Brookgreen Gardens Zoo, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

After enjoying the sculpture garden, we headed over to the zoo part of Brookgreen Gardens.

Before seeing the fauna, we admired some flora. Most of the trees have Spanish moss on them, especially the old, gnarly trees.

Maybe this isn't a good first picture for a post about a zoo?

The ponds had the usual warning about alligators and snakes waiting to take a bite out of us. We weren't here to eat a snack or be a snack, so we were just fine.

We didn't bring our bathing suits anyway

The first thing we saw at the zoo was the goat pen. Since we visited in springtime, we got to see some baby goats!

Eating up

Following a parent's good example

Older, less active goat

We saw a bull rubbing his horns against a tree. Maybe he was getting ready to break out!

Or maybe he had fleas

Speckled hens are always fun to watch.

Hen pen

We did not approach this next feature, a tower of pallets and other stuff that makes a good home for various insects.

No rooms for rent

The zoo has a nice collection of predator birds. These birds have been injured in the wild and have been given a longer life in captivity.

Barn owl

Bald eagle

Side view

The red fox was too shy to come close for a picture.

A zoomed in and cropped photo

The river otters were a playful bunch who did a lot of swimming and cavorting.

Going downstream

Coming ashore

This skink was hanging out on one of the walls. It is not part of any exhibit, just a bit of wildlife living at the zoo by choice.

The blues are behind him

Another aviary had the non-predatory birds on display.

Hanging in a tree

Looking for lunch

Found it!

The zoo also has a horse and a donkey, both of which were more interested in food than in entertaining guests.

Not much grass left

As we left, we saw a bit of history. This cypress tree log was found in the Waccama River in 2009. It's believed to be felled in the late 1700s or early 1800s as slaves cleared the swamp for planting rice. The log, which is seventeen feet long and 10 feet in diameter, has hand-axe marks. Experts think it was around 500 years old when it was cut down.

Cyprus tree log

I'm fairly certain that our kids enjoyed this part of our visit to Brookgreen Gardens more than the sculpture garden. Your mileage may vary.