Brady Bunch Parrots Square Off over Food

Entertainment guaranteed for just $1...at minimum you get your kid to stay still for a few minutes!

Family Fun at the Riverbanks Zoo

You are never bored at the Riverbanks Zoo. There is always some drama unfolding with the animals and people alike. It’s relatively cheap, you get plenty of exercise and fresh air walking in the beautiful surroundings, and most important, the little kids can scream their hearts out and run around for a couple of hours while no one there really cares. When Lana was months old she got her best hour-long naps as we were strolling passed the big cats exhibits.

Tips to know before you go
1. Get the membership it will pay for itself after two family visits.
2. Go during the week. By all means avoid Friday which is free day for Richland and Lexington counties residents and when most school, church and senior tours visit.
3. Get the 10 safari “bucks” for $8 ticket. This will save you $2 and lets you do a girls magnet pony ride or a 3D movie (each costs $4), two carousel runs ($1 per run and you get to join in for free…yeah! better not eat anything heavy ahead of time), and you can feed the animals along the way ($1 each). At the farm go with the goats, they’ll put on a show.
4. Know the animal shows and feeding times; this is when animals are most active and crowds gather to a specific location (so you’ll know when and where to get away!)
5. Young kids love to climb the many bronze statues scattered around the park. Let them do it; you’ll get a rest, they get a great kick out of it and it’s also a good motivation to keep them going “to the next one”.
6. If you plan on eating while at the zoo, Kenya café is your best bet although don’t expect Wolfgang Puck style dining. Get the hot-dog and fries combo with the yogurt smoothie or the salad box (each about $2.00). There are water fountains throughout the zoo so don’t spend money on drinks…unless it’s your only option to shut the kids up.

What you might run into at the zoo

Flute singing gorilla finds peace by the shade secluded rocks.

Scrawny-looking lion is bored to death by the endless exhibit of photo shooting humans. He’s looking for refuge along the more self-assured matriarchs.

The stone face impenetrable alligator. If you ask me I think it’s a fake; he never moves!

Laying around and eating upside down the lazy sloth got it all figured out. Flower, power.

Relaxed lady elephants enjoy an afternoon snack, always socializing or scratching a perennial itch. They truly seem in their element in spite of the relatively small enclosure.

Super model frilly lizard will make sure to hold the pose until you get your best shot. Very professional indeed!

The impassable tiger yawns heavily unfazed by the ruckus nearby.

Brady Bunch little parrots will delight kids of all ages for a $1 nectar cup. Relax, stay still, pray for no “oops accidents” and enjoy the show.

Where
Riverbanks Zoo
500 Wildlife Parkway, Columbia, SC 29210
Open daily 9 AM to 5 PM (6PM weekends), except Thanksgiving and Christmas day

Adult $9.75, Children (3-12) $7.25, under 3 years old are free.
Discount rates available for seniors, military personnel and groups
For more information and year round calendar of events visit http://www.riverbanks.org/ or call (803) 779-8717

Charleston Home and Gardens Spring Tours

Where else but in Charleston can you “hail, mail, jail and bail” all on the same corner? The intersection of Meeting and Broad Streets features The Corners of Four Laws: St. Michael’s church God’s law, United States Post Office federal, Court House state and City Hall for the city law.

This American jewel, The Holy City, will once again welcome art and history lovers to a spring extravaganza of exquisite houses and gardens tours, interior design and art exhibitions. The magnificent architectural display, master craft interiors, intricate horticultural arrangements and impressive art collections are sure to indulge your senses.

Start your journey with the 2008 Symphony Designer Showhouse open March 13th trough April 13th. Proceeds benefit the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Attend the “Windows to the World” preview party and enjoy unlimited event visits. Located on the historic waterfront the house will delight visitors from the moment they cross the threshold. The interior architecture takes full advantage of sweeping water views featuring an open floor plan ideal for entertaining. Admire the gourmet kitchen, five bedrooms, six full baths, the private garden with pool and hot tub and an indoor putting green. Local designers transformed every room into a treasury of decorating concepts, capturing a casual historic Charleston look with an international flare. You will be able to purchase all pieces on display while indulging your taste buds to al fresco dining.

Next immerge yourself in history with the 61st Annual Festival of Houses and Gardens from March 13th trough April 12th courtesy of the Historic Charleston Foundation. The Festival offers guests the rare opportunity to see inside 150 of America’s most distinctive historic houses in 12 colonial and antebellum neighborhoods.

Begin on Meeting Street, on March 16th and 19th. Note the County Records Building, the first fireproof building in America and the Hibernian Hall, the first semi-public building of pure Greek style featuring a stone from Ireland’s natural wonder the Giant Causeway and an original harp emblazoned over a massive iron gate. You will be drawn to the white staples of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church painted black to be saved from destruction during the “War Between the States”, as local called it, since “there was nothing Civil about it”.

Continue on King Street, on March 30th and April 2nd. "The little street that runneth from Ashley's River to the Broad path to the country" escaped the many fires that ravaged the city and “boasts an astonishing variety of architecture”. Like the Miles Brewton House, one of the few Palladin buildings in the South and the best double house in Charleston which retains its original gardens and outbuildings and an iron fence topped with a “cheveux-de-frise”.

All you love birds will be enchanted by the candlelight tours on Church Street, on April 1st and 4th. The "most romantic street in America,” features the Dock Street Theater and the St. Phillip’s Episcopal church the oldest congregation in South Carolina. Notice the “Pirate Houses” next to the graveyard legendary hangouts for eighteenth-century pirates like cruel Blackbeard.

Garden aficionados unite at the 73rd Annual Walking Tour of Private Houses & Gardens provided by The Garden Club of Charleston, March 28th and 29th. Expert club members will showcase each garden, provide tips and answer questions. Did you know that Charleston is quickly becoming a national favorite wedding destination? On this tour you will get divine decorative inspiration from all of the exquisite floral displays. You will be awed by the Calhoun mansion, the “Grande Dame of Charleston”. At over 24,000 sqft is the city’s largest residence featuring 35 rooms and fireplaces, khoi ponds, a private elevator, three levels of piazzas, a 90 foot cupola and more.

Continue your artistic discovery with the 8th Annual Kiawah Island Art and House Tour set for April 11th on Kiawah Island and benefiting the Gibbes Museum of Art. Explore five exceptional homes showcasing spectacular private art collections. Start at a secluded shingle style home featuring Chinese, African and American art. Next is an 18h century Creole style plantation. Tucked in the dense maritime forest is your third stop featuring contemporary art. The fourth house has an inverted floor plan and expansive porches with magnificent views of the ocean and the Ibis Pond. The tour ends at the Cassique Garden Cottage that incorporates wood and stone with Luteyns and Voysey style elements. While on the island enjoy Jack Nicklaus-designed Turtle Point golf courses and look out for loggerhead turtles, bobcats, and the great blue heron.

Conclude your journey with the Ashley Hall Tour of Homes and Gardens on April 12th. The self-guided tour offers a rare glimpse of unique private dwellings and gardens not seen on other tours. This year you will enjoy houses on Meeting, Broad and South Battery streets, all within walking distance.

Check out the building at 106 Broad Street, “The Dr. John Lining House”. Made out of “sturdy black cypress” is the city third oldest building and the only remaining house with a T-shaped chimney. How incredible that a wooden building will survive the many fires that swept across the city!

Glance over the house at 8 South Battery, the only pre Revolutionary war house on the street. Col. William Washington, cousin of George Washington met his bride to be on his way to the Eutaw Springs battle. As he had no flag for his command Miss Elliott made him one using her mother’s damask curtains, now most cherished possession of the Washington Light Infantry.

In Charleston “you are almost in a splitting distance of a ghost”. If you are lodging at The Carriage House Inn, higher up on Battery Street, you are in for a special treat. You may run nose to nose with the Gentleman Ghost “the well dressed and groomed ghost that likes to lie down besides female guests” or the Headless Torso, the ghost of a Confederate soldier who lost his limbs and head during a munitions explosion.

As you brush pass serene oak trees and mysterious iron gates and hear your footsteps on the cobblestone streets, as you smell the blooming symphony of azaleas, dahlias and peonies and gaze at the white pearl sailboats on the backdrop of the clear blue harbor, you will slowly be soaked in history. What started as a travel experience will quickly transform into soul searching and inner peace discovery.

All of the sudden you will feel right at home.

Cellphone Annoyed Gorilla

Even the great apes can't put out with the constant phone ringing! Oops that was my cell...

Noisy Flamingos Show Off at the Riverbanks Zoo

Every few minutes these pinkish divas will put on a show. Gotta give them credit for the well synchronized moves!

50 feet, 10 dollars and 5 minutes of Heaven

50 feet, 10 dollars and 5 minutes of Heaven

Last month I had a defining moment. Got laid off with little explanation, a smile and no hand-shake. So what better way to celebrate then taking on a 50 feet rock climbing wall in spite the fact I’m terrified of heights?

The truth is I always wanted to do this. You know we all have the “10 places to see or 10 things do before we die”. So I drove myself to the James Island County Park which claims to have the highest outdoor rock climbing wall in South Carolina. See already on my way to breaking records!

It was Tuesday afternoon and that was a very good choice. There was nobody around but 2 staffers busy laying out some new climbing routes. David – 6 feet tall, dark curly hair, boasting a slender body fit as one might expect, smiled and came to greet me. “This is a good sign” I said to myself.

I signed a waiver, filled out a short form and paid the 10 dollars fee. That’s right only 10 dollars for all you can climb! David handed me the harness and lead me to the rock were he immediately proceeded to lay out the ropes. Things were moving too fast. My heart pounded heavily and I started to regret my decision. “I’m a little nervous” I said “haven’t done this before. Any pointers?” “Keep your hands above the feet and don’t look down. Don’t worry; I put you on the kiddy run. It’s the easiest around” replied David. Great! The vote of confidence made me feel much better.

I was hoping there was some rule against an emotionally disturbed rookie climber that would have put an end to this. No luck. David brought me back to reality “When you’re ready say ‘On Belay’”. ‘On Belay’, what the heck that means? So without much of a fanfare or an audience I started my quest to bravery and self-esteem.

My plan was simple; keep moving, maintain at all times a 3 points contact with the rock (got this tip from a Romanian friend 15 years ago…finally got to put it to use) and, as my guide just advised, don’t look down. It was going unexpectedly well when my left sleeve got caught in a jug. I jerked my arm furiously few times trying to escape. All of the sudden I felt very tired. For some reason all I could think about was that famous guy who had to cut his wrist to save himself. Luckily for me and my wrist I finally managed to let go. Back on track.

Minutes later I reached the summit (yeah baby, “THE SUMMIT”!). All along I had visions of myself grandiosely declaring my victory with something profound and inspiring like “Veni, Vidi, Vici” or at least a Rocky style fists pumping. Yet all I could come up with was a pitchy “How do I get down from here?” “Grab the rope coming from your harness and lean backwards” David said “I’ll take it from there”. Easy for you to say, buddy. You know I skipped the “trust thy co-workers and let thrust thyself into their hands” team-building class. With not much of a choice I reluctantly grabbed the rope, closed my eyes and slowly squinted down at a 90 degrees angle. I’m sure was a pretty sight to see. The descend was a gentle slide down thanks to my quiet guide below.

The whole thing took little over 5 minutes. I ended up grasping for air, bruised on my knees and elbows and so exhausted that I could barely move my arms to remove the harness. But now I know what Heaven must feel like.

Did I mention they are open year around?