Ottawa County Riverview Healthcare Campus residents take trip to zoo

As the Ottawa County Riverview Healthcare Campus activity bus turned west onto St. Rt. 163, the excitement heighten as residents wondered where they were headed for their "Mystery Trip." While traveling towards Toledo on St. Rt. 51, resident Pat Kurek announced, "I bet we are headed to the zoo." Kurek was correct and the beautiful weather gave the perfect day for a wonderful trip to the Toledo Zoo.

The residents began their adventure by watching the antics of the orangutans, apes and chimps. They then headed to the Avian Breeding Center to get a glimpse of the cinereous vultures. It was hard to walk away from the Primate Forest and the monkeys chasing each other, but the aviary offered more entertainment with residents playing the bird piano and traveling through the area where the birds are not caged but free to roam in a natural habitat.

A needed lunch break was taken at the Carnivore Café, where residents remembered past zoo visits, when the café had actually been the home of the lions and tigers. After lunch residents viewed the tigers at Tiger Terrace. Everyone enjoyed watching the seals glide through the water and the polar bears play at the Arctic Encounter.

The group then changed climates and visited the African Safari where they saw zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, ostriches, and impalas. Everyone made a quick stop in the gift shop for a souvenir to remember their day. Before heading home, the group took a relaxing stroll through the aquarium, and enjoyed watching the brightly colored fish swim peacefully in their aquariums.

The Activities Department at Ottawa County Riverview Healthcare Campus offers a diverse variety of approaches to enhance the quality of life of the residents. Morning, afternoon and evening activities are scheduled seven days a week. On Wednesdays, residents are offered trips off site to shopping centers, parks, local restaurants, and "Mystery Trips." The Activities Department is under the direction of Lisa Barrett.