A Visit to the Zoo
Hi, it’s time for another Friday Story Time by Lia again! Last week mommy, pop, mama and I went on a visit to the Lowcounty Zoo at Brookgreen Gardens. It was very chilly but I had so much fun!
What is Brookgreen Gardens
First mama is sharing a little information on Brookgreen Gardens.
Not far from where we live there is a place called Brookgreen Gardens. Brookgreen Gardens is a sculpture garden and wildlife preserve with 9,100-acres on the property which includes several themed gardens with American figurative sculptures, the Lowcountry Zoo, and trails through out the property. It was founded by Archer Milton Huntington, stepson of railroad magnate Collis Potter Huntington, and Anna Hyatt Huntington, his wife, to feature sculptures by Anna and her sister Harriet Randolph Hyatt Mayor along with other American sculptors. Brookgreen Gardens was opened in 1932, and is built on four former rice plantations, taking its name from the former Brookgreen Plantation. Visit their website to learn more about this beautiful place. www.BrookgreenGardens.org
Just before Christmas we all went to the Brookgreen Gardens Southern Light Show and there were so many pretty lights! This is a blog mama wrote showing you the Beautiful Brookgreen Southern Light Show.
But now come with me for a visit to the Zoo at Brookgreen, called the Lowcountry Zoo! It was cold last Saturday so we bundled up with heavy jackets and headed to the Zoo!
The first animal we visited was a cow with BIG curly horns! There are signs of the different animals so you can read about them. This is a Red Devon milking cow. I even saw some sheep behind this cow.
Mommy and I love horses and they had two that looked so warm with their winter coats on. Pop use to work on a dude ranch long time again!
We walked a short way and there was a trail going through a place with lots of different birds! It’s called the Cypress Swamp. There were so many pretty birds and when I looked up, the trees were full of them looking down at me.
Look what I saw after the bird exhibit? There were otters doing back flips in the water! Mommy got a cool video of one showing off!
We took another little hike down the path where I even saw some otters playing in the river. Look at this one standing up on his feet checking things out!
Look at the little fox sleeping in the tree! There is another one on the ground all curled up keeping warm.
I saw some Red-Tailed Hawks just like we have in our backyard. Two were sitting on their house and all of a sudden one flew off and the other followed him.
Some of my readers may remember that I love owls and I have a stuffed toy owl collection in my room. But this is the first time I’ve seen a real owl so close! The first ones I saw with the Great Horned Owls. Look at him looking at me!
There were also Barn Owls. These have different faces on them. Can you see the difference between the two types of owls? I was so excited when I visited the owls!
As we continued our walk through the bird sanctuary there were two beautiful Bald Eagles just sitting on the ground sunning themselves. I had so much fun looking at all these different birds.
Can you see the tall birds in the back of this picture? They are called Sandhill Cranes and they can grow as tall as 3 to 4 feet high! I’m 3 feet tall so they are as tall as I am!
There is also an Alligator at the Zoo but we didn’t see him right away. As we were looking at the water, a man next to us pointed out that the alligator was sunning himself over on the grass! Ma got the best picture she could since he was so far away but at least I got to see him! I learned from my friend who volunteers at Brookgreen that the alligator’s name is Cowboy and he’s about 75 years old! That the same age as my pop!
Mommy, pop, mama and me continued hiking the trails and saw ducks resting in the grass. There were also turkeys way past the trees and if you look very close you might even see all the deer behind the turkeys.
I love butterflies! There is a huge butterfly house and in the spring this is full of different kinds of butterflies. We have to wait and see if the Butterfly Exhibit will open this spring because of COVID. I hope it’s under control so I can go back and see butterflies!
Last summer I raised butterflies and released them in my garden around my birthday in August. This is my blog I wrote about them. http://themarthareview.com/the-life-of-lias-butterflies/
I had such a fun time at the Zoo seeing so many animals! As we were walking down the path we came across a little storybook play area!
They had a school house and I rang the bell outside to let the kids know school was about to start. Two other kids ran in and we all sat down at our desks. Mommy was the school teacher and asked about numbers and letters. It was so much fun!
Mama said she remembers these desks from when she was in school over 65 years ago!
I took the ship’s wheel to Treasure Island and mommy and I each grabbed a swing at the Castle.
It was so much fun visiting Brookgreen Garden’s Storybook Forest! But our fun day at the zoo and storybook forest was just about over.
Look at mommy and me, we are twins! I love mommy and had a great time at the zoo with mommy, pop and mama! I excited to visit again when it’s warmer and the flowers will all be in bloom and hopefully we’ll get to see the Butterfly Exhibit.
This is information from BrookgreenGradens website about the zoo… The Lowcountry Zoo has been an important element of the mission for Brookgreen Gardens since its inception. It is the one of five institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in South Carolina. The AZA is America’s most respected organization for zoos and aquariums. All of the native animals in the Lowcountry Zoo were either bred and raised in captivity, or have sustained a major disability due to injury. In either case, these animals could not survive in the wild.
What a lovely post!! Great pics, too. I love that “twin” picture at the end the best, I think. Sounds like it was a wonderful outing.
We all had a great day Jeanine. Lia loves animals and it was so much fun just watching her run from one place to another. The cold weather didn’t stop her!
Lia, it looks like you and your family had a wonderful time. I do hope, you get to see the butterflies.
Lia said, “Hi Brenda, we all had so much fun! I hope we can see the butterflies too! I’ll be sending you pictures of the ones I’m going to put in my butterfly house!”
This place looks AMAZING. We were in SC last year and wished I had known about this place.Looks like a great place to explore. Will have to remember this the next time we are in the area. Happy travels.
There is so much history at Brookgreen Gardens Samantha, we will definitely be going back in the spring to see all the beautiful flowers. If you make it down again, message me, would love to meet you!
HI Martha, that would be wonderful! I will let you know the next time we plan a trip to that area. 🙂
That would be great Samantha! Love to meet my Facebook blogger friends!
What a fantastic post! I have traveled through South Carolina but I’ve never spent much time there! Maybe one of these days, I will find my way to South Carolina. I have friends there! I would love to see this beautiful place and maybe Lia could give me a tour!
That would be great if you found your way down here Alice! Lia would love to give you a tour and even a few of her cookies or bread! Brookgreen Gardens is such a beautiful place to visit and we all had a great day at the zoo!
Martha/Lia, what a wonderful post! It was
great seeing all the creatures through your eyes!
Even though it was a bit chilly we all had a great time. Lia loves animals and looking forward to going back in the spring when the flowers are blooming and hopefully the butterflies will be back.
What a great outing! Fabulous photos. Wonderful the zoo is close by. Lia sure is lucky .
Thanks Lily! It was a http://themarthareview.com/wp-admin/admin.php?page=WordfenceWAFfun and educational trip to see the animals.
this looks like so much fun.. thank you Lia for a wonderful storytime
Lia says, “Thank you Vidya!” She loves animals and birds and was especially excited to see the owls.
Used to love taking my kids to the National Zoo, the National Zoo Research Gardens, the Pittsburgh Zoo, and the San Diego Zoo. Fun memories.
We have a few larger zoos in the area Roy, hopefully we can travel to them once Covid moves on.
Owls, eagles and cranes oh my! Now this is not alot of BULL(instead a Devon Milking Cow- yes, I saw cow with horns and thought BULL immediately sorry Martha!), but Lia and Alexandra are the cutest little ladies ( and I only say that because admittedly I am older than they are- gulp!) That Otter was showing off his gymnastic skills there. Does Grandpa know of the veteran organizations (at least here on Long Island we have Warrior Ranch) that has horses that veterans can interact with, we also have a local horse stable that allows veterans to come in and care for the horses as another form of therapy!) My foxhounds would have been howling as they sensed the fox nearby, but do you think the hawk would have dived down and picked on my hounds as they howled? BUTTERFLIES- I Cannot help but wonder how many started their lives and migrated to the “ZOO” to be “bred” in a sense from Lia’s release!?!??! I like to think Lia had her hand in helping fill the butterfly area at the “ZOO!” Prep School huh? Lia fits well in that desk…..and looks like the kids are all ready to ALL go back to school in person…if they don’t this scene will be the history that they will be learning not actual American history! SORRY! Didn’t mean to go there. Now where is Lia’s crown at the castle- I believe Princesses’ are supposed to be wearing their crowns in photos while at the castle! hehe…. And yes, if it wasn’t for SIZE, I’d have a difficult time telling these Mom and Lia apart! STOP THE BEAUTY, LOL!
Aww you are too sweet Pamela, not that I’m partial but I think they are both quite cute also! Not sure of any Veteran organizations like down here. Lia is looking forward to raising butterflies again in the spring and if they hatch quick enough we’ll get a second batch and release around her August birthday. Hoping Covid doesn’t hold off the butterfly exhibit at Brookgreen this year. Oh my, I’ll have to make sure the Princess carries her crown with her! LOL
Glad you enjoyed your visit.
It was a great day Amanda.