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The Zoo's New Pirate Train: Macaroni Kid South Birmingham Sets Rail!

By Jess Searcy May 23, 2017

A  train ride is always attractive to kids at the zoo, but add pirates and you've got an irresistible combination.  That's why, heading to the Birmingham Zoo for some quality family time on Mother's Day, I knew there would be no way my guys would tolerate skipping the new Pirate Red Diamond Express Train Ride.  But that didn't really matter because I was just as curious about this whole pirate train thing as they were!  I mean... are they really pirates without the seven seas?  We had to find out!


But first, animals!  We saw as many animal exhibits as we could squeeze in before heading over to the train depot for a break from walking.  Even on Mother's Day, with an admission special, the crowds were not so big that we had to wait more than one turn in line for the train.  After boarding the train, we took the obligatory pirate-faced-family selfie and waited for the ride to start.


As we pulled away from the station, a prerecorded narrator gave us some water conservation tips and warned us about what happens to water wasters (hint:  look for the pirate strung up by his ankles and others struggling to escape their cages along the ride!).  I'm guessing these pirates are concerned about lack of water since they are captaining a train instead of a ship?  Maybe they were careless with their sea water!  Besides fun facts, be ready to learn plenty of new pirate jokes as well.  How much does it cost a pirate to get his ears pierced?  A buck an ear!  Heh heh.

The kids loved the life-sized pirate characters scenes throughout the ride,  They were oohing, aahing and practicing their pirate vocabulary the entire time.  By the time the ride was over, they were ready to ring the bell to signal their "allegiance" to the Red Diamond crew, and become honorary pirates.

My prediction is that this ride is going to be a huge hit around Halloween.  The animatronic pirates are already a bit creepy, so combine that with whatever fun plans the zoo has in store for the Halloween season and it is sure to be a winner with your kids.  But take them now, Halloween is fun year round, right?!

This was our first time visiting the Birmingham Zoo, so everything was new and exciting.  We knew we wouldn't be able to see it all in one day without crashing the kids, so we are very glad to be the proud owners of a family membership, allowing us to go back again and again all year!  And right now, new family memberships come with free tickets for the new pirate train!  Knowing our kids though, we may have to upgrade our membership to "family plus," which allows unlimited rides for two adults and up to six kids.

And just for fun, here is a squirrel eating a snack.

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Disclosure:  We received media passes for the Pirate Train in exchange for this write-up.  However, opinions are our own.

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