Creation Kingdom Zoo in Virginia is one of the wildest experiences I have ever had. I have seen black bears in the wild, was chased by a snapping turtle while I was swimming, and have even seen a moose on the beach (all true stories) but none of it compares to what I did at this zoo.

As we approached the entrance, I wasn’t really sure what to think; we had traveled off of the main roads in Gate City and into what seemed like a typical mountainous countryside. What I soon found out, however, is that this would be not just my favorite zoo in Virginia but the best zoo I had ever been to.

The first section we went through was a thick bamboo forest, which really set the stage for the wild encounters we were about to have. We had promised our girls a day at the zoo and we were all pretty excited to see some animals. The zoo held some of my daughter's favorite animals so they were pretty pumped to see bears and black leopards.

The first animals we saw were black spider monkeys and they instantly won our hearts over. One of them danced around the cage as if she was showing off and the other just fixed her hair and kept sticking her tongue out as us.

These playful creatures really were a great introduction to what we would see in the park. We loved these monkeys so much that we circled back around to see them several times and I even reached out my hand and placed her hairy hand in mine. It was a sweet moment and then my daughter tried to do the same but the monkey just tried to pull her into the cage with her strong tail.

Next up was my youngest daughter's favorite: the bear. This wasn’t your typical black bear though, this was a sloth bear. Up until we went to Creation Kingdom I didn’t even know what a sloth bear was, and for good reason. They are the most endangered bears on earth with only 46 of them in captivity in the western hemisphere.

We were fortunate enough to see one but the experience got even better. The bear came right up to us in his enclosure which was only about five feet away and started making kissy faces at us. Then the bear proceeded to sway its head back and forth in a rhythmic pattern. After reading the sign we learned that these bears perform a dance for guests that it’s excited to see, how cool is that!

We passed many other animals along the way, but then it started to rain. We found shelter as thunderous booms were heard in the distance. We knew that the weather wasn’t looking good for the day, but we brought our raincoats and made the most of it. It turns out that was one of the best things that could have happened to us because where we found shelter was in front of the white-handed gibbon.

This primate was particularly playful and sang us a song. These creatures are quite soulful and have a wide range of vocal notes they make good use of. This one swung around his cage while singing only to land back on his perch and suck his thumb again. We mimicked his notes which he seemed very pleased with and continued his loud song as he bounced around some more.

My daughters were elated during the whole trip. We all love animals so getting to see so many was a blast.

The website for Creation Kingdom promises an interactive experience and I can wholeheartedly agree with that because we were able to interact with all of the fun animals they have. After talking to the women at the gift shop, I learned that most of these animals were raised as babies by the owners and are very used to people, which is what makes the difference in how they approach visitors.

Some of the exhibits had long feeding pipes and these zebras were excitedly waiting to get some free food. One of them even kept nudging the pipe and letting it land in the feeding trough with a loud band. It was as if he was trying to tell us he was hungry, it felt a lot like what my dog does when it's time for breakfast.

Out of all the animals Tucker was my favorite. Tucker is the giant giraffe at the zoo and I was pretty happy to see him all the way in the back corner of his area, but as soon as he saw us he came trouting over.

They told me that Tucker was raised and hand-fed since he was a baby so he loves people and he likes to give them kisses with his big black tongue. These were all things I didn’t know when I went to take a picture right next to him. Right as I snapped the pic his wet tongue had already licked my face. We stayed for a long time petting his soft face, feeding him actual food -- not just my face -- and it was the best encounter we had all day.

We got to see so many happy creatures at this zoo and it was wonderful.

Another highlight for my daughter was seeing some big cats, the cheetah in particular was unique. Not only was seeing the fastest mammal in the world fun but we could also hear it purring as it walked around. All in all, this was the best zoo day we could have ever hoped for and so much more, so we would collectively recommend this place to anyone who wants to really experience the animals at the zoo.

At the Creation Kingdom Zoo in Virginia, we sang with primates, held hands with a monkey, listened to a cheetah pure, and yes, I was licked by a giraffe. What an amazing experience you can’t get anywhere else. The owners of this zoo really love and care for these creatures and I was blessed to be able to take my family there. Make sure you visit the Creation Kingdom Zoo website for more information before you go and don’t forget to check out this Adventuring in the Moment video highlighting the experience.

When you go you are sure to fall in love with Tucker too, but until then you can celebrate all of his kind with this customizable giraffe coffee mug.

Another quick tip before you go: there is a wild black snake that likes to hang out on the property. You’ll know it's him if you see his cut-off tail. They don’t know what happened to him, but the zoo keepers have affectionately named him Stubs and he is harmless.

Are you an animal lover too? Here are some other animal encounters you have to try in Virginia.