Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens

My family is a Disney family and from Raleigh and now Charlotte it is anywhere from an 8 to 10 hours drive from North Carolina to Orlando. We have been to Disney five times since 2014 and with now two kids in tow, we typically split the trip down with an overnight stop along the way. And where possible be able to do an activity that afternoon following the drive. One of the places we have frequently stayed at is Jacksonville, Florida. In January 2016, we visited the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens before heading to our hotel.

The Zoo is located on over 120 acres along the Trout River and has been in operation since 1925. The first zoo in the city opened in 1914. Known as the Municipal Zoo, it was located at 3rd and Broad Streets near downtown Jacksonville. Eleven years later, the Zoo moved to its current location north of the city along the Trout River.

Over the decades, the zoo expanded to include a number of well known exhibits. The Range of Jaguar, Dinosauria, Great Apes, and Plains of East Africa are some of the zoo's best known exhibits. In the early 2000s, the Zoo expanded to include botanical gardens that are integrated within the various exhibits.

When we visited, we didn't see the whole zoo; however, we greatly enjoyed the grounds. Most areas of the zoo loop off of the Main Path making it easy to navigate the grounds. The exhibit habitats for many of the animals were open spaces. One of our favorites was the feeding of the giraffes and how close we could get to them. Over the years, we have learned that feeding giraffes is a common attractions at zoo; but this was our first time and we all enjoyed it.

The Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens are open from 9am to 5pm seven days a week. Admission ranges from $24.95/adults - $19.95/children for general admission to $32.95/adults - $25.95/children for a total experience package that includes carousel and train rides, animal feedings, and other in zoo attractions. It is definitely worth a visit and if you are making a long trek further south into Florida, the Zoo and an overnight stay in Jacksonville may be a welcome relief.

Sources & Links:

Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens
The humble beginnings of the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens ---Jacksonville Magazine

How To Get There:

Comments

Legend of the Ridge Route; a history of crossing the mountains between the Los Angeles Basin and San Joaquin Valley from wagon trails to Interstates

Over the past two decades I've crossed the Interstate 5 corridor from Los Angeles north over the Sierra Pelona Mountains and Tehachapi Range to San Joaquin Valley what seems to be an immeasurable number of times. While Interstate 5 from Castaic Junction to Grapevine via Tejon Pass today is known to most as "The Grapevine" it occupies a corridor which has been traversed by numerous historic highways. The most notable of these highways is known as the "Ridge Route." This article is dedicated to the Ridge Route and the various highways that preceded it. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page. For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page Ridge Route corridor introdution The Ridge Route as originally envisioned was a segment of highway which was completed in 1915 between the northern Los Angeles city limit

Establishing the numbering conventions of California's chargeable Interstates

The Federal Highway Aid Act of 1956 brought the Interstate Highway System into existence which would largely be constructed by Federal Highway Administration fund matching. The Interstate Highway System was deliberately numbered to run opposite the established conventions of the US Route System. While the Interstate Highway numbering conventions are now well established there was a period during the late 1950s where they were still being finalized. This blog examines the history of the establishing of the chargeable Interstate Highway route numbers in California. The above blog cover depicts the Interstate Highway route numbers requested by the Division of Highways in the Los Angeles area during November 1957. The establishment of the numbering conventions of California's chargeable Interstates The Interstate Highway System was not created in a vacuum by way of the passage of the 1956 Federal Highway Aid Act. The beginning of the Interstate Highway System can be found in the

California State Route 210 (legacy of California State Route 30)

California State Route 210 is a forty-mile-long limited access State Highway located in Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County. California State Route 210 exists as a non-Interstate continuation of Interstate 210 and the Foothill Freeway between California State Route 57 in San Dimas east to Interstate 10 Redlands. California State Route 210 was previously designated as California State Route 30 until the passage of 1998 Assembly Bill 2388, Chapter 221. Since 2009 the entirety of what was California State Route 30 has been signed as California State Route 210 upon the completion of the Foothill Freeway extension. Below westbound California State Route 210 can be seen crossing the Santa Ana River as the blog cover. California State Route 30 can be seen for the last time on the 2005 Caltrans Map below. Part 1; the evolution of California State Route 30 into California State Route 210 What was to become California State Route 30 (CA 30) entered the State Highway System duri

Gribblenation

Search This Blog