Riverbanks Zoo & Garden – Columbia, SC

Friday, Sep 1:

We hadn’t planned to visit the zoo as we thought we were just going to see the gardens. Since it was supposed to rain, we were just looking for something to fill the morning. It turns out that the gardens are on one side of the park and the zoo on the other and our ticket included both. There wasn’t any rain in sight so after we walked the gardens and then walked to the zoo.

The zoo was much better than we expected. Not a lot of outside animals, but their indoor attractions were very well done. Huge reptile house and bird enclosures as well as aquariums with live corals etc. There were also a couple types of animals that we have never seen before. 

 entering the gardens

 The Saluda River - we crossed over it on the walk to the zoo

They offer ziplining over the river and through the trees at the zoo

 Komodo Dragon

 Siamang - not a monkey, but a type of Gibbon (no tail) - found in Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula

 cute petting zoo for the kids

 we saw 1 the entire time we were in Panama and it was at the El Valle Zoo

They had a lot of snakes and all habitats had 3 and 4 of each and all were active

 the River Otters were very playful

 one is pulling the other into the water where they rolled around and around under water

 now they are drying each other off

lazy Brown Bear

 Hamadryas Baboon - he was just yawning..... (YIKES!)

 

 in case you wanted a closer look....

 lion made of recycled products

 young Flamingo and Black-necked Swan

 Demoiselle Cranes

 Victoria Crowned Pigeon

 Bali Mynah

 Boat-billed Heron

 Red-crested Cardinal

 Madascan Green Pigeons

 Sun Bittern

 Tawny Frogmouth

 Black-footed Cat

 Tree Kangaroo

 Black-footed Cat

 Lemurs

 Blue-bellied Roller

Red-billed Hornbill

 as close as I ever hope to get to a Brown Bear

It did rain for all of 5 minutes and we were inside when it happened. We had lunch and it was quite tasty with fresh cut kettle cooked chips.

After the Zoo & Gardens we went to the Sweet Cream Ice cream place for a snack. They hand-craft small batches of unusual flavors as well as a few regular ones. I had the dark chocolate and for the unusual I had the Fig Orange Pistachio (yum on both) and Greg had the dark chocolate and mixed forest berries. They have other unusual flavors like Olive Oil & Rosemary, sea salt & pepper & roasted Strawberry etc. It's really a decadent ice cream. Thick and almost sticky chewy and full of flavor!

 ice cream stop at Sweet Cream company

 Main street has been "yarn bombed" (by a local art gallery)

It turned out to be a great day out and the rained stayed away. Tomorrow they are predicting the worst weather and if that's the case we will take a day off. (they haven't been right so far,,,,,)