Miami is famous for beautiful beaches and beautiful people, thanks to plenty of Hollywood movies set in the location. There is however much more to Miami than meets the eye, and although South Beach (the famous Miami beach) is a must see place, the historical Jungle Island is not to be missed, especially by those travelling as a family.
The History of Jungle Island
Jungle Island was opened originally in 1936 as Parrot Island, and was home only to tropical birds such as parrots and Cockatoos. After being open for 3 years, Parrot Island began to put on bird shows which grew in skill and size as time went on. One of the birds, Pinky, a bicycle riding cockatoo became the most photographed bird in the world during the 1960s.
Thanks to the popularity of its residents and their performances, Parrot Island was able to expand and take on more birds and other animals including orang-utans and big cats. In 2003 Parrot Island was renamed Parrot Jungle Island, and now it has celebrated 75 years of visitors it is simply known as Jungle Island.
Facilities on Jungle Island
Jungle Island went from humble beginnings to now being a resort in its own right, with a lakeside café, large gift shop, a summer camp. There are also several theatre areas and auditoriums in the park each holding its own specialty show such as the Jungle Theatre where a parade of big cats can be seen, and Parrot Bowl that hosts shows that are still similar to the ones visitors grew to love in the late 1930s. One of the other reasons Jungle Island is so popular with guests is because it allows visitors with special passes to get up close and personal with the animals including the opportunity to visit the Lemur nursery. The Lemurs at Jungle Island are known to be particularly friendly and don’t mind sitting on guests’ laps and even on guests’ heads!
Jungle Island isn’t just about land loving animals, there are a variety of fish and reptiles to be seen too, alongside some fantastic tropical plants and trees to make all of the animals feel truly at home.
What’s more, every aspect of Jungle Island has been built with the environment in mind, and the park has won environmental awards and is a member of the Green Scapes Alliance of the US.
Staying near Jungle Island
There are plenty of places to stay near Jungle Island, but for a more relaxed option you may want to consider a home swap which allows you to stay in luxury accommodation for free. Signing up to a house swap USA website as a property owner will give you the opportunity to swap your home whilst you are on vacation with another property owner, and there are plenty of properties to choose from in the Miami area.
