Jungle Island

I totally got to feed a red kangaroo today. I also met a white tiger and white-handed gibbons-- all of this, and so much more, at Jungle Island in Miami! That was the location of the 2015 Attraction Regional Forums presented by the Florida Attraction Association. Since I work for the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society, obviously I love animals -- and our zoo is an attraction -- so our marketing department (Marketing Mgr. Claudia Harden, Events Mgr. Ron Brooks and me) attended. #RoadTrip

The actual forum was fun, but the MOSTEST BESTEST PART was the Jungle Island tour! You can contact a large variety of the animals... At the zoo where I work, we are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, so there are a lot of strict regulations we follow. The good news for my Zoo is we do now offer several animal meet-and-greet-up-close experiences that you can add on to your day! And on February 13th we will even offer a KOALA EXPERIENCE! Check out the animals you can meet at our Zoo - www.palmbeachzoo.org/animal-experiences

Meantime, back to Miami...

I'm holding a blue and gold macaw

Yes, there's a lemur on my head.

...and that's a baby kangaroo. Joey alert!

An adult red kangaroo.

We do have a red kangaroo and an elderly giant Aldabra tortoise at my zoo. This tortoise is 100 years old! Well, allegedly.  ;)

White tiger! Don't let him know he has a genetic mutationl. He can't help it. ;)

I was so interested in the white-handed gibbons because they kept swinging and swinging and swinging! They were so active in their habitats.

I also loved the orangutans! This is Peanut. She hasn't learned how to sit like a proper lady, LOL! Just kidding... But she is the first orang to survive a human chemotherapy treatment. She has been cancer-free for more than a year now! Celebrate survival, Peanut!

Jungle Island even has their own private beach. 

My favorite part of our visit, hands down, was the Lemur Experience. I absolutely recommend that!

Let me know if you've ever been, or plan to go! #LemurLove

Click HERE to watch my Lemur Experience video!

3 reasons to visit the South Florida Fair

When you think of your local fair, do you think of rides, games for prizes, entertainment? At the South Florida Fair in West Palm Beach, you have all of those options. Here are three reasons why I think it is worth your while to go:

1. The fun -- It's almost impossible not to have a good time at your local fair! And I gotta admit, with our cooler temperatures this week, the weather is totally cooperating.
2. The food -- Originally I was going to make this blog primarily food-focused. You will notice most photos are all about the grub!
3. The entertainment -- This one is definitely my favorite. I was SO IMPRESSED with the entertainment at the fair, especially Las Vegas on Ice!

About to ride the double ferris wheel...

Awesome dance group TURNT UP FOR WHAT!

South Florida mini-railroad group

The line for the kettle corn was SERIOUS...

Speaking of corn, I LOVE corn on the cob with cayenne pepper!

 Chicken and waffles, y'all!

 Nathan decided on the half-pound burger and fries with cheese

He said, "You know it's good when it's four napkins down, plus the wrapper, and you still see grease!"

 I'm a carnivore! That looks good!

Willy Wonka ain't got nothin' on the fair

 THIS IS WHAT I WANTED!

So this gentleman, named Eugene, said he's been working this "Krispy Kreme doughnut burger" booth for seven years now. "After you eat about 20 of these, you don't want them any more," he explained. Well, I can't imagine eating 20 of them, but I definitely was drooling over one!

I ate the entire doughnut burger!!! But I did not get any fried Oreos afterwards because my burger was made with TWO DONUTS. Last year, it was only one donut sliced for the bread. I just think two doughnuts was a bit much, haha! JUST A BIT! ;) 

Deep fried mac and cheese 

 The rides didn't tempt me that much, because they don't seem that safe-- but I admit that kind of adds to the THRILL of them!

 The only ride we rode was the double ferris wheel and it was super fun! Check out that view...

 My absolute favorite thing about the fair was "Las Vegas on Ice!"

 This ice skating troupe was so talented

 When the aerialist came out, I was like, "This is like Cirque de Soleil!"

 With the "ringmaster" ice skater

 Elvis impersonator-- can you tell this year's theme is Las Vegas?!

 Awesome sand sculpture! SO HUGE! This is a panoramic photo

 Elvis traveling museum showed some of The King of Rock n' Roll's costumes

 And his bike

 Hypnosis show was funny as you can expect

 I also appreciated that the Palm Beach Post's display gave a plug for our Palm Beach Zoo Florida panther, Mirasol! Thanks for the #ZooLove

I highly, highly, HIGHLY encourage you to check out the fair while it's still in town. It's worth the visit!!

Art Palm Beach First View night

I was grateful to Constance Jones (www.thecraftyreporter.com) for alerting me to the Art Palm Beach First View night, because I would not have known about it otherwise. I've been SO CRAZY BUSY preparing for our Zoo gala (seriously, it's the hardest time of year for me at work) so it's like I've been living under a rock. Anyway, her husband, the talented Troy Simmons (www.troysimmonsstudio.com) has work displayed there, and some friends and I enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful presentations!

We loved Troy's pieces-- so cool and edgy!! This piece is called "Serendipity," so go check it out at booth #B308 with Jankossen Contemporary.

Maybe you know Ashleigh Walters (www.facebook.com/ashleightv) as an anchor on WPTV, but did you know she has an art degree as well as a journalism degree?! She and I have different tastes in the kind of paintings we want to create... she is a legit artist who favors creating more realistic paintings, and I'm like a kid with a paintbrush in my hand who just wants to paint a bubblegum pink tropical sunset... But we both agreed that Troy's works are COOL. Before my friends even knew that I was there to support him, they noticed his work and commented on it!

Other than his displays, we also enjoyed seeing the dozens of studios that showcased some truly amazing pieces. 

My favorite was this simple glass obelisk with LED lights that Andy Delancey (www.twitter.com/TheListAndy) dubbed "The Pentagon." But in actuality, it was titled "Obelisk" and it was by artist Frank Hyder. Anyone got a spare $12,000 so I can buy this thing? It even changes colors! 

There was sooo much beauty to see, it was amazing. Nathan and I went to Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland two years ago, and I HATED it. Waste of $150! Yucky "art" there really just seemed like trash. There was one room that was covered in mud... Didn't look like art to me, looked like a dirty-ass room! At Art Palm Beach, it was the complete opposite-- everything was high-class and beautiful. PLEASING TO THE EYE! That's what made the evening so enjoyable.

I'll close with a sincere recommendation that a visit to the event would be worth your while! Here are more of my cell phone snaps. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!