Lion Country Safari, West Palm Beach, Florida

Our next stop was the KOA at Lion Country Safari near West Palm Beach, Florida.

The park is full of nice pull-through spots.

While staying at the KOA, we enjoyed free tickets to Lion Country Safari. Lion Country Safari opened in 1967 and is Florida's only drive-thru safari adventure.

Brazilian tapirs are excellent swimmers and their closest relatives are the horse and the rhinoceros.

The Aldabra tortoise can live to be 150 years old and grow a shell up to five feet long. They enjoy hanging out with the birds.

Kudus are a variety of antelope who live on leaves and shoots from a variety of plants, as well as whatever goodies the safari keepers bring their way.

The park is divided into several different regions with electronic gates providing extra protection in lion country.

The lions' Gorongosa Preserve provide them with ample room to exercise and play, as well as lounge. KOA visitors will be able to go to sleep and wake up to the roars of the lions.

You don't want to get between this guy's horns and his grass!

Same goes for the white rhinoceros which in actuality are stone-gray.

Like fingerprints, the stripes of each zebra are unique.

After driving through the park, visitors can take a walk through Safari World. This additional feature of the park includes more animal exhibits, boat rides, amusement rides and animal shows.

You can also feed the budgies...

and the giraffes who are only too eager to chow down on lettuce, broccoli and carrots.

Watch some budgie feeding and Arnold, the trained parrot, in this short video.

To see more pictures and videos, click HERE and HERE

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To be continued...

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse & Museum, Ponce Inlet, Florida

Today we visited the tallest lighthouse in Florida located in Ponce Inlet.

The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Museum includes several original residences used by the families of the principal, first assistant and second assistant lighthouse keepers.

This building, while not built until 1992, is based on plans drawn in 1883 for a multiple family residence at the lighthouse. The plan was scrapped to give the families more privacy by building separate houses instead. This building serves as the museum's entrance and gift shop.

Doug pauses before starting the 175 foot climb up 203 steps.

Is this where we are going or where we have been? Or both?

The panoramic view at the top of the lighthouse includes Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach, the Halifax River and the Atlantic Ocean.

This is the First Assistant Keeper's Dwelling where he lived with his family. Built in 1887, it is furnished the way it would have been in 1900.

The Lens Exhibit Building was built in 1995 to house the museum's collection of skillfully restored Fresnel lenses and other lighthouse artifacts.

This Cuban refugee boat washed up on the beach in Volusia County in 1989. The orange life preserver tied to the mast indicates that the occupants were rescued by the Coast Guard while at sea.

Watch this video for a quick 360 degree view from the top of the lighthouse.

Looking out over the crowd at a Volusia County Beach from the boardwalk late afternoon on Memorial Day.

For more pictures, click here .

To be continued...

Fort Christmas Historical Park, Christmas, Florida

After departing Jungle Adventures Nature Park & Zoo, we drove through the town of Christmas, Florida.

Here we found the Orlando Wetlands Park which we will have to visit on a day trip from home sometime. The park, which appears to be FREE, is 1,650 acres of man-made wetlands.

With over 20 miles of trails to explore, the park is home to many different animals including raccoons, river otters, white-tailed deer, bobcats and over 200 species of birds.

We happened upon the park's study of plant life of the wetlands.

These can also be found in the park. This one was not even afraid of us.

This display reminds visitors of the Christmas Spirit every day of the year.

Next we visited Fort Christmas Historical Park. This 25 acre FREE Orange County Park features a replica of an 1837 Seminole War fort which houses a museum and video presentation about the Seminole Wars.

In addition to the Fort, the park includes no less than 10 authentic buildings from the late 19th and early 20th century such as this one.

This lunch room from circa 1932 features all the modern conveniences from the kitchen throughout the years.

Probably the newest building on the property is the Partin House from the 1950's.

Each building is furnished with the appropriate furnishings for the time period.

Some might remember these washing machines.

On our way back home, we got this perfect view across the water toward Cape Canaveral.

For more pictures, click here pictures 99-146.

To be continued...