3 cars and a couple hour drive north, the whole family arrived at the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend Indiana! This is a beautiful place even on the outside. There is a ton of shade as there is a park outside the park. The shade doesn’t stop there. The entire zoo has plenty of shade to help keep you cool on a hot sunny day. The prices for entry are very good. Our part is 4 people and a trip here cost us just $28 to get in. $10 per adult, 1 pre-teen at $8 and out 2 year old was free. Compared to half the drive to Indy but $105 for the same 4 people to just get in. We have been to both now and I’m here to tell you, it is worth the extra drive! The animals are much the same if not better at Potawatomi! The petting and feeding area is fun for all ages. The grounds are absolutely beautiful and the staff is for the most part very friendly. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 was for this reason here. We purchased a couple items from the store in the red barn. We used our debit card. The girl asked if we wanted a copy of the receipt. I got one but my sister in law behind me declined as she likes to save a tree. We headed toward the exit and stopped by the spider and snake exhibit and used the restrooms. I pushed the stroller to the stroller exit and headed to the car. My wife and daughter was stopped by a side vender at the entrance/exit and asked for a receipt for the stuffed animal my daughter had. I waited for 10 minutes and decided to return. Everyone was just walking out the door. I asked what happed and they said that the employee was not going to let them leave because they couldn’t provide a receipt showing proof of purchase. This is not a good practice period. If you are asked if you want a copy of your receipt in one store, the outside vendor at the door 100 yards away from that store should not be asking people for a receipt, let alone detaining people for 10 minutes questioning their purchase. It takes a lot to boil my blood but this one hit that point. I would definitely recommend this zoo. It heist has some PR work to do with some of the staff. Thank you for a wonderful day at the zoo.