Visiting the Nashville Zoo

The Nashville Zoo is so great! We've been here numerous times for couple of years, just to visit on a typical day. We really enjoyed our experiences here. The zoo is located outside of downtown Nashville. I highly recommend ordering tickets before arriving to the zoo or get the Annual Pass.  Waiting in line wasn't fun and wasted a good amount of time. No discounts for tickets other than if a person is a veteran or member of the zoo. But children under two are free.

 

Walking paths were decently shaded, so not stuck in the hot sun for too long while walking around. This bamboo trail was the coolest part.

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16 comments AdBenture, Aquarium and Zoo, Nashville, Summer Getaway, Tennessee, Tennessee State National Park

Visited Lucky Ladd Farm

We have visited Lucky Ladd Farms like couple of times a year.  This farm far exceeded my expectations, very well developed and maintained.  From the petting zoo to the slides, we love all the activities that they offer.  I recommend visiting any time of year, as they have a cute splash pad in the summer months and pumpkin patch in the Fall.  There is so much to do; you could make a whole day out of a trip here.

 

 Lucky Ladd Farm address: 4374 Rocky Glade Rd, Eagleville, TN 37060-4109

Welcome Signage

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10 comments Aquarium and Zoo, Columbia, Flower Fields, Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Visit Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park

We like to visit State Parks and  recently we made a trip to Homosassa Springs State Park at Crystal River, Florida.  This park is a true crown jewel in the collection of Florida state parks. Homosassa and Weeki Wachee and Silver Springs are the three parks that are much more than a nature center and playground. Homosassa is a tourist destination and basically a mini theme park for rehabilitative native Florida species.

I am not a big fan of zoo's.  I feel like animals should not be taken from their natural environment to begin with, made it perform, and then confined to a tiny space. Animals deserve to be in their natural habitat.  However, I support sanctuaries and wildlife preserves just like this park.  It is created to rehabilitate and heal animals. Most of them are unable to survive on their own in the wild. So they are given a comfortable and safe environment at Homosassa Springs. Also they have Underwater Observatory, allows visitors to “walk underwater” beneath the spring’s surface and watch the various fish and manatees swim about.

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27 comments Aquarium and Zoo, Crystal River, Family Attractions, Florida, State Parks, United States

Visit Everglades National Park

One of America's most fascinating national parks,  is the Everglades. This park was created to protect native species of plants, animals and a rare Eco-system that doesn't exist anywhere else on the planet. There are few different endangered animals that call the Everglades home along with many plants.

The moment we drive past the  Everglades entrance gate, we've witness miles of emptiness in every direction, a river of grass stretching to the treeless horizon. Every National Park has something to offer, but this one was so different. Wetlands, as far as your eyes could see and instead of black bears in  Tennessee we had our eyes peeled for alligators.

1. See and learn about Alligator 

Don't let the gators scare you--  it is safe.

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24 comments Aquarium and Zoo, Everglades National Park, Family Attractions, Florida, Florida State National Park, Miami, Outdoor Activities and Adventures, United States

Visit The Philippine Tarsiers Conservatory

We have visited the Tarsier Conservation Area as part of our guided tour of Bohol Island. When we entered the conservation area it was handy to have a staff member on hand to show you where the Tarsier was situated. We did not realize that they were so small. The eyes are quiet large to their body size and also their small fingers and toes that they use for holding onto the branches. Camera flash is prohibited, they also have a  much bigger conservatory with short hike for extra fee. They even claim that the fees collected from visitors will goes to the development of the conservatory. Hopefully that funds are being wisely used to conserve this beautiful animal.

You need to know about Tarsier: The Tarsier is a small species of primate that is found inhabiting the well-vegetated forests on a number of islands in south-east Asia. Although fossil records show that Tarsiers would have once been found on mainland Asia, Europe, North America and in Africa, modern Tarsiers are today restricted to just a handful of islands in Malaysia, Indonesia and the southern Philippines. 

One thing, do not stare straight to their eyes for too long since you might end up wanting one for a pet. :)

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23 comments Aquarium and Zoo, Asia Travel, Bohol, Outdoor Activities and Adventures, Philippines Trips

Visit Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies

I've been to several aquariums like the one in  (New York, Florida, Las Vegas and Ontario) . This was a nice aquarium, but in my opinion, too expensive for the size or attractions. Good thing we get one free ticket (for staying at Gatlinburg cabins)  and Military discount. I suggest to buy combo passes bundle, each combo comes with one Aquarium Pass + two or more passes to their Parkway Attractions at a reduced cost. Parkway Attractions: Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium, Haunted Adventure, Moving Theater, Mirror Maze, Mini Golfs, Guinness World Records Attraction.

Other than that the entire aquarium is just beautifully designed.  My favorite part was an unexpectedly long moving sidewalk that snakes through the interior of huge tanks containing sharks and a multitude of other sea life.  I enjoyed that part so much I would have gone through it again if we weren't pressed for time.  They also give you the ability to look down into some tanks, with the area themed to look like a seascape.

Attraction spotlights aquatic habitats from around the world, live animal shows & hands-on exhibits. Address: 88 River Rd, Gatlinburg, TN 37738.

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20 comments Aquarium and Zoo, Family Attractions, Gatlinburg, Outdoor Activities and Adventures, Tennessee, United States

The Florida Aquarium

I have been to a different aquariums a few times. This one is actually smaller than most I have been in. However this aquarium is presented very nicely throughout on the inside. It is a great place for families and young children to visit. There is a lot of educational things for the young ones to learn about the marine life. There is also a nice water play area outside for the young ones to enjoy. The cafe area has great food selections to choose from and reasonably priced. This is a must visit when coming to Tampa. Learn about the Tampa Bay ecosystem from Swamp to Coral Reef. They also have a swim with the Sharks program for those that feel adventurous.

Ray Statue in front of  Florida Aquarium

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6 comments Aquarium and Zoo, Florida, Summer Getaway, Tampa, United States

Everyone loves Marineland

Visiting Marineland is a full day event, and I would suggest that you plan to go in the morning when it opens. Getting to the park early ensures a closer parking spot and because parking is free, you can imagine how huge their lot is. You can walk for 10 minutes just to get in the park on a busy day. Marineland is quite expensive but worth it! Especially if you like marine animals.

At King Waldorf Stadium 

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20 comments Aquarium and Zoo, Canada Trip, Niagara Falls, Theme Parks

African Lion Safari Canada

What a wonderful place! My husband and I visited the African Lion Safari during the Labor Day weekend of 2011. It is an absolutely amazing safari. The employee at the gate told us it would take about 90 minutes to drive thru but it took us almost 3 hours because we were having so much fun and there is so much to see. The drive thru safari is so cool. Felt like Jurassic Park waiting to be let in through the huge gates. We were among the first cars to enter lined up by 10 am and the animals were very active. The monkeys going on the car was some of the most hilarious I've ever seen and something I'll remember forever! This one monkey  tried to rip off our wiper blade, then he get frustrated and walked with the other car behind us  hahahha!  It climbed up and was chilling on the side mirror, trying to eat some rubber stuff on the edge of the window. In like every part, there was always some animals getting it on, which we always stopped to laugh.

This is way more than a safari, it has five shows including a water park for little kids, playgrounds, petting zoo, train ride, boat ride and all of it included in the price. The parrot show is really cute. I enjoyed the raptor show, love the big birds. We also checked out an elephant show which was awesome! they are super smart and it was awesome to watch. There is an enclosure for the elephants by the show, don't miss that one, the babies are there. Extras were the elephant ride. They also had a decent food court although a little bit pricey. This is a great family experience. Travel through the reserves in your own vehicle (keep your windows closed!) or park your car and let an informative tour guide drive you through this wild kingdom.

African Lion Safari is one of Ontario's most famous attractions. It's a must visit!

Bird Show (watch the parrot show below)

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24 comments Aquarium and Zoo, Canada Trip, Hamilton

Visit The Buffalo Zoo

My husband brings me to Buffalo Zoo on my first year in upstate New York. The Buffalo Zoo is the 3rd oldest zoo in America. Located right in the city alongside lovely and active Delaware Park.  Some parts of it definitely look that way. But they truly are making strides to update the zoo and make it comfortable and inviting for visitors and refocus its mission to protect endangered species.  The architecture is cool, however there are wide pits and ditches separating visitors from some of the animals, like the bears and tigers, making it tough to get a really good look at the animal (particularly in the case of the lion and tigers), but does bring to mind one important aspect-safety for the visitors. Other exhibits are much more modern like the stunning. 

The Rainforest which features a waterfall, bridges, a tiny vampire bat cave, poison dart frogs, an anteater, turtles galore, beautiful bright pink and red birds(that fly freely). The exhibit looks gorgeous and is sure to pleased you. The gorilla house seems  kinda small, but the baby gorilla brightens the place up. And oh the giant Brazilian cockroaches freak me out! Each season is a good season to go to the zoo, so make a day of it and spend the whole day at this zoo. If you are from the Buffalo area and have not been to the zoo, I encourage you to give it a try, because it only takes about 2 hours to go through the entire zoo. Extremely reasonable price, cute rides for the kids, and a GREAT rainforest exhibit that you shouldn’t miss!

Petting Giraffe

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7 comments Aquarium and Zoo, Buffalo, New York, United States

Birds Kingdom Canada

We had the pleasure of visiting the Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls this weekend and since we both a bird lover we were looking forward to this exhibit. We enjoyed the experience it exceeded our expectations - it has several exhibits, including a reptile room (where you can interact with and hold lizards and snakes), a normal bird aviary, a nocturnal area, and a large open large bird aviary. We like the main aviary. You can actually take pictures with the birds really close without them flying away. It seems like they are not afraid of people. When you have finished observing the beautiful birds in this section, you go through a dark area of "night creatures", bats, owls and so on.

Finally, after leaving the night section, you enter the main aviary. This truly is magical: a large, and very pretty waterfall which one can walk behind, walkways throughout, and so many beautiful free-flying birds. It was just wonderful being able to get so many photos of the birds from all different angles. They are very used to people, so I managed to get really close to them for the photos. There is also a tea house/snack shop in the middle of this section. Over all, it's a great place to go to if you love birds, photography, or just want a difference in pace from the Casinos or Clifton Hill. Nature lovers from around the world will be in awe of Bird Kingdom. Bird Kingdom has been voted as one of the top 5 attractions at Niagara Falls. 

Snake and Lizard bestfriends forever :)

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16 comments Aquarium and Zoo, Canada, Canada Trip, Ontario