One of the strangest, saddest and coolest adventures we've had as a family was at the pumpkin patch last year. We went on a hay ride, picked pumpkins, drank cider and toured the exotic animal exhibition. Who would have thought that, right there in the middle of rural Illinois, our toddler could get up close and personal with a zedonk (a cross between a donkey and a zebra), kangaroos, sloths and a camel? So my husband felt obligated to yell at the camel just to make sure it was still breathing and hadn't slipped off to wild animal heaven right there in its booth, but it was all good. And when I say good, I mean entertaining and creepy. Who brings white tigers to a pumpkin patch?

If you'd like your own kids to see animals in action, and not the animals you banish from the living room in your own house or the kinds that should be safely released to join their herds back in the motherland, Parent Hacks suggests taking the toddlers to the pet store. Be sure to read through the many helpful reader comments for tips on how to avoid puppy mills and places that don't really want kids and parents squealing at the baby mice. You'll also find a few ideas of places where you can view doggy hotel residents through windows or watch caregivers feed animals. Thinking outside the pumpkin patch or mall pet shop, you might find lots of stops for animal viewing in your neighborhood alone. We have a family friend who owns a doggie daycare and she welcomes kid visitors to watch the canines at play and it is always fun to stand at the gate and watch the pups play at the sectioned-off doggie area at the beach.

Just remember that a free trip means that, no matter how adorable it is when your baby bends over giggling to see the rabbits or litter of kittens, you will not come home with a new one every time you visit.