South Florida's BEST Area Attactractions for Day Trips
With rising Gas Prices many families are opting to stay close to home this summer instead of going away as in years past. People come to South Florida from all over the world and we as Floridians are fortunate to live here.
Did you know that South Florida is Home to the Best Zoo’s, Sea-aquariums and more. Matter of fact more and more families this summer are having what is known as “Stay Vacations” This is where a family stays and relaxes at home, possibly taking day trips to area attractions. Here is a list of the Best South Florida Attractions:
Jungle Island
. is an interactive zoological park in the City of Miami, Florida. It was originally Parrot Jungle and moved from the village of Pinecrest to its present location on Watson Island in the City of Miami and renamed as Parrot Jungle Island in 2007.
The theme park's landmark is its sails covering the Jungle Theater, an arena where visitors encounter wildlife from all over the world. On the other side of the theater lives Hercules, the 900-pound liger, a cross between a lion and a tiger. The park is also home to a trained bird show at the Parrot Bowl, and an exhibition of reptiles, penguins, flamingos and other animals at the Serpentarium.
In the Parrot Bowl, Jungle Island's "Winged Wonders" show highlights birds from around the world, including the Andean Condor, Cassowary, and King Vulture. The Jungle Theater has the "Tale of the Tiger" show, featuring large cats and wildlife. In the "Serpentarium", there is a wide spectrum of animals – from African Penguins to Alligator Snapping Turtles, Boa Constrictor snakes to lemurs.
MetroZoo.
is the largest and oldest zoological garden in Florida, and the only tropical zoo in the continental United States. It is located on the old Richmond Naval Air Station. It houses over 2,000 animals on 740 acres, 324 acres of which are developed. It is about 3 mi around if walked on the path, and has over 100 exhibits.
The zoo has been consistently rated as one of the top 10 zoos in the United States, and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. There are four main exhibit sections in the zoo; Asia, Africa, Amazon and Beyond and Australia.
Africa The African lobe of the zoo offers animals from different locations on the African continent. Species include but are not limited to Lowland Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Giant Eland, Okapi, Pygmy Hippos, Crested Porcupine, Reticulated Giraffe (which can be hand-fed by guests), Ostrich, Gazelle, African Elephants, Black Rhinos, African Crowned Cranes, Stanley Cranes, White Storks, and the African Sacred Ibis. Andean Condors, Spider Monkeys.
Amazon and Beyond Amazon and Beyond is the newest exhibit, opened on December 6, 2008. This exhibit has 27 acres dedicated to the flora and fauna of tropical America. This exhibit is divided into four separate areas; Village Plaza, Cloud Forest, Amazonia, and the Atlantic Forest. Each area represents native habitats that are found in the Amazon region. Some of the featured animals in this exhibit are Jaguars, Anacondas, Giant River Otters, Giant Anteaters, Harpy Eagles, Bats, Basilisks, Orinoco Crocodiles, Freshwater Stingrays and Green Iguanas.
Asia The showcase of the zoo since its opening has been the white Bengal tiger exhibit, which is among the first seen by visitors and is at the crossroads of the entryways to the other sections. The zoo's Asian exhibit features dozens of animals such as Tigers, Orangutans, Onagers, Lions, Malayan tapirs, Asian Elephants, Bactrian Camels, Sloth Bears, Cuban crocodiles, Banteng, Gaur, Spotted Hyena, Nilgai, Gemsbok, Dromedary Camels, Indian rhinoceros, Arabian Oryx, Cape Hunting Dogs, and a Komodo dragon exhibit.
Australia The zoo's Australian habitat showcases Oceanic specimens including Koalas, Red Kangaroos, Tree kangaroos, Crocodile Monitors, and New Guinea Singing Dogs. Aldabra Giant Tortoises, Red River Hogs, Warthogs, Wattled cranes, and Black Duiker can be found nearby. Also, a large amphitheater (where many animal presentations are conducted) is located in this section of the zoo.
Butterfly World
. located in Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek, Florida, USA is the largest butterfly park in the world and the first park of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, opening in 1988. The Aviary houses around 3000 live butterflies.
The Paradise Adventure Aviary includes fountains with ponds, and butterflies. Next is the Hanging Garden & Butterfly Emerging Area where cases with hanging pupa and emerging butterflies are on display. The Tropical Rain Forest Aviary includes a waterfall, tropical plants, free flying birds and butterflies
Miami Seaquarium
. A 38-acre oceanarium located on the island of Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States and is located near downtown Miami. It is the longest operating oceanarium in the United States. In addition to the marine mammals, the Miami Seaquarium also houses various fish, sharks, sea turtles, birds, reptiles and manatees. The park offers eight different marine animal shows and presentations daily and attracts over 600,000 visitors per year. The park employs over 225 full and part-time employees. It is the third largest contributor to Miami-Dade County’s revenue through land lease payments and taxes.
Monkey Jungle
. is a renowned 30-acre wildlife park established in 1933 for the exhibition and study of endangered monkeys in semi-natural habitats. Many novel and innovative projects have been conducted at the park, which is also a popular tourist attraction in the Miami, Florida area. The park is located southwest of Miami, west of the village of Cutler Bay on Southwest 216th Street near Southwest 147th Avenue.
The park has about 400 primates of 30 different species running loose. Guests walk through a series of tunnel cages. Its tagline is "Where the humans are caged and the monkeys run wild". It includes an Amazonian rainforest, the only semi-natural tropical rainforest found in North America.
Lion Country Safari
. is a drive-through safari park located in Loxahatchee (near West Palm Beach), in Palm Beach County, Florida. Founded in 1967, it claims to be the first 'cageless zoo' in the United States.
In 2009, USA Travel Guide named Lion Country the 3rd best zoo in the nation.
The original park in Florida consists of over 1,000 animals, kept in large fenced areas with approximately 5 miles of paved roadway running throughout. Visitors who purchase a ticket enter the park in their own vehicle, driving slowly at their own pace, and view the animals while listening to a recorded narration on audiotape or CD. Some animals, such as giraffes, rhinoceroses, and zebras, are allowed to roam freely, even crossing the road in front of vehicles. Others, such as lions or chimpanzees, are segregated behind fences or water barriers.
Visitors are warned to drive slowly and carefully, to avoid stopping too close to animals, and not to open their car doors or windows. The lions, whose ability to roam freely with cars was one of the parks original attractions, were separated from visitors by a fence around the road in 2005, due to visitors ignoring warnings and opening their car doors. A unique aspect of Lion Country Safari is the chimpanzee exhibit. The chimps live on an island system where they move to a different island every day, replicating their natural nomadic lifestyle. The chimps live in complex social groups, as they would in the wild. Because of this, Lion Country Safari has been useful to those interested in behavioral studies of chimps.
After visitors have driven through the park, they can visit Safari World, a theme park with some zoo exhibits, and amusement park fare such as a Ferris wheel, a petting zoo, a small water park, and a giraffe-feeding exhibit. Food is available at Lion Country Safari's main restaurant.
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