Cohanzick Zoo and Bridgeton Splash Park

Cohanzick Zoo

The Cohanzick Zoo is one of the last remaining free zoos in the country.  It is small and there are not a lot of animals, but they do a nice job with what that have.  It was clean, the animals were fed and my son and I enjoyed it a great deal.  I especially enjoyed the fact that it was FREE!  We're on a very limited budget, so things like this are so valuable.  To give you an idea of some of the animals they do have, here are some photos I took:

Cranes

A sleepy little fox (Artic, if memory serves, but let's not put 100% trust in MY memory, folks!)

Peacocks galore!

White tiger

I can't remember what these little dogs are called, but they apparently 'howl' in a 'chorus' in mornings and at night.  Wouldn't be my choice of wake up calls, I'm sure!

They were holding a little show that day and time we were there.  Very cute with two men doing some tightrope and other events.  I wish I had gotten more info, but we just caught a little of the show.

There is a nice little picnic grove to have some lunch (no food sales, though there was a hot dog vendor in the parking lot), which we did.  It's neat to it so near the animals and hear them as you eat.

All in all, it was a great little trip and I would definitely go again.  

Afterwards, we headed across the parking lot to the splash park.

Bridgeton Splash Park

The splash park was FABULOUS!  It has a capacity of 95 people and we were some of the first in line.  This was lucky, because an hour later, when we left, there were people waiting to get in!  This was on a pretty nice day, so I can't imagine what it would be like on a hot day.  

I went with a one-year-old and 2 two-year-olds.  They all had a blast!  However, we did leave early because, as young children do, they got tired.

I did a lot of running and I got VERY wet, but I did plan for this.  There are two covered areas where parents can stand/sit.  Many with older children took advantage of this.  There are restrooms, but they are within the gate and cannot be used unless you, too, are inside.  I found it very cute that they had a zoo theme, considering they shared a parking lot with the zoo.

Some things to consider for the splash park:

1. They do 'require' swim shoes, or sandals with the heel strap (my son is 1 and wore the little flip flops with the strap that goes around the heel, which they deemed to be fine).  Many children took their shoes off, and many of them fell.  They will permit you to go in without these shoes, but will ask you to sign a waiver.
2. You will want to try to bring exact change.  I only had a $20 for 2 people and they do start to run out of change.  They even had a sign saying they could only take 1's and 5's.
3. There are three sessions.  The hottest time of day is during the second two sessions, so you may want to keep that in mind and plan accordingly, either arriving early or going to the early session.  The first session didn't have many people in it and we were in the middle session (1:30-3:30).

Here is a link to the Splash Park's page on the City of Bridgeton's site.

From their brochure: 

HOURS OF OPERATION 

 

Season—Memorial Day to Labor Day 

(Weekends only while local school 

is in session) 

 

Open Daily 11 am to 6 pm 

 

Three 2-hour sessions daily 

 

11 am to 1 pm 

1:30 pm to 3:30 pm 

4 pm to 6 pm 

All in all, it was a great day.  It is about a 30 minute drive for us, so it was well worth it to pay $4 for these two activities and we will absolutely be doing it again!

Fasola Park in Deptford, NJ

Address:

12 Sycamore Lane, Deptford, NJ, though I came in off of Delsea Drive.

This park had 3 separate play areas - one small one in the shade (looked to be for the smaller kids), one large one nearby with areas for both smaller and bigger kids, swings in both the sun and shade and a play area down near the tennis courts.

There was a large pavilion.  It contained a number of picnic tables and looked to even have electricity.

There is a duck pond there, however, we did not get the chance to explore it today.

There was also a walking/running trail, which we also did not have an opportunity to explore.  I'm hoping to get back there soon since it is fairly close to home.

Here are some photos I took to give you an idea of what the play areas contain:

NJ Bucket List

Forget the high taxes and ridiculous traffic and a million other things I can name, NJ is awesome.  We have it all... We have mountains, beaches, hiking, biking, lakes, Atlantic City... I could go on and on...

Only recently have I really started looking into exploring the history and unique nature of this state.  My husband works away from home for the month of July.  I am a stay-at-home mom and am always looking for new things to do.  I always knew NJ was an amazing place to live.  I've tried a few different ways of capturing a list of all the places I'd like to see and... well... it got long.  And very hard to keep organized.  So here I am... compiling and on-line list in hopes that not only will I keep a more organized listing of locations, but might help others find some new places to explore as well.

I'm going to try to keep this sorted by county.  As I visit each place, I will add photos and links about my experience.

Gloucester/Cumberland (I am in Gloucester, but Cumberland County is pretty close, so I'm grouping these together):

Creamy Acres in Mullica Hill, NJ - This place is awesome.  They have animals that the kids are allowed to get up close and personal with, greenhouses to search, educational tours and in the fall, they are one of the most popular Halloween attractions around!

Soupy Island in Thorofare, NJ - They don't appear to have their own website, but this was originally a hospital used to treat children with tuberculosis.  It was located on an island in the Delaware, but had to be moved when the river was widened.  I learned about this location from Yummygal.  Here is her article.

Palace of Depression in Vineland, NJ - This place is supposed to be so weirdly cool.  It was built by a man named George Daynor.  Supposedly, there is something to raise your eyebrows at at every turn.  The town of Vineland wanted to tear down the remains of the palace (burned in a fire in 1969) a few years back and a project to restore it started and became successful.

Lake Garrison in Monroeville, NJ - As of the date of this post, the entry fee per person is $6 M-F and $8 on the weekends.  Children under 4 are free.  There are boat (non-motorized) rentals available, a snack stand, a large picnic area, a playground and more to keep you occupied.  Many families stay for the summer in the small homes located on the grounds.  We have visited this location and had a nice time, though our stay was short.  This is an awesome place to come with young children as you can go out quite far and the water stays shallow.  This also makes for a warm lake, if that interests you!  According to the site, this was previously a cranberry bog, which would account for the shallow waters!

Fortescue Beach in Fortescue, NJ - There isn't really a site about this beach.  I learned about it through Yummygal on www.southjerseyexplorer.com.

Manumuskin River Preserve - The fact that this location is home to many endangered species, I'm not listing the location, though I'm sure that a quick Google search will lead you on your way.  My husband and I are very much interested in nature and the way it lays it's own claim to land.  This area is a beautiful example of that and I can't wait to visit.

Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton, NJ - One of the last free zoos in America.  It is small, but nice.  Some really neat animals and they sometimes put on shows.

Bridgeton Splash Park in Bridgeton, NJ - $2 per person for a 2 hour splash session.  This park holds up to 95 people.  A great way to stay cool in the hot days of summer!

Camden County

Fasola Park in Deptford, NJ - We visited here today on a whim, since I happened to pass it.  I had never heard of it before and it turned out to be a really nice park.  There were three separate play areas.  One small one in the shade of the trees, one large one nearby and one down by the tennis courts.  The large play area looked to be very new and had a lot of neat options.  Unfortunately, little man was turned out to be too tired to play, but I surely would have had fun!  I do have a post about this park... as soon as I learn to link it, I will, but since I have so few, it shouldn't be hard to find.  :)

Gloucester Township Community Park in Gloucester Twp - I came by this park by word of mouth.  I have a one year old (going on 16) and this park supposedly has three different level play areas.

Challenge Grove (Jake's Place) in Cherry Hill, NJ - This is the first all access park in southern NJ.  It was built in honor of a very young boy with a rare heart defect who passed away far too soon.

Knight Park Playground in Collingswood, NJ - This park is castle-themed and just looks to be so much fun!  It (along with Challenge Grove, above) was listed in the Examiner's recent article 'Best Playgrounds for Stimulating Play in South Jersey'.  I would eventually like to visit all of the parks mentioned, but these are my top two.

Timber Creek Park in Blackwood, NJ - This is a treehouse-themed park!  'Nuff said!

To be continued...