The Tallahassee Museum has been around for as long as I can remember, though when I was growing up we called it the Jr. Museum. It’s a great place because of 2 reasons. One, all the animals (with the exception of the guest animal) are native to Florida and two, many of the animals were either raised in captivity, are injured or orphaned animals rescued by licensed wildlife rehabilitators. These animals are non-releasable which means they would not survive in the wild. The display of native species in their natural settings is distinctive and has served as a model for other zoos around the nation.
My wonderful sister in law Amy has a membership and can bring a guest for free and since Ethan is still just a little one he gets in for free as well. The other day we took both of the boys (Ethan and my nephew) there for a day out. This is one of the only places that I feel safe letting Ethan out of the stroller to run the trail.
Here he is with his “I can’t wait to run” look. The only time I have to be extra careful with him is when he get to the bird sanctuary. The reason for this is because he can get his fingers into the habitat.
This is one of the two Bald Eagles that the Museum has. I think they are beautiful!
Aunt Amy and Ethan looking at the turtles, wood ducks and the Eastern Screech-Owl. Ethan was fascinated with the turtles.
The White-tailed Deer is one of the hardest animals to find sometimes, they have such good camouflage all year round. The boardwalk goes over the deer’s habitat and on the other side of it is the wild turkey’s habitat. This time I wasn’t able to get a picture of the turkey because the boys were off and running!
This is the Red Wolf. What is so amazing is that at one time, this animal was extinct in the wild. In 1973 they were removed from the wild and placed in captivity for conservation purposes. The Tallahassee Museum is one of 41 breeding facilities in the United States trying to grow the population of the Red Wolf. They have been part of this program since 1988.
The American Alligator is always an impressive sight. The one at the museum is about 10 feet long, which means it’s brain is about the size of 3 olives! I personally get a little grossed out by them when they are this big, but the little tiny ones aren’t so bad.
And he’s off! Ethan was having such a blast this time and was running as much as he could!. I don’t know if you tell, but all the green you’re seeing is mostly grass. What’s sad about this is it goes to show how much of a drought we’ve been experiencing recently. When I was little all that was part of a huge lake and that was all water!
The last animal we saw of the trail was the Black Bear. This is one of two that the museum has.
There are several more animals on the trail, I just wasn’t able to get pictures of all of them. Ethan had a great time at the zoo (that’s what we sometimes call it). I love that I’m able to let him roam free and feel totally safe. I’m hoping that as he gets a little older we can turn trips into learning experiences.
I hope you enjoyed our adventure to that Tallahassee Museum!
