Our Weekend With Dexter - The mischievous monkey from "Night at the Museum" swung by for a visit

As part of his whirl wind tour of the United States to promote the March 10, 2015 release of "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" for blu-ray, dvd, and digital download the mischievous monkey from the movie Dexter swung by our house this weekend for a visit.  He tagged along for some of our normal weekend activities like going grocery shopping, to my daughter's dance class, and the twins' swimming lessons plus we enjoyed an afternoon at the Detroit Zoo's Wild Winter Safari Social.

Our family has annual passes to the Detroit Zoo which is about a fifteen minute drive from our home so we go there often, even during Michigan's cold weather months.  The zoo was holding some special events this weekend that included crafts, games, a magic show, an artwork gallery exhibition and a scavenger hunt around the zoo to locate animal facts from the placards displayed at various exhibits.

The kids made binoculars and safari vests, with a little help from Dexter, at the Safari Social's craft tables.  It's remarkable how much fun kids can have with paper grocery bags, toilet paper rolls, some duct tape and string.

After we had our binoculars and safari vests ready to wear for our scavenger hunt adventure, the kids played some games for a chance to win prizes.  Dexter really cheered them on as they hurled hula hoops over the necks of various animals in these contests.  I'm not sure though if that monkey was cheering on the kids or teasing the stuffed animals who were having hoops thrown at their heads.

Then we watched a humorous magic show by the Amazing Clark before wandering outside to explore the zoo and participate in the scavenger hunt.

Though we all had fun at the zoo, Dexter seemed more wild about experiencing the routine things our normal, middle class, Midwestern family does most weekends.  He gave some great tips on finding the best bananas at the grocery store and showed us how useful a tail can be when it comes to folding laundry.  Dexter insisted on going to my daughter's ballet class where he showed off his movie star talents insisting on participating in a pas de deux and demonstrating some incredible pirouettes for the class.

We wrapped up the weekend at the twins' swimming lessons and while Dexter enjoyed playing with the kids along side the pool he wanted nothing to do with getting dipped into the water - I don't think the monkey knows how to swim.

After a fun weekend of activities with our family, Dexter was off to the next stop on this "Night at the Museum 3" publicity tour.  You can follow Dexter's adventures as he travels across the country by searching for the hashtag #TrackDexter on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.  Also don't forget to check out Dexter's newest movie "Night at the Museum 3" on blu-ray, dvd, or via digital download.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment brings back to life your favorite museum heroes in NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB available on Blu-ray^™ and DVD March 10. Families around the globe have come out to see the hysterical third and final installment in the franchise, which has grossed more than a billion dollars. Now, parents and kids can not only enjoy the best ‘Night’ ever, but also get their hands on a bonus Digital HD movie: their choice of either Night at the Museum or Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.

If it’s laughter you’re after, get ready for the most hilarious night ever! Ben Stiller leads an all-star comedy cast, including Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Rebel Wilson and Ricky Gervais, for one final, fun-filled Night at the Museum. This time, Larry Daley (Stiller) and his heroic friends embark on their greatest adventure yet as they travel to London in order to save the magic that brings the museum exhibits to life!

The Blu-ray™ comes with tons of special features that will have the whole family laughing! You can check out how Stiller got into character for his alter ego Laaa, get a behind the scenes look at The British Museum and learn how the film’s iconic fight scene inside an M.C. Escher painting came to light. Best of all, every Blu-ray™ comes with a bonus Digital HD movie – not only do you get a Digital HD version of NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB, but you also get a Bonus digital movie – your choice of one of the other movies in the franchise.

DISCLAIMER:   I did not receive financial compensation for this post, but we did receive a Dexter plush toy and activity set as part of this blog's participation in the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders program.  Any opinions, thoughts or stories in this post are my own though information regarding "Night at the Museum 3: Secret of the Tomb" was provided by Fox Home Entertainment.  A Geek Daddy Blog participates in the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders program which provides us blu-rays/dvds to review, movie prize packs for giveaways to our readers, and other occasional promotional items to promote its product lineup.

Snow on the Ground Doesn't Mean You Can't See Animals Around the Zoo

We made a trip to the Detroit Zoo the other day because my kids wanted to visit its baby giraffe Mpenzi (named the Swahili word for love).  Mpenzi was born on September 30, 2014 is almost four months old now and sure is a "big" baby.  We spent a half hour with no other visitors around watching Mpenzi and his mother Kivuli play together in their pen while a volunteer docent told us about all sorts of interesting facts regarding giraffes.  Kivuli's father Jabari (the second tallest giraffe in a North American zoo) kept sticking his neck out to get our attention and show-off from his pen located next to the mother and baby's.  The docent chuckled that "Jabari loves visitors and can be a real attention hog."

Many people don't think of winter as being a time to visit the zoo, but most are open year long and if you are willing to bundle up and embrace dealing with some cold weather it can be a great experience.  We've made several winter visits to the Detroit Zoo over the last few years and every trip we've essentially had the place to ourselves while having some memorable animal encounters.  During our most recent visit the zoo's grounds were covered in snow and it was a brisk 30 degrees out, but it was also sunny with no breeze so it really wasn't that chilly out as we made our way around.

 

There are plenty of animals on display outdoors even when snow is on the ground.  We have seen our best views of the tiger at the Detroit Zoo on winter visits.  You wouldn't think that Lions from Africa or Kangaroos from Australia would be out in the cold, but we've seen them outside during winter trips as well.  Though the lions do like to lounge on the warming rocks in their exhibits on these snowy cold days.

 

Winter is a great time to see the polar bears who are much more active and playful when there is snow on the ground.  The Detroit Zoo provides multiple heated indoor locations where you can view the bears, as well as an assortment of seals that are also native to the arctic climates, and while these areas are often uncomfortably crowded when the weather is warmer my kids normally have the run of the place during our winter visits.

The best plan for a winter zoo visit is to make sure you know where all the indoor exhibits are and map out how you can get around using them as bridges to get out of the cold.  Our normal path at the Detroit Zoo involves jumping inside these display areas between viewing the outdoor exhibits: Penguinarium, Butterfly Garden/Bird Aviary, Otter Habitat, Reptile House, Chimpanzee & Gorilla Enclosure, Rhino Exhibit, Giraffe House, Arctic Ring of Life, and wrapping up our trip with a stop at Amphibianville before leaving.  The Detroit Zoo does have a Winter Map posted online of their own recommendations for a route through the zoological park which is pretty much the reverse of what I just described.

Here is some info on some of the indoor areas that people who don't have annual memberships and regularly attend the Detroit Zoo may not know:

The Reptile House is in the middle of the grounds and a nice break to get out of the cold between the long walk between the indoor exhibits at the rear of the zoo and those at the front.  It is normally empty of people when we have visited in the winter and kept at a tropical humid temperature making it a very comfortable place to be on a cold day.  The real bonus though is that the snakes are always very active when we've stopped in on our snow day visits compared to the summer months when the crowd noise tends to send them hiding in their exhibits.

I don't believe many people realize their is an indoor Rhino Exhibit at the Detroit Zoo as it is always empty when we visit.  It provides nice views of the animals from a heated gallery, plus some cool benches to sit down and take the load off.

The Giraffe House is heated, open and has benches to sit on.  You can get up close to these gigantic creatures with a much better view than what you can see outdoors during the warmer months.  You really don't understand how tall these animals are until you stand up right next to one.

The Otter Habitat viewing area is heated but the pond environment where the animals swim and lounge about isn't and when the weather is cold these animals love to play....the most active we've ever seen the otters has been during our winter trips.

Going stir crazy in your house, maybe a winter road trip to a zoo is just the ticket to get out and about.  Make sure you contact the zoo before you go to confirm their winter hours (which normally are normally different than during the peak months) and that they are actually open the day you want to go.  Check to see if the zoo has any special events going on during the winter too as part of your trip planning.  For example the Detroit Zoo has several WILD WINTER WEEKENDS with special themed activities going on during those events.

 

CLICK HERE to search a list of all the accredited zoos and aquariums in the United States and see which ones might be close enough to you for a family road trip.