A day at the Henson Robinson zoo!

Henson Robinson Zoo in Springfield, Illinois is a wonderful small zoo where you can enjoy animals and art! Located along Lake Springfield, I took an afternoon off with my daughter Allie, and the grandkids for an afternoon outdoors and we had a great time.

Art at the zoo

The zoo recently partnered with the Pharmacy Gallery to place art pieces around the grounds! I always think art adds so much. I admit I think I enjoyed the art as much as the animals. They added a lot of colorful pieces that drew in the eye and made great places for pictures!

Art in nature is always a draw as well! This tree reminds me of the coming winter! He looked like a wood nymph!

Allie was all about seeing the big cats, and the grandkids were about seeing the black bear. I got a selfie with a snake that was behind glass, I almost dropped the phone even though we were not able to touch. I could still feel the sssssslither!

The Animals!

We saw a cougar, an eagle, a huge Eurasian vulture, otters, a bobcats and a Shetland pony that wanted to take a bite! Goats with crazy horns danced in the farm lot, and a pygmy goat was cute as could be. There was a butterfly garden, but best of all, it was a lovely fall day, we were outside and together!

Even though they are older now, the kids even played a bit on the playground. The zoo wasn’t very crowded and everyone stayed 6′ apart, so masks were not required out of doors.

Inside we donned our masks and shopped in the gift shop. The kids and Allie and I could not resist the stuffed African Painted dog. We admired the real animals when we were touring at the zoo.

Plan an hour or two the zoo is open daily from 10-5 until November 22nd so there is still time for fall fun. Art, animals and family make for a great day! What have you been doing to enjoy fall?

If you enjoyed this story, read about the St. Louis zoo and the Lincoln Park zoo.