A few weeks ago while John was staying in Philadelphia for school the boys and I decided to make a trip into Philly ourselves to see America's first zoo, the Philadelphia Zoo.

Many of these buildings, including the Frank Furness Victorian Gates and gatehouses pictured above, are original structures from the grand opening on July 1, 1874.

One of the two primate houses.

My own little monkey.Takin' a snack break in the reptile exhibit. Oh man, Rendon was so excited to see the elephants. This is his favorite animal. Look at that sneaky grin, I wonder what he's thinking? Oh, that's what he was thinking. Climb on in Rendon.

This is the same tiger cage in the first Rocky movie when Rocky proposes to Adrian, just updated. If you haven't seen the movie you definitely should, it's awesome!Some weird duck pond that needs a makeover. I love history but if you don't this may not be as amazing to you as it was to me. This is the Solitude. This home was built in 1784 by John Penn, grandson of William Penn one of the founders of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. This home has withstood the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Almost a hundred years later the zoo was commissioned to be built and The Solitude was kept exactly where it is to this day in the center of the Philadelphia Zoo. So cool!

The tour of the home wasn't available until the next day, on the 150th anniversary, but a worker said I was welcomed to look through the windows and take pictures. You bet I did. This is the dining room with original walls and flooring. All original ceiling molding and how it's cracking with age. Original staircase. I wish I could have gone upstairs to see the bedrooms. Also about one hundred feet from the house was the old cooking house which has since been torn down, but the underground passage that led from The Solitude to the cooking house still exists and is being renovated for tours.

When I walked up to this house the simplicity of it was so humbling. John Penn built this home with his own hands. I loved how the dining room windows/doors opened up to the patio so that on hot nights the doors would be opened to let in circulation (see first house picture above). There was even an old musty smell as you walked up to the house. It was like stepping into the past. So amazing.

And that concludes our trip to America's first zoo. Thank you for joining us.