After spending the last few days of the polar vortex trapped inside our dorm, my friends and I were looking for any excuse to spend the day outside. Lucky for us, the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend hosts several “Winter Days” throughout the cold winter months, where they open the zoo up during the off season for only $5.50! We wanted to take advantage of the warm weather (read: a high of 42), so off to the zoo we went!
The Potawatomi Zoo is home to over 450 animals, and almost all of them are out and about during Winter Days! From Bison, to Painted Dogs, to Snow Leopards and more, you won’t be disappointed by all of the animals you get to see rolling around and playing in the snow.
The zoo is also home to goats and alpacas, and has a fenced in area where visitors can feed and pet them! Make sure to bring quarters with you for the food machine, and try not to get freaked out by the goat’s horizontal pupils! They’re super sweet (and not at all camera shy), and will stay by you as long as you’re feeding them…
petting them…
or playing them opera music! (This alpaca was a huge fan of Maria Callas – check her out!)
Mark your calendars, because the next Winter Day is March 2nd from 12-3 pm! There is a bake sale every Winter Day to benefit various volunteer projects at the Zoo, and the carousel and train are open, weather permitting. (Be sure to get there by 2:30, because the last admission time is a half hour prior to closing) We’ll see you there!