with Danielle here. I saw lots of Ostriches in Kenya and that’s Emu. But they’re both huge birds and fun to watch.
I thought, based on the title and your early shout-out to the midwest, that you had gone to the Wisconsin Dell treasure Noah’s Ark WATERPARK. Animals are cool too, I guess… 😉
Could you please comment on your double stroller and if you LOVE it?
Thanks for the shout-out to Cedar Rapids….I’m north of that about 45 minutes in Cedar Falls, Iowa and we had some devastating flooding a few days before Cedar Rapids did. 2nd highest crest ever….100 year flood 8 years ago and we were just about 2 feet short of that this time…so much for the idea of a 100 year flood! But then again, that’s what happens when mother nature dumps 8-12 inches of rain in the river basin and it’s tributaries…water has to go somewhere, right?
ANyway, looks like a fun trip!
We actually have two….and yes, we love different strollers for different reasons 🙂 This one is great because they are side by side and the wheels can be locked or swivel and then the seats individually collapse. I like the basket space too. The one thing I don’t like is the tray….it’s SO nice to have a nice big tray but for whatever reason, every time we fold up the stroller, the tray pops off 🙁 That is the only real negative.
xo – kb
I think it has to do with Firefox being messed up. Here is a link to an explanation on how to set your firefox to default settings…that should solve the issue.
xo – kb
Look at that handsome herd of animals I mean human boys 🙂 Looks like a lot of fun and a good way to introduce small people to compassion and how important it is to be good stewards of our planet and all its inhabitants.
We’ve been doing boring stuff – updating the front door. But it makes me happy! 🙂
https://wanderlustingbydesign.com/2016/09/29/making-an-eh-door-the-door/
Thanks for the tech support. I ended up pulling it up on Chrome and where I was once blind, now I can see!
Thank you!
We love going there since it’s only 20 minutes away from our house! Have you heard of Dauset Trails? My in-laws took my kids there and raved about it. It’s also super close to two great state parks.
I just wanted to let you know that I’m not able to see the text in your post. Which is weird because I can see all of the other text on your site. Even the words I’m typing right now. It’s the the actual words in the posts. It only seems to be happening on your site but I’m not sure if it’s something on my end or if anyone else is having this problem.
Haha I was about to say that too! It’s an Australian emu 🙂 Love from Sydney!
I think it has to do with Firefox being messed up. Here is a link to an explanation on how to set your firefox to default settings…that should solve the issue.
xo – kb
Once again darling pics of the boys! I am a Nana too, to a sweet boy 18 hrs away. Miss him lots!
In the last photo of Nana and her boys. I counted 5! Did you slip one in?!
Plus I love the many, many post on the non ostrich! Cute!
That is Clay! He is my sister’s little boy and he is close to Weston in age….they will be in the same grade growing up 🙂
xo – kb
Nope. I just tried that and it didn’t work. I can see anything that is a link but actual text isn’t showing. It’s definitely something with Firefox because your site works just fine in Safari. I don’t know what’s going on or how to fix it.
Hmm…interesting. Let me do a little more research and let you know.
xo – kb