Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Since moving to Colorado, friends and strangers have been suggesting things we must see and do. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has come up quite a few times, so David and I knew we had to check it out at some point. But when we found out that you could hand-feed giraffes, it quickly moved up to the top of our list!

We arrived bright and early. The zoo offers free animal encounters, and we wanted to squeeze in as many as we could. But first – the giraffes! David and I made a beeline to the food stand and bought several handfuls of lettuce. As soon as the giraffes saw that we had food, they darted over and stuck their long necks right up to us. It was such an amazing experience. The giraffes were so gentle… and hungry! If you didn’t act fast enough they would stick out their long black tongues to snatch the lettuce right out of your hands!

After nearly going broke buying lettuce to feed the giraffes, we pried ourselves away to see rest of the zoo. While walking around it felt like we were visiting each animal in their natural habitat. The zoo is extremely dedicated to making the animals feel at home. We were also surprised to find free-roaming peacocks and birds scattered along the walking path, along with wallabies playfully hopping around with their friends. Even the reptile exhibit was made to look like an art gallery instead of a stinky swamp.

The animal encounters were unbelievable. David and I were just steps away watching lions, wolves, hippos and bears eating with only a steel gate between us. It was incredible, you really got a feel of how large and powerful these animals are. At the end of the day before we left the zoo, we figured the giraffes needed a late lunch, so we stopped by to feed them one last time.

We traveled into Colorado Springs and grabbed dinner at Front Range Barbeque; southern-styled BBQ that reminded us of home. Leaving full and satisfied, David and I decided on a whim to drive through the Garden of the Gods. This was actually one of many stops on our honeymoon a little over a year ago. We took time to admire the snow-capped Pikes Peak, got spooked by a pack of coyotes passing by and took the iconic photo of the park’s unusual rock formations.